Have You Hugged Your Kid Today?

Hugs.

Great big bear hugs.

Dad is in there
somewhere

That's the first thing I think of when I think of my daddy.

He says that I taught him to be a hugger. I don't know about that but I do know that I could always count on a good hug from my daddy each morning.

I was daddy's assistant during milking time. So every morning when I arrived at the milking barn, daddy was already there getting set to milk about 100 cows. Well, sometimes I was late and he would already be milking. [sorry about that, dad. It's just that 4:30 comes awfully early in the morning for a teenager.]

Anyway, it didn't really matter if I was on time or a little late, daddy was always there waiting for his hug.

Back in those days, there was a public announcement that came out on the radio waves ... "Have you hugged your kid today?"  That was daddy's motto. Each morning when I arrived at the barn, I heard those words and those big strong arms were wrapped around me and the squeeze that came with them was Goliath.

Those milking times brought us together. We spent those hours talking about whatever might be on my mind. It could be about normal everyday things like caring for the cows and calves, or maybe about a boy I liked. Maybe we talked about family and stories of his youth. And sometimes it would have been something deeper and more spiritual.

Dad holding "all" his kids
LeAdam had not yet arrived.

Back at the farmhouse, I loved to be next to my daddy. We, kids, used to fuss about sitting next to dad at the table ... until it was decided that the oldest one living at home got the prize seat.

I loved to sit next to him on the couch when we were relaxing. Sometimes I would get right up on his lap and snuggle up to him. It just felt so safe next to my father who loved me dearly ... and I loved him.

I miss those days and those hugs. For one, we now live 1,306.9 miles apart. Daddy's loving arms are long, but not that long. :)   Secondly, when we are together, he has to hug me gently, because I deal with chronic pain.


I guess we can no longer "all" sit on his lap

But regardless, I have always felt my father's love. And I still do.

He has been such a beautiful example of a father's love. It has transferred to my heart to my Heavenly Father's love. I have never doubted the love of my Lord because I know what a truly loving father is like. Just as the scriptures say,

"An earthly father expresses love for his children; it is no different with our heavenly father; The Eternal shows His love for those who revere Him." Psalm 103:13

Even now when times get rough, it's a wonderful thing to be able to imagine climbing up on Daddy's lap (earthly or heavenly) and feeling His presence and comfort.

Thanks, Daddy!

Hugs and Kisses!

I am NOT sorry

I don't remember what my sister did that caused me to retaliate and thus get caught...

But I do remember what happened when I refused to apologize to her. It was one of the few punishments I ever received. (I was a fast learner.)

I remember thinking 

that I did not want to lie

 and say that I was sorry 

because at that point 

.... I wasn't.

 I was angry. 

My sister had done something to me. It wasn't fair. And I was not going to stand there and apologize because she deserved it. I was not guilty.

Isn't this how it is too often? 

We feel that our rights have been violated. 

Our feelings are hurt.

And we want to fight back.

But God says ...

we should turn the other cheek. 

God says 

make every effort to be at peace with everyone. 

That was our parents view of things as well. We were always required to make things right. I can't count the number of times we would say something mean about a sibling. And immediately, we heard Mom say, 

"Now say ten nice things."

Do you know how hard it is to come up with 10 nice things to say about someone with whom you are upset ?" It's tough, but we were not let off the hook.

Ten Nice Things. Woa.

And so there is this war within.

But the truth is

... if we resist evil,it gets easier to do the right thing. 

And doing the right thing causes the tension to ease 

and the next thing you know ...

You are friends again!

I think my parents had the right idea. Because my sister and I are the best of friends. We would be hard pressed think of a time when we didn't get along. And it isn't because we didn't have those times.

You see ... the key is that "Love covers a multitude of sins."

It's a good lesson to take into adulthood.

Reminiscing of being Raised in a Barn,

How to Spend Memorial Day

This post is inspired by a prompt from Reflections of a Mother's Heart

The prompt was "Did you attend family reunions? Share memories from one."

The Hukill Family Reunion

Every year, we traveled down to SE Ohio on Memorial Day to meet up with my dad's family. This was his mother's side of the family. They had been keeping this tradition for years, really generations. It still happens today, though the crowd has dwindled and they meet at a church instead of the farm.

We would load up in our "Rambler" and take the long drive. If you've ever been in SE Ohio, then you know that it's a pretty hilly country. I don't think there was a year when one or more of us didn't get a little nauseous on the ride. [More rambler memories, click here]

But we finally arrived close enough to drive through the small towns. Usually, we would get  caught in a parade. After all, it was a holiday. We never saw any of the parades, just had to stop and wait for them to open the road again.

It was all  worth the ride when we arrived at Aunt Julia's farm. First, we went into the house to be squeezed and hugged by all our aunts, uncles, and my great grandmother, Birdie Moody. Such a precious lady with long gray hair wrapped up in a bun on her head. She called everyone of us girls "Susie". Not sure why, but maybe cause the youngest of us cousins was named Susie and that's the one she remembered. Or maybe it was just her name for beloved grandchildren... who knows.

The next place we headed, was out back. Now I'm pretty sure that the house had indoor plumbing by this time, but we were fascinated by the outhouse in the back yard. Thinking back, I'm not sure why that would be a fascination. ha!

That little girl is me with my mom
at Aunt Julia's place

Oh, the fun we had with cousins, first second and third. It was a great time of fellowship and getting to know each other again. I miss those days. [My kids barely know their first cousins by name.] We're missing out on something good, I do believe.

Then there was the food. Oh my goodness, the food. Back in those days people knew how to cook and we all eat way more than we needed. I'll never forget Aunt Mildred's "dumplings". Different from the dumplings eaten here in the south, they were especially good when doused over mashed potatoes. I'll trying till my dying days to find someone who knows how to make them.

Later in the day, someone would bring out a big 5 gallon tub of ice cream. All of the kids, young and old, would come running for their ice cream cone. There's nothing better than good, ole ice cream to finish off the day.

And this is just a taste, of how Memorial Day should be spent.


What kind of Memorial Day memories do you have?