I saw an elderly couple doing it on the sidewalk across from Wendy's a week ago.  I don't see much of it around campus anymore.  There was a time when it was far more common.  In fact I do remember two classmates doing it during one of my lectures many years ago.  It seems they simply wanted the affirmation that comes with the experience.  The gentle touch, the reassuring squeeze, the warmth on a cold day - all benefits of hand holding.  Are there times when you feel your hands are tied, or perhaps just empty?  Are there times when you hold them up in anguish and frustration and other times when you hold them up in praise and adulation?  Perhaps you clap them to get attention, or in applause offer support and encouragement to others.  Sometimes we extend them to break a fall or just to feel the grass, leaves and cool soil.  Isn't it praiseworthy that through all these experiences there is One who holds your hand?

Take the hand of someone special today - someoneyou care for - a friend, an enemy; and remember you're not the only one holding that hand.