By Ann Farabee
Although an embrace may not be a physical one, it can still be an embrace.
To embrace not only means to hold someone closely in our arms, but can also mean to accept or support something or someone willing and enthusiastically.
It may be when your toddler holds his arms up to you, so he can be picked up. That is an embrace.
It may be when a friend reaches out to you with kind words. That is an embrace.
It may be when someone realizes that you may not be OK and reaches out to help. That is an embrace.
It may be when someone tells you they have been praying for you. That is an embrace.
A little encouragement sure can go a long way. It can go from home to home. It can be in the workplace. It can be in the church. It can stretch across oceans and continents. It is everywhere. Encouragement is one of our greatest assets — and it is available at all times.
A few years ago, the virtual hug was invented. I suppose it was for the purpose of having a fake hug, so we would not touch each other. The good news is that when an actual hug is not available, a virtual hug can suffice.
I may be leaning a bit toward reinventing and stretching out the definition and implementation of a virtual hug. Would these suggestions be sufficient?
• Reach out to someone with a letter or a card. If you have ever received encouragement in the mail, you know how special it can be.
• Reach out to someone with a text, email or Facebook message. Even though it is sent through technology, it sure can lift our spirits.
• Reach out to someone by sending them a basket filled with goodies. If you have ever received a basket filled with goodies, you know just how special that can be.
• Reach out to someone with a gift card for a meal. If you have ever received a gift card for a meal, you know how exciting it is to know that it is in your pocket — at your disposal — ready to be used whenever you want — at no charge.
These have all felt like being embraced with virtual hugs to me!
Recently, I received a message from a person I did not know. It said, “Thank you for your columns. I always cut them out of the newspaper and have been saving them for years.”
Those two sentences changed my entire perspective on the words I share each week. The impact to my mind and my heart from those words have stuck with me. Someone was reading my weekly columns — and saving them! Sure, I knew people were reading my columns, but hearing from someone that was saving them really brought me joy and the desire to continue.
We have no idea the impact we have on the lives of others, do we? But, any time we choose to let someone know, we are embracing that person with a hug that will be warmly remembered and felt forever.
