SAUCIER — Keep in touch

They were sitting in front of me. I happened to see when she grabbed her husband’s hand and held it between them.

It could have been a fleeting pain, though she didn’t appear to stiffen or wince.

It could have been a wave of grief from a recent loss, but I saw no tears.

It could have just been one of those moments when we realize how blessed we are to have that other in our lives.

For his part, there were no words, only a single glance, as if he knew her reason and just holding her hand was the best way to respond.

A little later, I noticed their hands were uncoupled. The need, it seemed, had not passed, but had been met.

Such a natural gesture, yet such an intimate act.

Touch is our superpower from birth. Think of a baby grabbing your finger. Babies can only see a few inches from their face, but they explore their world with grasping hands.

It only gets better for adults. Holding hands lowers blood pressure, reduces pain and buffers stress.

Scientists have found that holding hands calms the part of the brain responsible for vigilance and emotional response.

But I knew that.

Many years ago, my grandfather was in a coma before he died. He was restless, even agitated at times. Family members would try to calm him, but the only time he really relaxed was when his wife of 50-plus years held his hand.

Somehow, her touch could go where words could not, penetrating that veil of darkness and terror, assuring him that he was not alone and that things would be okay.

Yes, he died. But he did not die alone, and things were okay.

Nurses know the power of touch.

When I was in the hospital for my cancer surgery, the nurses would either hold my hand or place their hand on my arm when they spoke to me.

Just by doing that, they were personally part of my healing, modulating my pain.

Jesus knew. He touched Peter’s mother-in-law to take away her fever, touched the leper to make him clean, touched the ears and tongue of a deaf mute.

Deep inside most of us, there is a need for relationships and interdependence. The human touch assures us of this connection, without which our fear and suffering would be unbearable.

A simple touch, a hand held, expresses all that we are for one another.

As the psalmist says, we are “wonderfully made.”