Dear Friend,
She is ‘only’ 95, and when last week she was asked what she wanted
for Christmas. You won't believe what she asked for.
May Sass, a member of our church is now living in an assistant
living facility an hour from our church. She is regularly and faithfully
visited by Eileen Thomas, another member of our church. Recently Eileen was
visiting May-not your typical visit- but a conversational visit in which she
was talking by phone with May who was on the other side of a plexiglass
window like you often see in those Dateline dramas. Their conversation was
suddenly interrupted by a visiting elf from the North Pole, one of Santa’s
emissaries seeking to spread some Christmas cheer to those isolated residents.
And when she asked May what Santa could bring her for
Christmas. May’s simple request was, “Just tell Santa I want a hug and a kiss.”
Hugs and kisses are in short supply during this Pandemic season.
While I recognize the importance of social distancing, I confess it is
hard for me to give up one of my favorite social activities, the hug. I have
always been a hugger, ever since a former member in a church I pastored taught
our staff the therapeutic value of the hug. Ever since that day back in
the 90’s, there’s not many times I miss an opportunity to reveal my
hugging skills.
As I thought about my friend May Sass, I remembered an
amazing story I read about a set of twins who were only a few days old. I
quote, “One of them had been born with a serious heart condition and wasn’t
expected to live. A few days went by and one baby’s health continued to
deteriorate; she was close to death. A hospital nurse asked if she could go
against hospital policy and put the babies in the same incubator together,
rather than in individual incubators. It was a big ordeal, but finally the
doctor consented to allow the twins to be placed side by side in the same
incubator, just as they had been in their mother’s womb.”
“Somehow the healthy baby managed to reach over and put his arm
around his little sick sister. Before long, and for no apparent reason, her
heart began to stabilize and heal. Her blood pressure came up to normal. Her
temperature soon followed suit. Little by little she got better and today they
are both perfectly healthy children. A newspaper caught wind of the story and
photographed the twins while still in the incubator, embraced in a hug. They
ran the photo with the caption, ‘The Rescuing Hug’” Your Best Life Now,
Joel Osteen, p 224.
As a pastor I have learned that a tender hug at just the right
time, and in the right circumstances, given in the right spirit can communicate
a message more significant than words could ever express.
We all could use a hug in times of need. We are like the little
boy who came up to his coach after dropping a key pass during the game and
asked, “Coach, do you think you could give me another hug?”
Paul reminds us in 1 Thess. 5:11 that we are, “To speak
encouraging words to one another. Build up hope so you'll all be
together in this, no one left out, no one left behind. I know you are
already doing this; just keep on doing it." (the Message
Bible).
Would that all of us could go on 'hug hunts' but with social
distancing the fashion, those hugs May longs for may have to wait. I know
that arms were meant for hugging, but if you are looking for a
socially acceptable alternative, why not pick up some paper and a pen and
send your hugs through the mail?
Yours in faith and friendship,
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