The Power of Mom's Hug and Kiss

I don't know if your kids were like mine,
but there were times when they were little 
that a mom hug and kiss were all that was needed to cure a boo boo.

My kids are grown now, in age and number.
Gone are the days 
when boo-boos were cured by a simple, quick hug and a kiss.

Giving a "mom hug and kiss" now takes more.
More time.
More energy. 
It requires being more involved. 
More intentional. 
More aware. 
I have found that the older they get, 
the more adept they become at masking 
and sometimes successfully hiding their pain. 

Sometimes they wrestle alone.
Sometimes I see it and ask if I can help.
Sometimes they say no.
Then the hug and kiss consist of silently watching and praying.
Sometimes they invite me into their life to share their pain. 

This is when giving a mom hug and kiss means being available to do whatever I can do. Frequently it means I sit quietly and listen as the pain is poured out, as the questions are wrestled with, as the fears are faced. Sometimes it means holding a hand or giving ibuprofen or tylenol as physical pain is endured. Occasionally it includes crying with them. Maybe it means a quick kiss on the forehead or cheek.

Always it involves praying with them and for them, 
sometimes aloud, sometimes silently and they never know. 

(This is when an actual hug is almost always involved.) 

A mom hug and kiss is still good medicine.