The Hands That Held Me

I remember little fingers Wrapped around your thumb The world was big But you made it feel so small and warm Your hands would lift me high Chase the monsters from my night Patch the knees of jeans I tore And open every locked door The hands that held me when I cried That brushed my hair and wiped my eyes Hands that worked and hands that prayed Hands that taught me not to be afraid Time has taken them far from view But Mama, I still feel you In the hands that once held me And never really let me go I remember clumsy drawings You hung them like they were gold Your hands would clap so proudly Even when the lines weren't bold You tied my laces, laced my heart Let me stumble, let me start You held on tight, then let me fly I never once asked how you cried The hands that held me when I fell That stitched my heart and wished me well Hands that cooked and hands that mended Hands that gave and never ended Though I stand here grown and free I still feel them holding me The hands that once held me And never really let me go Now I hold my child the same And whisper soft your sacred name Your touch lives on in all I do In every gentle thing I knew The hands that held me through the years Caught my dreams and calmed my fears Hands now gone but not erased Their memory time can't replace In every touch, in every part I still carry you in my heart The hands that once held me And never really let me go And when I reach the end of days I hope you'll be there, arms raised With the hands that once held me Ready to hold me once again