06/07/2009

Touch me and I’ll touch you back

Touch is one of the most under-rated senses. Babies need it to thrive and we all need it to survive. Studies in orphanages and hospitals tell us that infants deprived of skin contact lose weight, become ill, and sometimes die.

When someone is going through a tragedy, one of the first things we do to help is give them hug. Yesterday, my friend told me that an older family member she loved and adored died in her sleep the night before, my friend lives a few miles away and the first thing I thought was “She needs a hug.” After that, I thought about other things I could do to help her feel better.

Hug a stranger? Sounds a bit odd…but there are several ‘hugging’ websites out there. My favorite is a website called HugItForward.com. There is even a National Hugging Day (January 21st). One of my favorite quotes is: A hug is like a boomerang – you get it back right away by Bil Keane

My mom and dad always told me never to talk to strangers, but they didn’t say anything about hugging them.

Have you hugged someone today?

- Mama