On the holding of hands

There has been a lot of hand holding in the last few weeks.
With the ambulance men and the primary care nurse it was a traumatic experience, I was in shock.
With Benjamin, the plastic surgeon on the evening of the accident it was very painful..
With the wonderful anaesthetist who searched for nerve bundles in my armpit whilst I watched the strange black and white ultrasound images on the screen.
With the nurses in the operating theatre when my hand was an unfeeling lump that had very little to do with me.
With Rachael the hand therapist who fashioned the splint and worked the tendons and massaged the scar
With Ellie the plastic surgeon specialist nurse who cleaned and anointed.
With Barbara, my wonderful wife who has held my other hand and tied my shoelaces!
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I recall when I first started selling my work that an Irish customer said to me as she left the stand "Health to your hands" which I thought was a wonderful thing to say to a craftsman. The Greeks say "Yas to heri sou" meaning much the same. We don't seem to have an equivalent saying in English but then we don't say "Bon appetit" either!