Did you know that January 21 is National Hug Day? I love hugs\u2014both giving and receiving them.<\/p>\n
What is any better than a hug from a child or grandchild? My husband and I went to a movie last week with all of our in-town family, and three-year-old Eden sat on my lap for most of the evening. Near the end of the movie, she put her head on my shoulder. And then I felt her arms slide around my neck in a big bear hug. I felt so loved. <\/p>\n
Hugs can be used in a variety of ways. There have been many occasions when someone I love has received a scary health diagnosis or has lost a loved one, and I haven\u2019t known what to say. I\u2019ve found that sometimes a tight hug says it all. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve given hugs during times of joy. I remember when a dear author friend won an unexpected award\u2014one that isn\u2019t usually given to authors of children\u2019s books. At the end of the event, we flung our arms around each other in a giant celebration hug that was accompanied with squeals of excitement.<\/p>\n
As a mom, I\u2019ve given many hugs during times of fear, often during the middle of the night when one of my sons awoke from a nightmare. Hugs can provide security.<\/p>\n
Hugs are often a way to say \u201cthank you\u201d to someone who has blessed you, when mere words don\u2019t seem enough.<\/p>\n
Hugs can say, \u201cI\u2019m sorry,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019ve missed you.\u201d They can reflect sadness when you know it will be awhile before you see a loved one again. Watching those hugs from military families as their loved ones leave for deployment always makes me cry. <\/p>\n
Hugs can also say, \u201cYou\u2019re welcome here.\u201d Macie Bailey was the official hugger at my church. Nobody came through the doors of Trinity Baptist without receiving a hug from that precious elderly lady. It was sometimes comical to see the expressions when Mrs. Macie wrapped her arms around unsuspecting first-time visitors, but they always left with smiles.<\/p>\n
And some of the best hugs ever are the ones from heaven when we\u2019re going through difficult times, and then it seems like God just reaches down and wraps His arms of comfort around us. <\/p>\n
I\u2019ve been blessed to be the recipient of many hugs, and it makes me sad when I think about folks who don\u2019t get hugs very often. Of course, you don\u2019t ever want to make anyone uncomfortable when dispensing them, but they can provide love, emotional healing, compassion, and joy. And they\u2019re free! <\/p>\n
Stop and think about it: How long has it been since your elderly neighbor had a hug? Can you imagine how long it\u2019s been since a homeless person or someone in prison received a hug?<\/p>\n
National Hug Day would be a great time for us to be extensions of God\u2019s hands (and His loving arms) to someone who needs to feel love or compassion today. And that\u2019s my challenge for all of us: Who do you know who could use a hug today? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Did you know that January 21 is National Hug Day? I love hugs\u2014both giving and receiving them. What is any better than a hug from a child or grandchild? My husband and I went to a movie last week with all of our in-town family, and three-year-old Eden sat on my lap for most of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":116,"featured_media":30311,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[136],"tags":[62,80],"ppma_author":[474],"class_list":["post-23341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-positive-living","tag-blessings","tag-stories-of-hope"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n