“Hi, guys! Christian, Connor, and Nick, Oma and I are glad you came over. Nick, why are you crying? Don’t you want to be at Oma and Opa’s?”
“Opa, I don’t want my Daddy to leave me! I want him to stay with me!”
“Nick, your Daddy left you here because he had to go to work.”
“I want my Daddy!”
“Nick, it’ll be OK. You just keep standing there and hugging your big brother Christian.”
“Opa, this is my favorite time. He hugs me for a long time. Usually it’s just a few seconds.”
“That’s very interesting, Christian. Short hugs are perfunctory; longer hugs say something deep.”
“Opa, perfunctory?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I mean casual, half-hearted. Longer hugs, like when he’s missing Daddy, show real love for Daddy and real love coming from you, his big brother. Christian, I remember a time when I was about your age and Grandpa and Grandma left. My little sister Pam hugged me the same way. I know what you mean when you say, “this is my favorite time.”
“Opa, Nick will get over it in a few minutes.”
“Absence makes us realize how much we love the people who are gone. When we miss someone or have some trouble, hugs from people remind us that we are still loved. Sometimes knowing the reasons for our tears doesn’t take the tears away. Sometimes the hope of seeing that person again doesn’t take away the present grief, but love always helps. That’s why “the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).
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