500,000 Hugs

500,000 Hugs

Reunions can be sweet. Reunions that come after great dissension and grief, even sweeter. Those that come after deployment to war are the sweetest. Fort Hood, in Killeen, Texas, lost a great lady in December 2015. Elizabeth Laird, known to those at Fort Hood as the “Hug Lady,” died after a battle with breast cancer.

Ms. Laird was called the Hug Lady because she gave an estimated 500,000 hugs while attending every single deployment and homecoming at the base since 2003. What an amazing testimony and legacy. I wonder what it was like for her when she found out that someone she knew, someone she’d hugged when he or she was sent off to war, didn’t return. I would imagine that living that vulnerably caused her to cry many a tear as some soldiers returned while others did not. Ms. Laird was honored by the First Cavalry Division Commander Major General Michael Bills with a plaque in recognition of her service to soldiers.

A good hug is a powerful statement of love, support, and unity. When Jacob and Esau were reunited, there were no words, but there was a great hug. Genesis 33:4 states, “Esau ran to meet [Jacob] and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.” I believe that God uses a hug to say what words can’t say. I believe he uses a hug to declare deep sadness and regret, joy, and love. Who do you need to go hug today?

Esau ran to meet [Jacob] and embraced him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. And they both wept.

Genesis 33:4