HOLDING SOMEONE’S HAND!

Monday, October 19th, 2026

Baton Rouge , Louisiana

 HOLDING SOMEONE’S HAND!

I’ve always looked upon myself as a hand holder. Of course, holding the hand of a loved one. As someone in politics, I’m sure I have shaken thousands of hands over the years. The Beatles urged us many years ago, singing: “I wanna hold your hand.”

I always loved to sing Neil Diamond’s best-known song, Sweet Caroline. His words say:       

Hands
Touchin’ hands
Reachin’ out
Touchin’ me, touchin’ you.

(As a sidenote, the first time I heard Neil Diamond perform was quite a day. I got married at noon, went to see Tulane beat LSU, and went to a late Neil Diamond concert at the LSU Assembly Center.)

Holding someone’s hand is one of the simplest, yet most powerful, ways to express affection, love, and human connection. Sometimes, a hand can say what words cannot. Covid changed all that for many of us. We started fist bumping or just waving. People were reluctant to hold someone’s hand because of what proved to be an unfounded worry about infection.

I always have looked forward to the priest or preacher telling their flock: “Peace be with you.” We would turn to one another and shake our neighbors’ hands. It seems like we’ve drifted away from the special symbol of taking a hand close by us. I’m here to advocate we take up this tradition again.

I believe all of us need connection. A hand, held with tenderness, can help someone feel valued, accepted, and remembered. It reminds us that we are part of one another’s lives. So now, when I go to church on Sunday, I’m making it a point of holding the hand of those seated around me. During the stressful world we live in today, it seems like a small gesture, but an important thing to do.

There is something quite special about holding another person’s hand. You don’t have to solve their problems, entertain them, or explain their feelings. You simply have to be present.

A hand can say: I am here. You matter to me. You don’t have to face this alone. For this moment, let us share the world together.

Author Roger Rosenblatt puts it this way: “You pray with your hands. You sign language with your hands. Some read the lines in your hands as predictive of your life. Approval is indicated by a show of hands. To celebrate you give a high five. Extend your hand towards a baby and it will cling to a finger.”

And sometimes, holding someone’s hand is also a way of saying, I don’t know how much time we have, but I want you to know that you are special to me. Perhaps the most important thing about holding someone’s hand is for a few moments, two people are reminded that, despite all the independence we cherish, none of us is meant to go through life entirely alone.

From those of us who follow the teachings in both the Old and New Testaments the “laying on of hands” has special significance. Jesus Christ used his hands to heal the sick and bless small children. I was named after the Apostle James.  He prescribes using the hands to anoint with oil on the forehead, which I do each week when taking communion.

In the book of Genesis, Jacob (Israel) placed his hands on the heads of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, to pass down a patriarchal blessing and assign their future inheritance.

OK, I know I’m an old guy and certainly have missed a number of friends who passed away before me. But it’s still not too late for me to make special connections with all my old and new friends. And shaking hands, even holding a hand for a bit longer than normal, seems like a really nice gesture in this crazy world we live in today. So if you pass me on the street, see me in a restaurant, or sit close to me in church, be aware of the fact that I’ve become a renewed hand holder. I’m OK with that, and I hope you are too.

Peace and Justice

Jim Brown

Jim Brown’s syndicated column appears each week in numerous newspapers throughout the nation and on websites worldwide. Several quotes were used from AI. You can read all his past columns and see continuing updates at http://www.jimbrownusa.com.