How many of you are like me I wonder? How many of you have yet to discover you are like me?

I've always loved hugs, still do tremendously. It wasn't until my husband died though that I discovered just how important the gift of touch was to me.

It was the first thing I missed. I never realized how much we had touched one another throughout the day, and in how many ways. It began before I even awakened, he'd be holding me, his arm draped over me and tucked under me for about the last hour before we rose. We hugged at least three times each day. I was "touched" by his voice several times during the day depending on how many things he'd "forget" to tell me. Then there were the moments he would grab my hand or touch my shoulder or back or arm or face. And let's not leave out the kisses.

I have to wonder how many of us have this need/desire to be touched. I can only imagine how desolate it would be to go whole days, weeks or longer without coming into some kind of physical touch with another human being. I do think it would make me physically ill. In fact, I believe that everyone in this world would be so much better off physically, spiritually, psychologically and emotionally if they had AT LEAST three GOOD hugs per day.

Children never get enough of it. My students always come up to me to give or get a hug from me all the time. This is no longer allowed thanks to political correctness and the exposure of so much sexual misconduct. But I never stop them, I just make sure there is always someone else around. My granddaughter, who gets tons of love and hugs, comes running and tackle hugs all those with whom she is close and the second she gets her arms around you she wraps her leg around you too for extra measure.

Give someone a hug today, you might just be giving them exactly what they need.


This poem could be describing me!




Touch Me
by Juliet Klieman

Touch me
In secret places
No one has reached before
In silent places
Where words only interfere
In sad places
Where only whispering makes sense.
Touch me
In the morning
When night still clings
At midday
When confusion
crowds upon me
At twilight
When I see you and hear you
Best of all
Touch me
Like a child
Who will never have enough love
For I am a girl
Who wants to be lost in your arms
A woman
Who has known enough pain to love.
Touch me
In crowds
When a single look says everything
In solitude
When it's too dark to even look
In absence
When I reach for you through time and miles.
Touch me
In winter
When darkness comes early
And the softness of fur surrounds my face
In summer
When the sun makes me languid
And water laps at my feet
In spring
When lovers come alive
In fall
When the woods call to wanderers
And dry leaves make the softest pillows.
Touch me
When I ask
When I'm afraid to ask.
Touch me
With your lips
Your hands
Your words
Your presence in the room.
Touch me
Gently
For I am fragile
Firmly
For I am strong
Often
For I am alone.
Touch me
Not like a cat
Or even a tree
Or even a flower
For I am more than all these yet akin to them;
A woman.
Touch me
I was made to be touched.
I can never be touched enough.

I love the poem and yes, that is the worst part to me is there is NO touch. When my husband died I knew I would miss him, but I never knew how much I would miss just a touch.

this is a hunger i would love to have sated