I Know Where the Hand Has Been
By: Cincy15
In response to Kelly Ripa’s recent comment that she doesn’t know where
Clay’s Hand has been, I may be able to address that issue and hopefully
eliminate any of her fears. You see, I am a student of that Hand. I’ve made
it my point to learn where it has been in the past, where it may be at any
given time of the day, month or year and to speculate where it may be going
from this point forward. No, I am not a stalker; just a fan.
I have learned that from the time Clay was a baby, that Hand (like the Hands
of most children) has been held firmly by his mother. I am sure there were
times as a youngster when he may have felt he was giving her as much in
comfort as she was in guiding him since a single mother often only has the
touch of her child to remind her of love. From early on, the Hand was
reminded to join with the other Hand as he knelt in prayer. Faith is an
important part of the Hand’s life, you see.
The young adult Hand didn’t go many of the places the Hands of many
adolescents seem to go these days. It wasn’t seen rolling a doobie, drinking
with friends, hanging with a gang or falling prey to unfortunate peer
pressure. Rather, it was living a good life in a relatively small town where
it learned the importance of family, education and service, most often at
the YMCA where he worked and volunteered. At that time, the Hand was
introduced to the Hands of a young man whose disabilities would lead Clay to
an important goal in his life, working to insure educational and societal
opportunities for children who otherwise would be misunderstood or lost
along the way. Decency and Service are also dominant factors in the life of
the Hand.
From that point on, the life of the Hand seemed to take on a life of its
own. Once the beauty and voice of the man were exposed to an audience much
larger than the one in his hometown, it didn’t take long for the Hand of the
son, student and community leader to realize that it was part of a special
gift from God. The Hand has since been wrapped around a microphone in
recording studios and concerts to entertain and bring joy into the lives of
his fans. The Hand has been seen making a sweeping gesture at those times to
bring to the forefront back-up singers, band members and even members of his
audience. Sharing; yes, that is another element of the Hand’s existence.
But this is not an ordinary Hand. Having accomplished fame for Clay's
talents was not enough. Now, the Hand was put to Clay’s purposes in life,
the first of which being the establishment of TBAF to raise awareness for
children with educational disadvantages and to promote inclusion of them in
areas of life most of us take or granted. The Hand was seen at countless
telethons and fundraisers for charities other than his own. It went to
Capitol Hill a couple of times to speak before our nation’s leaders about
the importance of medical research for a cure for autism and the enactment
of laws to protect the rights of children who are disabled to the same
quality educations as those without disabilities. Whenever there was a time
of disaster, you could count on the Hand to be there to assist as a UNICEF
ambassador to analyze and report on the devastation of a village in Banda
Aceh as the result of a tsunami or the needs of a child in Uganda left
homeless, hungry and in peril due to the ravages of war. Service takes a
major role in the life of the Hand.
So you really don’t need to worry about where the Hand has been. It has been
and no doubt will continue to go wherever a good Hand is needed. Even at its
early age, it has gone places and accomplished deeds that boggle the mind of
this older woman. I have little doubt the Hand will travel to many more
places during its lifetime, to entertain, to teach, to observe and to
promote. The Hand is placed firmly in the Hand of a greater being. It seldom
makes a decision without first going there for advice and guidance. That
comforts me, as it should Ms. Ripa. It gives me no reason to worry about
where the Hand has been but much to anticipate as to where it is going.
