Green Fingernails

Green. I like green. Especially lime green. Actually I enjoy all lively colors, as is obvious with a glance in my clothes closet. (Today I’m wearing a daffodil yellow fleece jacket.) A peek at my shoe collection further confirms it: turquoise moccasins, graffiti Converses, khaki hiking boots with purple and pink accents, tie-dye Reeboks, and pink boots. But it’s not only my clothes and shoes. I drive an electric blue car. My bedroom is pink and orange. My office is orange and lime green. And I have a hot pink stripe in my hair. As I said, I really like bright colors.

So when my daughter Cassie, twelve at the time, asked me to paint my fingernails lime green like hers for St. Patrick’s Day, I was all for it. My prosthetic left hand was a conglomeration of mechanical parts covered by a realistic-looking “glove” made of silicone. I didn’t know if polish would adhere to the rubbery surface. I tediously painted each nail and—it stuck! Then I held the handle of the polish brush in my mouth and painted the nails on my right hand. (Try it. I dare you!) Both hands turned out beautifully.

Cassie and I celebrated St. Patrick’s Day by sporting our pretty lime green fingernails. She got lots of attention at West Morgan Middle School, while I received several raised eyebrows on my job at First Baptist Church. I loved it. The fun and the polish lasted a few days and then it began to chip off. I located the polish remover, dabbed some on a cotton square, and swiped the nails on my prosthetic hand. Almost immediately I knew something wasn’t right. The green polish was coming off, but the green color wasn’t. I gasped as I realized the polish had stained my silicone glove. My fingernails were permanently an ugly shade of yellow-green! I felt sick deep down in my stomach. Gloves cost $400 and I had just ruined mine with lime green fingernail polish.

 

There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne. Revelation 4:2-3 (NIV)

Cassie and Becky 12/09