Our physical health suffers from touch deprivation, whether this includes the simple expressions of daily affection, the comfort and reassurance of a hug, or the tender caress of a loved one’s hand.

Our lack of intimacy is also crippling our emotional and spiritual lives. When there isn’t time for quiet conversations and shared stories, we miss the language of the heart. Without the background music of mutuality and tenderness, it can easily become one more task to perform, one more test to pass, a masquerade for authentic intimacy.

- Fran Ferder and John Heagle, “Tender Fires”