HUGGING
YOUR KIDS

Topics: Affection; Assurance; Death; Fathers; Regret; Suicide

References: Genesis 31:28; Ecclesiastes 9:7–10; Luke 15:20; 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18

His eighteen-year-old son committed suicide near the end of the 2005 football season. At the funeral service, Tony Dungy, head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, offered a heartbreaking appeal to fathers.

“God can provide joy in the midst of a sad occasion,” he said. “The challenge is to find that joy. I urge you not to take your relations for granted. Parents, hug your kids each chance you get. Tell them you love them each chance you get. You don’t know when it’s going to be the last time.”

Tony Dungy last saw his son at Thanksgiving in Indianapolis. James Dungy was in a rush to get to the airport, and his father did not have a chance to hug him.

—Phil Richards, “Colts Convene in Tampa as Dungy Buries Son,” USA Today (December 27, 2005)