Hopefully soon we will be back to hugging again! This 6 feet of separation is really taking a toll on so many, especially those living alone. We are in this other world of semi-isolation resultant from being smart and safe in our COVID-19 world. I want to protect myself and those I love but hugs and human touch are what I miss most at the moment.

I remember this photo of my Mom above, hugging Paxton and Logan like it was yesterday. It was so important to her and the boys! The energy from the hug is so visceral and close to the heart. They are both getting the “love hormone”, oxytocin, with the hugs. Mom would have found COVID-19 isolation extremely difficult!

CBS Sunday Morning featured a great segment on why we need hugs and human touch.

I don’t know who is happier with this hug. Marla…the girls,…or me taking the photo?

Sisters need a hug!

I miss our grandchildren more than I can even express,…and they miss being with each other!

Group hugs!

This COVID19 moment has taught me to seize the moment and not put off anything important when it comes to those we love!

A Mimi love fest!

Vaughan’s last hug with his great-grandmother, Gigi!

The sweet loving hugs of twin sisters.

A loving hug from my Mom and her great-grandson, Owen. She is showing him where his great-great-grandfather is buried who he is named after.

The Girls love for their Gigi. She loved their hugs!

I remember visiting Marla’s Mom at her care facility before she died a few years ago. I worked for 18 years with her and she was one tough cookie! After months of terrible isolation, nursing homes are allowing visitation under special rules in the Denver area.

I hope and pray for hugs and more human touch to return soon!

Friends need a hug too!

Will we see a return to densely packed performances like this again?

I am optimistic for a safer future with an effective COVID-19 vaccine. Patience and faith in science along with smart behavior will be key. One day soon we shall see an avalanche of hugs and human touch the likes of which will be unprecedented! Please let it happen soon!

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.