I don’t know about you, but I NEED A HUG!
I haven’t hugged my grandkids, my extended family/friends, or members of my TLC family for months, and to be honest, I believe I’m going through physical contact withdrawal! I thank God for my dear husband, because I can’t imagine how hard this must be for those “huggers" living alone.
The last few months living in the shadows of Covid19, has left us all super sensitive to being too close to others (even those we love) in fear of catching the virus. For those of us whose love language is physical touch, this has proven to be an even more challenging time.
I ran across this poem by
Dean Walley
that sums it up for me:
It’s wondrous what a hug can do.
A hug can cheer you when you’re blue
A hug can say, “I love you so,” Or, “I hate to see you go.”
A hug is “Welcome back again.”
And “Great to see you! Where ‘er you been'
A hug can soothe a small child’s pain
And bring a rainbow after rain.
The hug, there’s just no doubt about it —
We scarcely could survive without it!
A hug delights and warms and charms;
It must be why God gave us arms.
Hugs are great for fathers and mothers,
Sweet for sisters, swell for brothers;
And chances are your favorite aunts love them more than potted plants.
Kittens crave them, puppies love them,
Heads of states are not above them.
A hug can break the language barrier
And make your travel so much merrier.
No need to fret about your store of ‘em;
The more you give, the more there’s more of ‘em.
So stretch those arms without delay
And give someone a hug today!
If you’re a hugger, you can totally relate to this poem. I’ve found in my life that hugging has become a completely, unconscious act for me. I’ve accepted that it’s just how I and my fellow huggers express our feelings. It’s really hard to explain “the need to hug/be hugged” to someone that doesn’t have physical touch as their love language. We’ve heard about the healing power of touch.
We at TLC practice the “laying-on of hands” during various church sacraments, which is associated with Christ’s healing of the sick, the receiving of the Holy Spirit, and the extension of comfort and blessings to others.
Romans 16:16 says “Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.”
Various commentaries for this bible verse state that “In those early times, the kiss, as a token of peace, friendship, and brotherly love, was frequent among all people; all the Christians used it in their public assemblies, as well as in their occasional meetings. This at last was laid aside in some cultures, and the shaking of the hands is now substituted for it in almost all Christian congregations.”
I have been thinking a lot about what the future (post Covid19) is going to hold for us who need physical touch and the picture isn’t looking very bright. I’ve been pondering if hugging, hand shaking, a kiss on the cheek, the laying-on of hands, or even just a tap on the shoulder, or pat on the back, is going to go by the wayside in fear of catching something. Have any of these thoughts crossed your mind too?
If we don’t use these gestures, I wonder how we will express the feelings they convey when interacting with others going forward. Will we just give others a meaningful look with our eyes, and they will ultimately know what we are feeling? Just like in the movie “Casablanca," “Here’s looking at you …”
Will we bow, air hug, give them the thumbs up, or make the heart symbol with our hands to tell others that we admire them, are happy to see them, love them, or bless them? Or do you think more of our feelings will have to be expressed vocally, rather than physically?
I know that I’m praying that all our loving, physical gestures can return sometime soon, especially hugging, and the laying-on of hands. As the poem states above and I truly believe, “It must be why God gave us arms.”
Please stay safe. I miss you.
Blessings and AIR HUGS until we meet again,
Norma R. Macdonald-Ockwig
