LETTERS: GIVE HUGS TODAY WHILE YOU CAN

To the editor:

Have you ever had an item which you treasured and held in high esteem? Perhaps it was a family heirloom or something your child once made in his first years of school. Then the day arrived where, because of circumstances or because your heart told you to, you gave that treasured gift to someone you loved.

Most likely in those last moments as you held it in your possession, a flood of memories filled your heart and mind -- thoughts of how much it meant to the one who, out of love, gave it and possible made it. And it was at this moment that you realized just how precious it was in all the years it filled your life with joy.

Each day we face this same possibility where the day will arrive and, because of circumstance, be it a wedding or a funeral, we will be required to surrender the loved ones we treasure, be it parents, grandparents, sons or daughters. And in those last moments as we hold them tightly, perhaps for the last time, our hearts will be filled with a flood of memories which will produce both tears and joy.

Wisdom seems to dictate, before that hour should arrive, that we should reach out to those around us and hold them tightly now and express the love in our hearts. Give someone a hug today.

RON FARROW

Cape Girardeau