James Goldberg

ALT Painting of hands

ALT The old elder placed his brown and spotted hands, large like those of a prophet who moves mountains and towns, upon the head of the once vigorous stake president and General Authority Seventy, a gallant man of hard work, a growing estate, radiant beauty, respect, service, and great spirituality—but who had been, for almost three years, a battered, dying animal, pierced by the wound of cancer. The twin granddaughters of the blesser—who was discreetly famous for having, in his hands and in his voice, the divine gift of healing—sustained him to prevent his fragile legs from collapsing. Their grandfather already had difficulty seeing, but the passing of the years had granted his throat clarity instead of dulling and dirtying his voice.