THE POWER OF THE HUMAN TOUCH

TODAY WAS SURE A LONG DAY AT SCHOOL AND IT SEEMED LIKE THIS CRAZY CAST WEIGHED 20 POUNDS INSTEAD OF 10!  TOWARDS THE END OF THE DAY, ONE OF MY CO-WORKERS REMARKED THAT I LOOKED PRETTY WORN OUT AND I SHOULD CALL IT "A DAY".  COULDN'T HAVE AGREED MORE AND I TOLD HER THAT THIS (HAVING A CAST) WOULD BE LIKE BEING "PREGNANT SIDEWAYS"! AND SHE LAUGHED AT ME, WITH A LOOK ON HER FACE THAT SAID SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT STATEMENT OF FACT COMPLETELY.


SO I GATHERED UP MY STUFF AND HEADED OUT THE DOOR.  I HADN'T EVEN MADE IT TO MY PICKUP YET WHEN I HEARD A LITTLE VOICE SCREAMING, "TEACHER, WAIT, WAIT!"  I LOOKED UP TO SEE A LITTLE GUY, ONE OF MY STUDENTS FROM LAST YEAR. HE WAS RACING TOWARDS ME WITH A TINY LITTLE 4-YEAR OLD GIRL WHO TURNED OUT TO BE HIS YOUNGER SISTER,


THEY STOPPED DEAD IN THEIR TRACKS WHEN THEY SAW MY INJURED ARM. THEY BOTH LOOKED SO AMAZED--  WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WILL BE A SWEET MEMORY THAT I WILL HOLD ON TO FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.


THE LITTLE GIRL, ANIYA, WAS INTRIGUED BY MY CAST AND MY DARK, STILL PUFFY FINGERS.  HER BIG BROWN EYES LOOKED UP AT ME AND IN THE MOST ANGELIC LITTLE VOICE SHE ASKED WHAT I DID TO MY ARM.  BEFORE I COULD EVEN ANSWER THAT I'D BEEN RIDING MY BIKE LIKE A 10-YEAR OLD RATHER THAN A 55-YEAR OLD, SHE DID THE MOST AMAZING THING--


SHE TOUCHED MY CROOKED AND BROKEN FINGERS AND MASSAGED THEM WITH HER OWN TINY LITTLE DIGITS!  SHE WAS NOT AFRAID TO TOUCH THEM, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T APPEAR NORMAL RIGHT NOW.  AND THE WARMTH AND SOFTNESS OF THAT LITTLE 4-YEAR OLD GIRL'S  HAND MADE MY LAME HAND FEEL BETTER--FRIENDS, I TELL YOU THIS--IT WAS THE POWER OF THE HUMAN TOUCH!  

WE ONLY SPOKE FOR A QUICK MOMENT AND ALL TOO SOON THOSE TWO LITTLE KIDS SCURRIED OFF TO THE NEXT STOP IN LIFE AND MY "MINI-MASSAGE" WAS THROUGH....BUT OH, WHILE IT LASTED...HOW WONDERFUL THAT DID FEEL.


EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US DESPERATELY NEEDS THE POWER OF THE "GOOD" HUMAN TOUCH.  I SEE THE NEED EVERY DAY IN THIS LIFE AS THE POWER OF TOUCH HELPS TO HEAL WOUNDS TO THE EXTERIOR OF OUR BODIES.  YET, EQUALLY IMPORTANT, IT CAN HEAL WOUNDS ON THE INSIDE OF US.  YOU KNOW, "THOSE" TYPES OF WOUNDS THAT HAPPEN THROUGH ABUSE OR NEGLECT, LONELINESS OR DESPAIR, DEPRESSION OR EXTREME GRIEF AND SADNESS.  


AS A TEACHER FOR THE PAST 34 YEARS, I'VE SEEN MANY LITTLE PEOPLE CRAVE THE "POWER OF A KIND HUMAN TOUCH" AND THOSE ARE THE CHILDREN GRATEFUL FOR A HUG WHEN THEY COME IN THE DOOR AND STILL PERHAPS EVEN MORE IMPORTANT, A HUG AT THE END OF THE DAY.  TODAY, THE TABLES WERE TURNED AS IT WAS I, THE ADULT, WHO CRAVED THE HUMAN TOUCH.  LITTLE RHIANNA WAS WISE BEYOND HER 4-YEARS AND SAW IT.


TONIGHT, BEFORE I CLOSE MY EYES TO SLEEP,  I'LL BE THANKING GOD FOR A VERY GOOD DAY.  THE FINGERS OF MY LEFT HAND ARE SLOWLY COMING BACK TO LIFE.  I AM ABLE TO PEEL OFF THE CELLOPHANE WRAPPER OF MY VELVEETA CHEESE SLICE A LITTLE EASIER AND I FIGURED OUT A WAY TO ZIP AND BUTTON MY SLACKS FOR SCHOOL NEXT WEEK!  REALLY, NOW, WHAT ELSE DO I  NEED TO KNOW?  SLOW BUT SURE, I AM COMING BACK.  GOOD NIGHT DEAR FRIENDS-PLEASANT DREAMS.....AND PEACE ALWAYS!