The Human Touch

Sometimes, I have a terrible feeling that I am dying not from the virus, but from being untouchable. — Amanda Heggs, AIDS patient.

A friend wrote recently how much he missed a handshake, and how he hopes that it will not be lost forever. Daily, we hear of the tragedy when spouses can’t be with each other in a hospital. I am a hugger, but other than Suzy I haven’t given a hug or a man hug in months. I can’t imagine being a teenager and losing out on that first holding of hands in a movie theater, not to mention that first awkward kiss.

I totally support physical distancing right now, but I hope we never forget how to give a high five, engage in a game-winning celebration, or learning to dance cheek-to-cheek.

Rumor has it that God reached out to Adam and gave him life by touching finger to finger. Some of my greatest moments were holding my new born grandchildren on my stomach as I rocked them to sleep. So many of the greatest parts of life involve the physical touching between two humans. The holding of my father’s hand through the night as he passed away affects me spiritually to this day.

Like Amanda, I do not fear dying one day, but I do fear being untouchable. Let us pray that the human touch is restored sooner than later.

About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.

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