Yesterday, a woman at Books in Bloom gave me the crocheted book mark shown in the photo at left. She said that she had put a couple in her purse not knowing what for, but having heard my talk, knew that I would be interested in having one. It is truly an example of the wisdom of the hands and also an example of the kind of exquisite beauty most are abandoning in our digital age. Thankfully, there are still some in our culture that understand the significance of working thoughtfully and attentively through the creative powers of their hands.

On another note, the news this morning described serious thumb problems children are having from their compulsive use of digital input devices in gaming and text messaging. Hand problems are nothing new to the world. But the development of debilitating hand problems from such inane activities is particularly distressing to those of us who know the creative powers of our hands, and who take pleasure in knowing that the beauty we create can last for generations.