Hold on to Each Other
What We Choose to Hold Onto
Recently, I spent the weekend working at a PGA tournament. I was delighted to have Sherrie along. I spent a lot of time walking the event—observing great golf, beautiful scenery, and people.
All kinds of people.
Senior citizens who have retired and now spend their time golfing. Middle-aged business people. Young, vibrant people with golfing aspirations in their eyes.
Amongst all of these thousands of people wandering about, I observed something—surprisingly rare considering the volume of people.
A man and a woman, probably in their 50’s, right in front of me, holding hands as they meandered the cart path.
What Stood Out
This couple stood out to me as a stark contrast.
I started looking around the golf course.
I saw people firmly and intently cleaving to their golf clubs. Observers indulgently holding onto their beer. Staff hanging on to ropes that direct the throngs of people.
Every day we hold on to things that matter.
Phones.
Shall we talk about the amount of attention we give to holding onto our phones? Nah. Let’s not.
A Moment in the Hot Tub
While at this beautiful golf event, Sherrie and I stayed at a nice hotel located on the course. Amongst the amenities, we found ourselves relaxing in the resort hot tub together one evening.
Being a resort hot tub, we shared the water with others.
Along came a fun little family—husband, wife, and three young girls, probably between the ages of five and ten.
While the girls laughed and bobbed around in the hot tub, mom and dad sat nearby, keeping watch—phones in hand, faces lit blue in the night. Present, but mostly tuned out to each other.
I’ve been there - plenty of phone-in-hand. I’m not trying to be critical. I get it.
In that moment, with Sherrie beside me, I found myself reaching over and holding onto her hand.
Of all the things that compete for our attention, why not choose to hold onto the person who matters most?
A Small Moment That Changed Everything
A few weeks ago, I had as similar experience but in a different way.
Here’s a clean, polished version that keeps your tone but tightens the flow and grammar:
Life had been feeling heavy—work, family, relationships, church—all of it stacking up at once. Sherrie is intuitive and could tell I was off. A long conversation followed—mostly good, though there were moments I wondered about.
A day passed, and I was still carrying some emotional weight. I went outside into the yard to do something productive—mowing the grass, getting the sprinklers ready, breathing in fresh air, and trying to reset my frame of mind
Sherrie was heading out for the evening to meet some friends to play bunco.
Before she left, she came outside, found me in the yard, and very intentionally put her hand on my face, gave me a kiss, and a hug.
Then she was gone.
It was such a small moment.
While her touch absolutley melted me I found myself immediately recharging.
It felt like something inside me reset—emotionally, mentally, even physically. I went from feeling weighed down to thinking, things are good.
I had energy again. Strength again. Clarity again.
All from her simple, intentional touch.
Why It Matters
There’s a reason a simple touch can feel that powerful.
Skin-to-skin contact helps calm the nervous system, lower stress, and increase feelings of connection. It also triggers the release of oxytocin—the hormone that helps us feel safe, close, and bonded to each other.
It’s one of the ways we’re wired to reconnect.
The Little Things Still Matter
Last night Sherrie created a lovely dinner. I had a long day on the road and got home feeling spent. The food she made tasted so good and was so appreciated.
But what I appreciated just as much—maybe more—was that as we sat next to each other, I noticed her foot kept bumping into my leg.
At first, I thought it was just an accident.
Then it became obvious she was doing it on purpose.
It turned into a quiet, under-the-table exchange that made me smile inside and in a fun way, connected us.
A Simple Reminder
So here’s a simple reminder:
Touch your person.
Reach for their hand as you walk.
Put your arm around them when you sit next to each other.
Let your foot bump theirs under the table.
It might seem small—
but it carries more power than we realize.
Life is busy. It pulls at us from every direction.
And without meaning to, we start holding onto everything else—
our phones, our gym weights, our responsibilities—
while the person sitting right next to us gets less of us.
The connection we want in our relationships isn’t built in big, dramatic moments.
It’s built in the small, intentional ones.
A touch.
A note.
A moment of attention.
That’s what keeps us close.
Where WhenYou Fits In
That’s one of the reasons we created WhenYou—
to help couples stay intentional in the middle of real life.
Not in a big, overwhelming way…
just in small, meaningful moments that actually get felt.
Start with one note this week.
From us —
Sherrie & Brandon
