Handmade, heart-given

“As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.”
Audrey Hepburn

I have a drawer of treasures in my dressing table. It contains a story written by my daughter when she was three years old, a clay imprint of her hand when she was four, a wooden bracelet my son decorated for me, and two little hand-painted boxes.

These are some of my most treasured possessions. Made with love and given from the heart, the joy I experience every time I look at them or think about the little people who devoted their attention to making these gifts for me grows every time.

The palms of your hands are energy points in the body and are associated with your heart. When you open your hands, you open yourself up to receive. You can direct energy from your heart, through the palms of your hands and out into the Universe. Your hands are your own magic wands. And at the centre of this magic is you and your heart.

We instinctively know this. What’s your first impulse when you bang your elbow? Or knock your arm into something by mistake? You immediately place your hand over the bruised area. Your own hands have the capacity to send healing energy into the afflicted area. And more often than not, you start to feel a little bit better.

When you make something with your hands with the intention of giving it to another person, the energy from your heart radiates through your hands and into the gift. That is why a handmade gift is truly a gift from the heart.

If the act of making something with your hands is an act of love, then every time you prepare food, you are nourishing yourself and those who eat your food with love as well. That’s why homemade food generally tastes better than shop-bought.

If the only thing you get to do for yourself today is to make yourself a sandwich, then let the act of making your sandwich be an act of love. Imagine love flowing freely from the palms of your hands into the food you are preparing, infusing it with loving energy. Then, take some time to really sit down and absorb all the goodness from this sandwich. Savour each mouthful, chew mindfully, and as you swallow, imagine that goodness nourishing you on every level.

Even better, share your sandwich with another and spread the love.