Close, Open

For three seasons a long time ago, with five years in between each season, I taught my three sons to close-open their tiny hands.   

According to their pediatrician, a baby’s hands are clenched at birth. Even if I tried to uncurl their fingers, they will curl back into tight fists—a reflex a baby is born with. At around three months, he will begin to open his hands on his own and will soon learn to open and close them. A milestone!  

And so I’d sing a rhythmic “close, open” to hasten the learning process.   

Was I shocked in our church’s senior gathering when Cely, our facilitator (Doctor of Nursing Practice [DNP] focused on geriatric care), stressed these words: 

“Close-open your hands upon waking up in the morning!”  

“Huh?!” 

“As we age,” she continued, “our hand function degenerates, reducing our finger strength. Some might feel pain, weakness, numbness, and stiffness, which are symptoms of arthritis. C'mon, follow me!”  

So my faith sisters and I closed and opened our fists to the rhythm of Cely’s  prompts, “close, open, close, open.” 

She assured us, “This is an intervention that improves the mobility and strength of your hand and to relieve you of its discomforts.”  

As Tony and I celebrate our 53rd wedding anniversary today, I look back on how we took care of our three babies. This is the same care that we should be giving our aging bodies now that our sons are all grown. Cely calls this “Self care for the elderly,” which is her health ministry dubbed as GIFT (Growing in Fellowship together with Jesus). 

There are no gongs and cymbals to mark this special day. Taking our cue from Cely, we will simply close our gnarled hands in heartfelt prayer of thanksgiving as we remember the Lord’s grace for 53 years. And then we open these hands to take care of the bodies He blessed us with, so that we can continue to grow in fellowship with Jesus.   

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself . . .”  (1 Corinthians 6:19 NLT)