Ten no Te-awase

Ten no Te-awase (A Heavenly Joining of Hands)
My life before I knew
How to join my hands in prayer
Was such a fragile, fleeting thing.
To you, who taught me this simple grace,
I offer this song
Of simple, heartfelt thanks.
By this one small gesture,
This folding of the hands,
Gratitude begins to overflow.
And I encounter the Great Grace
That has been there all along,
Unnoticed until now.
As I follow the pathless way
Where my two palms cross,
I come to know the true direction
A map carved into my skin
To lead me to the one I was meant to meet,
The true shortcut to happiness.
Joining hand to hand,
A heavenly alignment.
Aligning wrinkle to wrinkle,
A true fulfillment of fate.
No matter how many detours I take,
Somehow, my heart always finds its way
Back home to you.
Try to press the backs of your hands together,
And you will feel the dissonance,
The strange discomfort there.
And so, you learn the comfort
Of palms resting against each other
The meaning of true warmth,
And the joy of having met you.
Each time I count the ten fingers
Entrusted with divine protection
And the sacred names of God,
I think of you so deeply
That my heart aches
With a tender, quiet longing.
Joining hand to hand,
A heavenly alignment.
Aligning wrinkle to wrinkle,
A true fulfillment of fate.
In this song, I weave my gratitude
For the miracle of meeting you
As falling cherry blossom petals
Return to find their rest
Upon my gently opened palm.
Joining hand to hand,
A heavenly alignment.
Aligning wrinkle to wrinkle,
A true fulfillment of fate.
No matter how many detours I take,
Somehow, my heart always finds its way
Back home to you.