BE THANKFUL FOR YOUR LIFE’S ACHIEVEMENT  

You must have seen the picture of “The Praying Hands”, but have you heard about the story of sacrifice behind that popular picture?    The story behind the picture of the praying hands goes to a fifteenth century family with eighteen children in Nuremberg, the German state of Bavaria. We can imagine the plight of the father, a goldsmith by profession, to provide even the food for them! In spite of their seemingly hopeless condition, two of the elder children, Albrecht and Albert, had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but their father was not able to provide for their education. At last they came to a mutual decision.  They would toss a coin and the one who wins shall go for the art studies whereas the other shall go to the mines and earn for the education.  After the four years of study, the one who shall go for study shall return and support the other brother to pursue the education.    

  Albrecht Durer won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert went down into the dangerous mines and, for the next four years, financed his brother, whose work at the academy was almost an immediate sensation. Albrecht's etchings, his woodcuts, and his oils were far better than those of most of his professors, and by the time he graduated, he was beginning to earn considerable fees for his commissioned works. When the young artist returned to his village, the Durer family held a festive dinner on their lawn to celebrate Albrecht's triumphant homecoming. After a long and memorable meal, punctuated with music and laughter, Albrecht rose from his honored position at the head of the table to drink a toast to his beloved brother for the years of sacrifice that had enabled Albrecht to fulfill his ambition. His closing words were, "And now, Albert, blessed brother of mine, now it is your turn. Now you can go to Nuremberg to pursue your dream, and I will take care of you." All heads turned in eager expectation to the far end of the table where Albert sat, tears streaming down his pale face, shaking his lowered head from side to side while he sobbed and repeated, over and over, "No ..no ...no ..no." Finally, Albert rose and wiped the tears from his cheeks. He glanced down the long table at the faces he loved, and then, holding his hands close to his right cheek, he said softly, "No, brother. I cannot go to Nuremberg. It is too late for me. Look ... look what four years in the mines have done to my hands! The bones in every finger have been smashed at least once, and lately I have been suffering from arthritis so badly in my right hand that I cannot even hold a glass to return your toast, much less make delicate lines on parchment or canvas with a pen or a brush. No, brother ...for me it is too late."

More than 450 years have passed. By now, Albrecht Durer's hundreds of masterful portraits, pen and silver-point sketches, watercolors, charcoals, woodcuts, and copper engravings hang in every great museum in the world, but the odds are great that you, like most people, are familiar with only one of Albrecht Durer's works. More than merely being familiar with it, you very well may have a reproduction hanging in your home or office. One day, to pay homage to Albert for all that he had sacrificed, Albrecht Durer painstakingly drew his brother's abused hands with palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward. He called his powerful drawing simply "Hands," but the entire world almost immediately opened their hearts to his great masterpiece and renamed his tribute of love "The Praying Hands."

 The next time you see a copy of that touching creation, take a second look. Let it be your reminder – behind your successful life, there is someone whom you may or may not know.  It is the numerous people who have worked sacrificially for your welfare – it may be your parents, siblings, friends, or may be the people who work in the power generating establishments, the farmers who have toiled in the sun for giving you food, the people in the armed forces who guard you vigilantly day and night (if I try to enumerate, it shall be countless and ageless.). Take turn and Make your life a blessing to others!