Oh, adhere to me
For we are bound by symmetry
Whatever differences our lives have been
We, together, make a limb
Colin Meloy, Red Right Ankle
It is said that man, through the use of his hands, can change the state of his own life. This is a universal principle that we see every day. A woman uses her hands to knead the dough that feeds her children. A farmer uses his hands to check the state of his crops growing in the field. A violinist uses his hands to navigate the strings of his violin, infusing the room with the sweet aroma of music. An infant child uses her hands to grasp for toys and explore her world, helping her to grow and to learn. We all use our hands to apply ourselves to tasks that bring motivation, meaning, and purpose to our lives.
But it's only when you are left standing in a crumbling room of orphaned boys with disabilities who have spent the better part of their childhood lost in a world with no opportunities to make use of their hands, that you begin to realize the power within our limbs.
In March, during my previous trip to Ukraine, we fought hard to bring life to the hands and feet of the boys in the skills program. Finger paint; play dough; water play; dried rice kernels; dried noodles; songs with motions; jumping games......we used everything we could to awaken the senses of their hands and feet. One of our boys, Sergei, had been particularly distracted that day - unable to focus his attention for more than a few seconds. But when it was his turn for the basin of rice, he hurriedly pulled off his socks and plunged his toes into the rice. He wobbled at first, throwing off his balance. As I grasped his arms to steady him, I watched his eyes grow wide. He grew quiet and still for the first time that day - soaking in the feeling of grain between his toes.
And at the end of it all, we taught them to wash their hands and feet. It was a terribly difficult arrangement - using a small basin of water and partially filling it with hot water from an electric kettle since there was no running hot water. But as difficult as it was, it was worth it to watch each boy wildly eager for their turn to wash their filthy feet, as if their feet had never been washed before.
I often think about that day at Romaniv. Peering down at their hands and feet, I couldn't help but look at my own hands and realize just how similar we really are. Our hands mirror each other and our feet are knit together in the same way. At that moment I realized that we are more connected than I thought - bonded by the human experience through the use of our hands. I am no longer satisfied to say that man, through the use of his hands, can change the state of his own life. I must go further than that. I must say that I, through the use of my hands, must do all that I can to change the state of the world - one disabled child at a time.
