{"id":1208,"date":"2016-05-08T14:02:10","date_gmt":"2016-05-08T18:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/pitstopforthespirituallybamboozled\/?p=1208"},"modified":"2018-01-06T21:34:04","modified_gmt":"2018-01-07T01:34:04","slug":"mothers-know-best-skin-needs-to-be-touched","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pitstopforthespirituallybamboozled\/2016\/05\/mothers-know-best-skin-needs-to-be-touched.html","title":{"rendered":"Mothers Know Best: Skin Needs to be Touched"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

\"Black<\/h4>\n

I was standing at a bus shelter waiting on the 15A bus that would take me into Dublin city center.\u00a0The young couple next to me stepped out first when the bus arrived. It was then that I noticed that the young woman was blind.<\/h4>\n

I watched as the young man accompanying her escorted her onto the bus\u2014allowing her to accomplish everything by herself and only stepping in if necessary. Once seated they clasped hands and exchanged tender affection.\u00a0 I wrote\u00a0a song, inspired by this encounter.<\/p>\n

Fingertip Eyes . .\u00a0<\/i><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tender fingertips running along my lips
\n<\/i><\/p>\n

are your eyes straining to see,<\/em><\/p>\n

The face you\u2019ve never seen, not even in your dreams<\/em><\/p>\n

for your fingertips are your eyes ..<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

My \u2018Blind\u2019 Summers<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Prior to and throughout my college years, I spent many summers as a camp counselor at camps for visually impaired and blind youth; consequently I have developed a loving sensitivity to the blind and have learned so much from them\u2014particularly their refined sensitivity to touch.<\/p>\n

I recall one totally blind young man sharing with me how, just to stroke and flick through a glossy magazine, sent orgasmic shivers up his spine . .<\/p>\n

And I used marvel at the careful touching that went on at mealtimes as the youngsters tested for texture and temperature of food when it was served to them.<\/p>\n

Mothers Know Best<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

A few years ago Brenda Peterson authored a book of essays entitled,\u00a0Nature and Other Mothers<\/a><\/em>.\u00a0 The first entry\u2014In Praise of Skin\u2014<\/i>is a gem: At one point in her life she was afflicted by severe skin rashes. She had done the rounds of doctors but to no avail. Multiple medications proved ineffective\u2014the rash always returned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

One day her grandmother assessed her and pronounced a more \u201cintuitive\u201d diagnosis: \u201cSkin needs to be touched!\u201d<\/p>\n

Her grandmother then began to give her regular skin massages and these did what conventional\/sophisticated medicines couldn\u2019t do\u2014they cured her.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
We hunger to be touched!<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n

Healing, light, love, compassion, energy, forgiveness, reverence, intimacy and tenderness, are communicated through touch. But what we often \u201cmiss\u201d here, is that touch is a two-sided experience.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

To touch anyone or anything provides a dual sensation; we feel what we are touching and feel the sensation of being touched.\u00a0Try it: rub your thumb and index finger together and you will feel each finger feeling and being felt.<\/p>\n

I tried it this morning while walking barefoot on the wet, dewy grass around my home: I became aware that I was in skin-to-skin contact with the earth. I felt my skin touching the earth and was \u201cpresent\u201d to the awareness that the earth (simultaneously) was receiving, experiencing and returning my touch\u2014with reverential kindness.\u00a0 And that, for me, was a prayer of blessing\u2026<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

Sometimes when my kids are in a \u201ccranky space\u201d and start hitting each other, I hold up my hands and ask, \u201cWhat are these?\u201d They answer, \u201cHands.\u201d I continue, \u201cWhat are they for?\u201d They pause\u2014then recalling the last time we had this Q & A session\u2014one may fumblingly respond, \u201cFor art, cooking, and making things.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cYes!\u201d I invariably add, \u201cand for always and only showing loving-kindness to those around us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Hearted-Arrow--300px\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

A wise teacher once commented: you can only heal what you love, you can only love what you know, and you can only know what you touch.<\/em><\/p>\n

It\u2019s okay if we\u2019re \u201ctouchy-feely\u201d at times; we just need to be mindful of the extraordinary healing and loving energy our touch can communicate, and remember to extend this energy to the natural environment outside our door.<\/p>\n

Above all, on this Mothers Day<\/strong> Sunday, let\u2019s take a moment to honor the first person who introduced us to the wonder of \u201cskin-to-skin\u201d intimacy . . Thanks mom!<\/p>\n

Cover Photo: groupon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Read more on human relationships, parenting, holistice living, health and healing, life transitions . . in my debut book, Do It Anway: Deep Spirituality Meets Real life<\/a><\/em> published last year by Patheso Press and available on Amazon<\/a>!<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Exploring the inexhaustible, healing power of touch.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2586,"featured_media":1209,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[101,99,4,100],"class_list":["post-1208","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-massage","tag-mothers-day","tag-sexuality","tag-touch"],"yoast_head":"\nMothers Know Best: Skin Needs to be Touched<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Exploring the inexhaustible, healing power of touch.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pitstopforthespirituallybamboozled\/2016\/05\/mothers-know-best-skin-needs-to-be-touched.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mothers Know Best: Skin Needs to be Touched\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Exploring the inexhaustible, healing power of touch.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/pitstopforthespirituallybamboozled\/2016\/05\/mothers-know-best-skin-needs-to-be-touched.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pit Stop for the Spiritually Bamboozled\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-05-08T18:02:10+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2018-01-07T01:34:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/675\/2016\/05\/Black-Touch.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"420\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Gerard A. 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