Touch

That which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched-this we proclaim concerning the word of life. I John:1 

In one of the last AARP magazines, there was an article on touching and how we need to be touched. In this article, they interviewed a lady in a nursing home who talked about how she missed being touched. How sad. Even sadder during this pandemic the thought of being alone day after day. The voice of a loved one comes through the window or by cell phone. You eat alone, you are alone and like my sister you disappear into the past and your loved ones despair for your mental health. Then I thought about how babies love to be touched. They crow and laugh and reach out to you. 

Teenagers often say, "Don't touch me" but they wear a grin when turning away.  Can you feel a text on your phone? Sometimes when I wake in the morning, a text has arrived from a beloved grandchild. It fills my day with gladness and I remember how they used to cuddle with me or big hugs when they finally were taller than gramma. It is a touch of reality in this cold world. 

Jesus felt the touch of the unclean woman. So even he was not immune to touch.  He asked Who touched me?  His disciples wondered, after all, you are in a crowd.  But he felt the touch and the woman was clean. We don't have the power to cure someone, but we can surely help someone to at least feel love. 

Touched by human hands, touched in gratitude, touched in love, touched by the word of God. We cannot actually touch our friends and relatives these days but maybe we can touch their hearts with a text or a call or even an archaic letter. Just let someone know you still love them or at least are thinking of them during this strange time. 

Prayer: Dear God, let us remember our fellow man and reach out to touch them in some way. Amen 

Carolyn F. Olsen