The Ministry of Hugs

I woke up this morning in a foggy state of mind wondering if I was still dreaming. What was that lovely fragrance wafting from downstairs?

It was...cookies! I found Alan in the kitchen. He had woken up earlier, found cookie dough in the freezer and baked three batches of cookies while I was snoozing away. Three batches! I rubbed my eyes and beheld the sight. He smiled and said, "I baked cookies for your nursing home visit today." Then he got ready to leave for work.

Wasn't that a cool thing for him to do?

Once a month, if everyone's healthy, we join other homeschoolers for a nursing home ministry. Today, there were seven families. Praise God for each and every one of them! There are not many ministries young kids can participate in, but this is one they can do. Even babies--especially babies--are welcomed! We're not there very long, perhaps just an hour, but the time spent there can only be described as anointed.


Ready for ministry!

The kids bring crayon-colored pages, craft projects, gospel tracts and other treats. Most of all, they freely give out smiles and hugs. They sing songs in each resident's room, familiar songs such as "Jesus Loves Me," "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus," "This Little Light of Mine," and "Deep and Wide." Once in a while, we are pleasantly surprised to hear a resident sing along with us, correct lyrics and all!

We wave to our elderly friends. There's Mary, who lost her son a few months ago and shared that the kids bring her needed joy in the midst of her grief. I was able to pray with her right after his death, and she replied, "Bless you, dear! I love all of you so much." There's Janet, whose bed is next to a window overlooking the parking lot. Her sad smile shows the bittersweet knowledge that we will be there for just a short while before she is back to watching cars. Then there's Rick, who is usually curled up in his bed in his own world. Even though he is unable to respond, we know that he is aware of our presence and thus we sing our hearts out for him as well.

We have gotten to know many of the residents' names, but not all, because some don't speak English and we communicate mainly via hand gestures and facial expressions. However, love is its own language and words are often unnecessary.

Jonathan gave a couple of his Dad's cookies to a Korean woman in the hallway, whose eyes lit up as she did a little dance. He smiled back at her and told me soon after, "I can't wait to come back here again."

I recall the first time we visited there. We had been ushered into a woman's room to sing. After the songs were over, most of the kids waved goodbye while a couple of them lingered to give her a hug. I was standing by the door enjoying the camaraderie.

That's when I spotted her. Sometime during the singing her roommate, a Hispanic woman, had slipped into the room and sat alone on her bed. She watched the scene as the kids were hugging the other woman. Without a word, she looked at us and pointed to her heart. For a moment, I wasn't sure what she was saying. Then it hit me: she wants a hug, too. I whispered to Elizabeth that the other woman wanted a hug. We quickly made our way over to her bed and both gave and received a gift of love.

As Moms, we're often told, "Cherish your kids; they grow too quickly." It's true, and we should. But we mustn't forget the other end of the spectrum of life. We need to remember to also cherish our elderly, for they are gone too quickly. Many are just waiting for the day when someone will give them a glimpse of Jesus' love. A hug can be a powerful thing.

"And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'" Matthew 25:40