HUGS

I come from a hugging family. Some people don't. Simms' family wasn't a huge hugging family...and then I came along. Now there are hugs for hellos, good-byes, goodnight, and any other occasion that suits.

Here are some of our hugs:

The hug with a pat-pat-pat on the back. In our family, this is prevalent on my mom's side. It is the kind of hug that shows you care but still has a polite air about it.

Hugs that are kind of bold and strong and then when you think it is done, it isn't. It still lingers...and lingers... This is the kind of hug that was given when I was leaving for college or at the airport when lil' sis was saying good-bye and going to England for a year! It's the hug that has been given to a loved one when they are going through surgery or facing some kind of event that is life-altering. This is a hug that is saved. It isn't given all the time. There is a lot of unspoken love that goes into this kind of a hug.

There is the hug with a kiss. Sometimes the hug is a one-armed hug and sometimes it's with both arms. This can be decided according to the availability of your arms (are you carrying something or not). The hug can last a long time and sometimes not. The quick version of this hug is what's typical in our family when we are saying good-bye to Daddy in the morning or when Jeter says goodbye to everyone in the morning before he goes to school. It's kind of the day-to-day hug.

Hugs sometimes start with a handshake. This is the kind of hug that can evolve as it goes. It's a handshake. No, I am getting pulled in for a hug. It can then be a "big" hug or a "little" hug. Sometimes a kiss is added as well. This seems to happen a lot with men. It's the kind of hug that Simms will tell me about and sometimes joke about how he had no idea where it was going!

The leg hug. This hug is reserved for little ones. Typically the adult is standing. My boys will run over and give a quick squeeze to the adults leg, say "I love you" or "good-bye" and then they are off again. There is as much love in this hug but it prevents the recipient from hugging back. Barber currently hugs his Poppy like this with a twist. He sits on Poppy's foot and holds on really tight. Sometimes, Poppy will walk across the room bringing Barber with him. He loves it!

The knock-down hug. Both Jeter and Barber enjoy this hug. We have told them they need to tell us when they want to give this type of hug. We are either sitting or kneeling and they run to us from across the room barreling us over as they give us their hug. They giggle with glee and it usually leads to tickling!

This new hug doesn't really have a name yet. Barber has just begun to give me this hug. It starts similarly to the knock-down hug but instead of barreling me over he jumps into the air and lands with his arms around my neck and legs around my middle. I love this hug! I think, right now, it is one of my favorites. It rivals the hug that is part of our not-so-secret greeting.

I am sure that there are "hugs" that I have missed but this is a good overview of the hugs that our family gives and receives on a regular basis! Have you hugged a loved one today???