Diana Ross had a big hit many years ago titled “Reach Out and Touch.” The chorus said; “Reach out and touch somebody’s hand, make this world a better place if you can.”

The truth is, we can.

I have had the privilege of doing just that, many times.

Sometimes we do something and don’t even realize what it means to the other person. Last week, I was asked to visit someone in our local jail. Although I am really not sure why they are there, part of the answer came in focus that day.

We go back a long time, more than 25 years. To respect and protect confidentiality, parts of this column may be a bit vague, but every word is factual.

There was a reason that the visit took place in a room where attorneys visit with clients. We were able to talk through a screen, rather than on the telephone, and there was a very small opening that papers can be passed through to be signed by the client. This made the visit a little more personal than usual.

We shared many different things, including some of the things that make life in jail very different from the daily routine that you and I have the freedom to experience every day. The person, whom I will call COG, said that in the outside world there were often reasons, or distractions, that caused COG not to open the Bible, sometimes for several days in a row.

However now, there is plenty of time and it has been a very important part of the daily routine for COG.

Without preaching in any way, there is an incredible amount of wisdom to be found in the Bible, otherwise known as Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. The wisdom of Solomon, recognized as the wisest man who ever lived, is acknowledged by the secular world, as well of those of us who are Believers.

My dear friend, Hallerin Hilton Hill, teaches a course on this every Tuesday at noon. If you want to know more, please send me an e-mail.

Although COG was brought up in a Christian home, the family were and are regular attenders of a church and read the Bible regularly. That book has taken on a new meaning and is now much more than words on paper. COG said that a personal relationship has come in to being with the author.

In fact, COG has been able to help others in a very special way because of this new knowledge that the relationship has meant to them. Interestingly, I went to be an encourager to COG and instead, I was encouraged.

Talk about things to be thankful for during this special time of year, what a gift this visit was to me. When our visit was about to conclude, I reached under that small opening to hold hands while we had prayer together. The next day, I visited with COG’s parents.

It was very enlightening to hear that they received a phone call shortly after our visit and the highlight of the visit was that, for the first time in six months, COG felt the touch of another human being. It caused tears of thanksgiving and joy to run down my cheeks.

Fortunately, my father never told me that “big boys don’t cry,” and experts will tell you that expressing yourself in that manner is very healthy way of releasing emotion.

Think about it. As a baby we are nurtured by parents and others who love us and demonstrate that love by touch. Changing a baby’s diaper is a true bonding experience.

Dr. Bernie Segal, a former oncology surgeon and now a speaker colleague, says that a gentle touch on the shoulder of a patient may often do more than all the medicine in the world.

Your challenge for this week is to express thanks to others every day, not just at this special time of year. In spite of all the economic and political challenges we are facing right now, we have so much to be thankful for.

Reach out and touch somebody, make your world a better place, Yes, you can!

— Dave Gorden of Sevierville is a member of the Speakers Hall of Fame, past president of the National Speakers Association and one of the Authors of “Chicken Soup For the Adopted Soul.” E-mail Dave@davegorden.com.