Hugs Are Now Costly!

The Warmth of an Embrace

As a child, hugs were normal.

I looked forward to getting home from anywhere just to hug my dad and his big tummy.

At church, I hugged.
At school, I hugged.

Hugs came easily then. Naturally. Freely.

Not the quick side hugs we give today while distracted or rushing somewhere else, but full hugs. Deep hugs. The kind that reassured you without saying a word.

Then life happened.

My dad passed.
Life became serious.
People changed.
I changed.

I met people who took and took, but never truly gave back. People who stayed close physically but distant emotionally.

And slowly, hugs became sacred.

Somehow, the world had lost its softness.

But perhaps life did not only change for me. Maybe it changed for all of us.

We became too busy to pause. Too wounded to soften. Too cautious to fully let people in.

Now, when hugs linger, they often come with expectations attached. A cuddle. A kiss. Desires disguised as affection. Motives hidden beneath warmth.

Rarely is it just comfort anymore.

And sometimes, on quiet nights like this one, I find myself wishing I could become a little girl again, if only for a moment.

Just to be held fully. Truly. Innocently.

To feel the warmth of another human being wrapped around me with no hidden intentions, no emotional debt, no speed, no pressure to become anything more.

Just warmth.
Just safety.
Just love.

The kind of embrace that calms your soul and reminds you of a truth we often forget:

We are all we have.

Selah.