My husband John talked last night about the importance of human touch.  Sadly, touch has sometimes come to mean an ugly thing.  But we talked about the the kind of touch that connects and reconnects us to others. I'm on the introverted side, but I can't imagine what life is like for those so isolated that they have no one who shows them that the space they take up on this earth is important, even sacred.

    I grew up in a family that rarely touched.  It wasn't a question of love.  I knew my parents loved me and both would have thrown themselves in front of a moving car to save me or any of the rest of my siblings. But friendly touches or hugs weren't something we exchanged.  We had lively conversations and lots of stimulation for our brains. We also had fun.  But it wasn't until I went to college and made lasting friendships that I found out hugs felt good. 

John comes from a family of huggers and kissers.  On our first vacation, I met people who kissed me on my cheek when we were introduced.  All I could think was, "What is this kissy on the face business?"
I'm happy to report that with the example of John, I learned how wonderful touch feels.  The great feel good hormones can last a long time. My brothers and sisters now hug.  My Dad passed away almost 10 years ago, but even Mom is now used to our kisses.

Peace,
Therese

Newbie

Hi there,

I'm a writer who rarely writes.  Does that sound right?  But whether the words in my heart come out on the page or not, they're still my words.  But now it's time to use my voice.  Interesting or not, I want to join the fray.  I'm a person of faith but more interested in walking the walk than walking the dogma.  Exchanging ideas and shining the light of day with a dash of humor is my style. Lively conversation and different opinions are great.  But this a place of kindness, too - the  mean-spirited can go somewhere else.

I have a husband who I love in ways there are no words for.  That doesn't mean things are romantic all the time. We both like to be right.  We drive each other crazy with our quirks.  But at the end of the day, there's no one else I want in my corner . It helps that we both like to use disposable income for eating out, too. We've lived in the same house for 25 years and I still hope I never have to move again until they take me to the funeral home. 

We also have a 24 year old son.  He's a chemical engineer who does battery research. He loves having a life of his own and we are beyond happy that he found such a good job in this economy.

Time to say good night.

Therese