HUGS

Mother & Child Hugs

Bear Hugs

I’ve enjoyed listening to NPR’s Weekend Edition Saturday for many moons.  Now we can listen to recorded podcasts of segments when it isn’t possible or when we want to revisit something that caught our attention!  There were two such segments that aired this morning regarding the real consequences of the prolonged Covid pandemic which I just listened to one more time.

An interview with a Colorado university professor revealed the dire consequences of seniors that initially were locked down in total isolation.  The CDC noted that people over 75 represent 16% of the population but 75% of Covid deaths.  Family and friends, Senior Centers and faith communities had been a key source of social interaction for these people.  The professor had lost many acquaintances including her isolated grandmother at the end of 2021.  She sadly reported that no one could visit her and there was no discernable medical reason for her passing, except extreme loneliness.

Another woman in Virginia had recorded a “My Unsung Hero” message for the Hidden Brain podcast.  She had managed to coax herself to the local grocery store and was in the process of checking out when the cashier mindlessly asked how she was doing?  She replied, “You know what, I’m not doing great.  My mother just passed away.”  As the cashier expressed her sympathy, the woman turned to the young man who had just finished bagging her few items.  He had obviously overheard the short conversation and looked her directly in the eyes and asked “Can I give you a hug?”  She said “yes” and remarked that it was “a beautiful expression of comfort and caring kindness”.  She saw a “warm and empathetic person” and concluded “Thank you so, so very much for making a difference in my life that day and for that one simple and powerful gesture.”      

There is a great deal of scientific evidence for this wonderful tranquilizer that is offered free of charge and lasts for no more than about 3 seconds.  It can be experienced with another human being or even a cherished pet.  Our pituitary gland releases oxytocin promoting contentment, the thymus gland releases additional white blood cells to keep us healthy and strengthen our immune system, dopamine is released by the brain to counter depression, serotonin and endorphins are released into the blood stream to negate pain and sadness to prolong life, and galvanic skin responses suggest a more balanced state in the nervous system.

This grieving woman whose spirits were uplifted by a young stranger concluded that “It was just a hug.”  But it was much more than that--it was all she needed to carry on at that moment as we all carry on from this pandemic, so that we can enjoy hugs once more sans masks! 

And the best necklace a mother can have is her child’s arms!

ONE MORE DAY

 

Soulmates, Jamestown, NC

Valentine’s Day 2022

“Tomorrow we'll discover,
What our God in Heaven has in store,
One more dawn,
One more day,
One day more.”--Les Misérables

 Les Misérables was my favorite Broadway musical until Hamilton was experienced in Chicago and both are emotional roller coasters.  These final lyrics from One Day More include the newfound lovers, Marius and Cosette, as they face the prospect of never seeing one another again. 

 But the reality for a legion of beings is that there will never be even the possibility of one more day as our common legacy will separate one of us from this mortal life.  That shouldn’t deter anybody from committing to a lifelong relationship or dwell on ultimately being separated.  But it is a sobering reminder to make the moments count.  And if we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves. 

The Nashville Sound with Jason Isbell recorded a reflective track titled If We Were Vampires that poignantly illustrates:

 "If we were vampires and death was a joke,

I wouldn’t feel the need to hold your hand…

Maybe time running out is a gift.

I'll give every second I can find."

"It's knowing that this can't go on forever.

Likely one of us will have to spend some days alone.”

I’ve had previous conversations with friends and couples about the elephant in the room when they come to realize later in life that barring a tragic accident, one of the two of them will someday be left to carry on without the other.  That realization can take the sting out of any petty offense or argument that is presently irritating them. 

We’re making memories every day of our lives in this world whether we’re conscious of it or not. And I guess we are seldom aware that these present moments may just be the ones we later cherish the most. So, make the most of your present moments together with those you love and the memory of these days will bring you much comfort and peace in the sunset of your life, especially when you experience a similar Deja vu time and place.

To the Daylily, one day is a lifetime. And we human beings get lots of days of our lives to cherish, but many of them go unnoticed and unappreciated because we're always expecting just one more.

One day there won’t be one day more.  Give every second you can find.

NOTES FROM THE JOURNEY

Winter Sunset

Life tests like world-wide pandemics don’t expose our weaknesses as much as they reveal our strengths.  Emerging from one of life's "crucible events" doesn't mean we are healed, but we will be different, and that's OK.  

A colorful winter sunset is life's way of acknowledging this and giving us something beautiful at the end of the day which encourages us to persevere tomorrow with hope for the future.

Gardening is a way of showing you believe in the seeds of today blossoming into the beautiful promise of tomorrow.  The future belongs to those who believe in it.

 

TWENTIETH CENTURY OPIATES

Eye of Providence

Eye of Nature

I’ve experienced the pain of five surgeries after I turned 60 and some of the best advice that I received was not to be a hero and judiciously take prescribed pain meds so that I could successfully complete the requisite physical therapy.  Opiates were developed to dull pain with the caveat to use them sparingly and get off of them ASAP!  We all know they can become addictive and have a negative if not deadly effect on our lives.  Sadly, far too many people take opiates to dull the pain of life and achieve a temporary illusion of feeling good.

Avowed atheists like to quote Carl Marx out of context when he wrote in 1843, “Religion is the opium of the people.”  Left standing alone it implies that the masses use religion as a crutch to navigate life.  But Marx goes on to write that “religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions.”  So, are they right in saying that “God is an imaginary friend for adults” or is religion a natural response to the felt existence of God and the recognition that we are all broken?  Christianity believes that God wrapped in human flesh atoned for our brokenness, promised to be with us always and prepared an everlasting spiritual home.  That’s a feel-good message which rivals any man-made opiate!        

The book of Matthew quotes Jesus in chapter 6 saying, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also…The eye is the lamp of the body” and the doorway to our very souls.  A good test of what we treasure is to consider where we spend our time, such as watching sports and television or staring at our digital devises.  And we’ve all noticed the all-seeing eye of God or the Eye of Providence on our one-dollar bills symbolizing God’s benevolent oversight as he watches out for us.

Marx was writing in the nineteenth century before the advent of wide-spread drugs, the internet with streaming series, social media apps, using all sorts of electronic devices anywhere, anytime and of course a wide variety of organized sports venues year-round.  Its no wonder that many folks are drifting away from organized religion and spending more time on twenty first century opiates.  Spectator politics, television, sports, etc. are a ready distraction from the real problems we confront daily but they offer no real solutions.

As we enter the third year of a world-wide pandemic with millions of deaths confronting our mortality, many people will be exiting the lockdowns with a thirst for real relational gatherings, a yearning for connecting with the divine and meaningful action in their community.

It's OK to occasionally be sitting in a lounger at home in front of a television on a given Sunday instead of a pew and cheering on our favorite team.  But we need to be mindful of the reality that the time spent compared to communing with our Creator won’t do a thing to lessen the anxiety of daily life once the final whistle sounds or the bell tolls.