In the still of the night they lay. The fog of sleep lifts from his conscience first, then her mind drifts awake. It wasn’t a sound that woke them. It was a restlessness in their souls that wakes them from slumber. The clock on the shelf glows a faint 3:15 a. m. Every day, same time. She stretches like a cat and rolls over to face him. Sometimes they talk, sometimes they don’t. They always look at each other through the faint light emitted by the neighbor’s porch lamp that flutters in through the window slipping in between the blades of the mini blinds.

He moves closer to place his head on her chest. His body is tense as she rubs his back and shoulders. He often fights insomnia provoked by images and memories from war that never really leave him. Her touch speaks to him. It whispers truth to his heart delivered from her fingers.

“Bring me your night terrors. I will make them stand silent. Give me your fears and I will replace them with pure calm. I will gather your demons and slaughter them one by one. I will empty your heart of stress, anxiety, and discord. I will fill it with love, peace, and happiness.”

He sighs as his breathing rhythms match hers. The heaviness of sleep descends on to them once again.

This is the gift of touch that comes from love. It is the same when we hold a sleeping baby or curl up on a parent’s lap. It is that inexpiable peace that comes from the connection of souls. We feel a different version when we experience real communion with God in prayer on the spiritual realm. In the physical reality which we live in, it is the closest thing we have that connection that we can share with each other.

We begin receiving tactile touch even before birth, as the vibration of our mother’s heartbeat is amplified by amniotic fluid moves across the skin of the child. “It’s an essential channel of communication with caregivers for a child,” says San Diego State University School of Communication emeritus professor Peter Andersen. The mirror to spoken word, touch is the strongest connection we have. Touch is a language that we are born with.

Touch can be a profound and meaningful connection with another person. This can be interpreted as a divine manifestation or it can simply be the way a person you communicate with responses to the best. Relaxing and submitting to restorative touch is surrendering your self to the other person. This kind of submission can often lead to an experience in which you feel your soul has been touched. It is calming and healing.

This divine touch is a heavenly touch, it is the touch of power and a transforming touch. Touching can release love or hate in the absence of a word. It is not something we should take for granted or wield as a weapon. Touch should be respected and honored as a gift from God.

Believe in the power of touch.

~Lori O’Gara