Did you grow up in a home where hugs, kisses and touch were used as expressions of love?

A young woman holding hands with a new boyfriend can signal "I'm taken" to other would-be suitors. Two men shaking hands can seal an important business transaction. A minister at a wedding says to a couple, "If you then have freely and lawfully chosen one another as husband and wife, please join your hands as you repeat these vows."

Near the end of the Desert Storm campaign, I witnessed an example of the symbolic meaning of touch at one of our favorite places to watch human behavior—the airport.

A young, Japanese-American soldier was on our plane coming into Ontario airport in Los Angeles. He was on his way home from almost six months in the Gulf.

At the Ontario airport, a glass wall separates the passengers who have cleared the metal detectors from family and friends who have come to meet them. As we rounded the corner, we heard cries of joy. There, pounding on the glass wall were the soldier's wife, two sets of parents, and two young children. He ran through the exit doors and into his family's arms to be smothered with hugs, kisses, smiles, and tears.

Meaningful touch is critical to your relationships.

© Copyright 2005 Smalley Relationship Center

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