The Human Touch

I recently heard about a business executive who became depressed. Things were not going well at work, and he was bringing his problems home with him every night. Every evening he would eat his dinner in silence. His wife and five-year-old daughter felt completely shut out.

After several nights of this, one evening his daughter went into the den where he was reading the newspaper. She took her little hand and pushed the paper down. Then she jumped into her father’s lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and hugged him strongly. The father said abruptly, “Honey, you are hugging me to death!” But then he suddenly realized what was actually going on, and he thought to himself, “No. You are not hugging me to death. You are hugging me to life…”

Touch is an incredibly important aspect of human life.

The Menninger Institute in Topeka, Kansas once studied a group of babies who didn’t cry. These babies had been in abusive situations. Their parents let them cry for hours on end and never responded. Eventually, the babies quit crying. It is almost as if they had learned that it was not worth even making an effort.

So the Menninger Institute tried an experiment. They got some folks from a nearby retirement center to come in daily to hold these babies and rock them. The object was to get these babies to start crying again. And it worked. The physical touch made all the difference.

In these continued times of social distancing and concerns about Covid, we have missed the gift of physical touch. Until we get back to more normal times, this will continue to be something we miss. In the meantime, I do hope you’ll reach out to those who might need a lift. Even if you can’t grab a hand, offer a hug, or put your arm around a shoulder, at least find a way to talk. Let them know what they mean to you. Share some stories, and if possible, perhaps a good laugh – or even some tears.

Let us pray: Loving God, we thank you today for friends and family, and for the people you bring into our lives who make our lives richer. Help us never fail to find ways to show our love – not only with our words but also with our actions. Amen.