The Power of Touch
Blog post written by Ali Morin
Newport Beach, CA
As the servants of the Lord, we are blessed with a gift so simplistic yet immensely meaningful, the power of touch. This ability that we possess can make us feel connected and jointed with one another in a spiritual regard that no word or facial expression can quite compare to. When I ponder my early childhood, I reminisce on happy times of snuggling in my mum’s arms while she stroked my hair with her fingers or lathered my hands and feet in a cool and creamy baby lotion. I can still remember that exact feeling and smell if I think hard enough. There is something about being loved and cradled that has a celestial and divine sense relating to that of the Lord.
When I reflect on today in El Salvador the words that come to mind are attachment, endearment, and affection. The love in the eyes of the girls we visited was apparent from the moment we walked in the door. Their eyes glowed with happiness and tenderness when they not only heard of the dresses, makeup, and party festivities but also the word of God and how he works in ways far greater than we can understand. However, it was not just within the expressions of the girls that I felt the power of the Lord, but it was much more heavily present within physically embracing them and giving them a pedicure. While washing and moisturizing the feet of these beautiful young girls, it seemed quite basic. But after a while I began to wonder when was the last time that someone had truly shown them a genuine sense of affection or truly loved on them? It stirred powerful feelings within me to know that possibly I had bestowed them with something similar to what my mum gave me at a very young and still continues gives to me, a sense of comfort and warmth. I think that the power of touch is so wildly underestimated because it is taken for granted in a society that is filled with so much. Today opened my eyes to the fact that something so simplistic can be oh so beautiful.