Thursday, December 15, 2011

Hugs

I know that there are all kinds of thoughts, stats and quotes out there that try and quantify the importance of hugs. I can never remember how many you are supposed to have a day or during the week, but I learned a valuable lesson about hugs on Thursday.
Karon has worked for me for almost 4 years. She has some challenges and OCD is one of them. She does detailed cleaning a couple of times a week at the store for us and always asks the same questions, in the same order, etc. She stands at the register waiting for exactly 9:30 to clock in every time she works. I really like Karon and have tried to make sure that we always have a place for her at our store. Sometimes that can be a bit challenging because of her issues, but it has proven worth it.
Back to the hug.
December 1st was my birthday and after Karon was done at precisely 11AM, she clocked out and came back to the office to talk with me. She explained she needed a day off in December and we chatted for a minute.  Then there was an slight awkward pause and she just reached up and wrapped her arms around my neck and as she was doing this she wished me a happy birthday. She didn't just let go either. She held on for a second and really hugged on me like she meant it. I was caught way off guard by this because with Karon having OCD things are usually very routine and quite predictable.
I hope that I never forget the feeling that I had in that moment when Karon hugged me. Everything melted away. I felt cared for and genuinely loved. It was unbelievably genuine.
It reminded me of the value of a hug, a kind word or a simple gesture. During this season I hope to take that hug that Karon gave me and pass it on to others in unexpected and fun ways that will encourage them and let them know that they are loved, not just by me but by the baby in Bethlehem.

1 comment:

  1. Great reminder Chad. As a parent of two special need children, I appreciate CFA/you for working to make a spot for Karon and others like her. Thanks for the good reminder of what being a good boss does to care for his employees. Take care. Steve johnson

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