HUGS

We had just driven up to the mental facility to which my daughter had been recently committed, and I noticed Mary was standing next to the curb waiting for us. However, there was someone else with her whom I did not know. He was a “big old boy.” This young man, (who was obviously a fellow patient) must have weighed 300 pounds, and hovered at about six foot three inches. As you might imagine my first thought was, "I didn't drive a hundred miles to spend time with this guy."

 

And as my wife and I stepped out of the car, I quickly decided I didn’t much like Mary wasting my time with this fella. Walking up to Mary and 'Bob' (as in "What About Bob") we engaged in a brief initial conversation which included introductions. It was then that the incredible happened. Momentary Ministry.

The young man looked directly into my eyes, and uttered a few words:

 

“No one ever visits me here. Not my parents. Not my friends. WILL YOU HUG ME?”

 

Well! You guessed it. Right before God and everybody, I wrapped him in my arms, and held him for several moments. His arms also embraced me, and I felt his head as it drooped onto my left shoulder. And if for only one moment, he knew someone cared. (Tears come to my eyes even now).

 

You never forget moments like that.

 

My sensitivity to the Vulnerable among us has increased.

by William McDonald, PhD