XOXOXOXOXO

I could see it in his eyes. The stress of the day creeping in on him nearly first thing in the morning. He sighed. He usually sighs a lot anyways, but this day he sighed a little deeper. You could hear the exhaustion. You could see the crease in his forehead deepening. His eyes were already piercing. And it was 8 a.m. So I stopped what I was doing and went over to hug him. We melted together and I could feel the anxiety leaving. I held tight and he held tight. I knew that hug wouldn't miraculously fix all that was preoccupying his mind and lessening his sleep, but knew it would certainly make him feel a little better.

The other day after your Daddy asked me to marry him again in a text, he sent a separate one that looked like this "xxxxxxxooooooo." In the world of typing slang, we all know those are kisses and hugs. I really needed those kisses and hugs and sent a good batch right back to him.

And when we were walking Sunday afternoon, both working up a good sweat after a couple miles, I interlocked my fingers with his so we could hold hands.

Hugging, kisses, holding hands are all sweet ways of connecting with your beloved on a regular basis. Scientifically they release chemical in the brain called oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin which gives you a feel-good sense of contentment. In this high stress world of go-go-go, any moments of contentment are cherished and necessary. We need hugs. We need to hold hands. We need kisses. Scientifically or not, it just makes us feel better. And the Bible even tells us how to hug. Song of Solomon 2:6 says, "His left hand was under my head and that his right hand embraced me!"

Don't every forget to hug each other, snuggle, kiss and hold hands. It probably sounds ridiculous to suggest this to you in your young love, but the world will creep in to thwart any efforts you make to show affection in uplifting one another. So make a conscious effort to. You will both need it. And you'll love it, too.

Discussion: How do you feel when you hug your beloved? Do you like to hold hands? What are the best kind of kisses?

Prayer: We thank you, Father, that you embrace us with your loving arms and keep us close. We thank you for how you care for and protect us, comfort us and uplift us. May we do likewise to our beloved in Jesus name, Amen.