I hugged my dad on Sunday.
Seemingly inconsequential event right? Not in this house.

I’m not affectionate with the people I love the most. Even typing the phrase “people I love the most” makes me cringe a little. It’s not something I like to explore but for what it’s worth, I think it’s hard for me to be affectionate with those I love the most because my love is so intense. I am (and try to stay) out of touch with those intense feelings. I can dole out hugs to anyone on the street but when it comes to mommy, daddy, sister, brother — they get little to nothing. It is actually rather sad. Still, like any other human being,  I like to be comfortable. So I avoid affection in my household at all costs.

 I had a dream about my father Sunday afternoon. Did he die? No. It was much more terrifying than that. He was weak. The strongest man in my life was weak. Mentally and physically. He cried and gave up on things. He said he didn’t care about things. This is not him. This is not the man I know.

I believe that God likes to send me messages straight to my stomach. Whenever I feel His presence or hear a message, I know it’s God by the tingle and jolt in my stomach. I awoke from that dream with a tingling tummy and a voice in my ear telling me to go hug my daddy. Really, God? I thought. Though I’d prayed that morning to be used to do The Lord’s will, I was reluctant to accept my mission. That was at 11 am. It took me all day to silence the comfy voices in my head and muster up the gumption to go and hug the man.

“Don’t make this more awkward than it has to be,” I said, my arms outstretched. He furrowed his eyebrows.
“Is everything alright?” He asked, accepting the hug.
“Are you pregnant?” my brother piped in.
“I’m fine.” And it was true.

I’ve heard that the better things in life happen outside your comfort zone.That doesn’t mean that these “better things” are always for one’s self. I have no idea how much my father may have needed that hug. Not to be egotistical, but I think that hug made my dad’s week. You see, there isn’t much I can do for my father at this point in my life. I can be obedient. I can avoid adding to his collection of gray hairs. I can hug him and tell him I love him. (We’re still working on that latter part.)

 I encourage everyone to step outside of their comfort zones to make someone else’s day. Results may vary but I’m pretty sure you’ll feel amazing in the end.