Hugs

-

John and I had the wonderful experience of visiting a chimpanzee sanctuary near the town where we lived in South Africa. https://www.chimpeden.com/  There we got to witness the poignant sight of one chimpanzee comforting another (who was feeling threatened with a third chimp’s bullying behavior) with a soothing embrace. This behavior is well-documented in the wild and serves as a stress reliever for both participants. 

I’ve been surprised (though I shouldn’t be) from the responses from quite a few friends when I greeted them with a hug over the past year. Almost universally I have heard, “I really needed that.” Yes, I know there’s a pandemic, and I know we’re supposed to keep our distance from one another. But, if you need a hug, I’m here for you. And hopefully, I won’t get stoned like Stephen (see my previous post!) for my offer. 



Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 15, 2021 at 12:18 PM

    I would let you hug me, but since I live in NJ, you might not want to hug my potential for Covid! Love you Kay!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PRAY AND KEEP GOING

-
Image
I was delighted and honored to be asked to play the flute for my dear friend Margaret’s wedding to her wonderful new husband, John. The plan was for me to perform a selection of songs starting about ten minutes before the ceremony and continuing through the time when our pastor, the groom, and the groom’s family made their entrance. The day was lovely with a few puffy clouds and moderate temperatures. However, I was a bit concerned with the reasonably strong breeze as the whole event was to take place outside. Knowing from past experiences that my sheet music would be prone to blow away or at the very least flip to the next page before I was finished with the current one, I put each page in a plastic sleeve in a notebook, and at the last minute I also asked a friend to hold and turn the pages for me if it became evident that it was a problem. I even clipped the first page to the stand. Also, since the flute tone is made by blowing across the mouthpiece (like blowing across a glass ...
Read more

I TRUST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD

-
Image
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,  but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.   Psalm 20:7 I was recently in a conversation with a godly man, a friend I highly respect. He also happens to be a retired homicide detective. We were discussing the use of firearms for self-protection. That conversation WAS NOT, and this post IS NOT, about the right to carry firearms, one of the hot political topics of our times. For the record, I do strongly support the right of citizens to carry arms, and God bless those of you who do, especially with the intent of protecting loved ones or other innocents, but I just as strongly believe that many of us should not own guns. My friend gave the following wise criteria for self-determination about having a firearm for protection, and I thought it was worth sharing:   1. Are you physically capable to become proficient with a firearm? (And you should be proficient and knowledgeable in using one.) 2. Are you mentally prepared to resp...
Read more

PRIORITIES

-
Image
  But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:33) This verse is familiar to most of us. Familiarity with God’s Word is good; trusting it enough to act on it and live it is better. Just this week I had the joy and encouragement of watching two dear friends walk by faith. One friend had a sudden and catastrophic shift in her world; her husband went into a coma after a routine surgery. By God’s grace he is still alive and improving. What was so inspiring to me, and I know to many others in our local congregation, is that when this man’s very life was still hanging in the balance, both his wife and daughter came to church. They knew that was the best place for them: worshipping God and hearing His lifegiving Word with fellow believers. My other friend was getting married at noon. There was some discussion in our little morning women’s prayer group on whether she would be joining us that day, given the momentous occ...
Read more