When was the last time you were embraced?

I mean truly embraced.

Where you dropped your head into someone’s chest,

And Let Go.

You could let go of everything and just Be.

In a safe space.

No tension.

No judgment.

No obligation.

Where they wrapped their arms around you,

Without a word being said.

Just one human being receiving another.

Connecting.

Feeling.

Being.

My yoga instructor planted the seed with that first question at the end of class. I cried all the way home. I’d never really considered it. When was the last time I was truly embraced? I thought about it for a long while. And it finally came to me. 

Eleven years ago, my dad died. Before that day, he always embraced me in that way. I could just plop myself onto his lap and bury my head against his chest and curl up into a little ball. I felt so supported and so loved. 

Anytime he could see I was sad or upset or afraid, he folded me into his strong arms and held me. He didn’t have to say a thing. It was a special connection I can’t explain. 

As Dad grew older, and his health started to decline, we embraced him. 

My children would fold him into their arms. 

Without tension, judgment, or obligation. 

Still, he was there. 

Until he wasn’t.

But the gift didn’t end with him. 

Now I embrace my own grandkids. Truly embrace them. 

Connecting. Feeling. Just Being. Without a word being said.

When the time comes, I hope they’ll embrace me.

Still, I’ll be there. 

Until I’m not.

And the gift won’t end with me.