by Joanne Wiklund
Friends come to mind so often. When they do, I smile, because my friends have been and are good friends. I remember the book All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. My favorite saying is “When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.” It’s the “hold hands” that gets me. My mother was one of the best hand holders around. She was a huggy touchy Mom. I don’t think she ever passed one of us without putting a hand on our shoulder or patting our head.
Dad was like that but he was disabled and needed his hands to steady himself, so passing by us took on a different meaning. When we were tall enough to steady him, he always had a hand on our shoulder. Upstairs, downstairs, we learned where he needed us to be. He was disabled and he fell often, but sit on the couch by him and his arm slid around your shoulders so easily.
So it’s no wonder I’m the way I am, but since the pandemic began, I’ve been a holdout and it’s so hard. Shaking hands and hugging comes so easily to me, but not since last year. I was almost ready to go back to that, but seems it’s not a good thing to do in some social settings right now. Fist bumps just don’t cut it with me. I took a class in Body Language in college where we watched a film which included a demonstration of where a person could touch someone else in social settings without invading their space or offending them. That’s a class that some present day politicians could use.
Walking in a large crowd has always been difficult for me. I tend to lose my balance easily and hate to carry a cane. If I carry one, I know that people do tend to give me more room. But I have been known to put my hand on some guy’s shoulder that I don’t know to keep from falling. When they turn and look at me strangely, I just always say: “Sorry, I lurch.” I just pray we’ll soon be able to hug, hold hands and smile at everyone that we need to. Outstretched arms deserve to be answered with more than an upraised palm and a downturned mouth. Pray we can go back to hugging again soon.
Philippians 3:6 I thank my God upon every remembrance of you. Aways in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now; being confident of this very thing that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
II Thessalonians 3:5 and the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for God.
