By David Tepera, January 18, 2026

What prompted today’s article came from my wife Tina being away for a few days helping a friend recovering from surgery. Her friend Gina lives alone and has a small farm with lots of animals. I did assist in collecting eggs and taking care of the chickens and horses.

After a few days, Gina became more independent, which allowed Tina to come home and sleep in our bed. I think we can all agree, sleeping in our own bed is the best. Once Tina’s head hit the pillow, she was out. As I laid there, I realized, beside my children, that what matter most to me was only an arm’s length away.

This prompted me to appreciate other uses with my arms. How wonderful the power a hug can be for people. We can use our arms to change lives by reaching out and helping those in need. When’s the last time your arms lifted the spirits of others.

You see, people can say kind words, which is important, but your arms are the action. Sometimes, we need our arms to embrace and bring the world closer, but there are times we need to push the evil away. This is the power of our arms because they will protect us.

Our arms have everything to do with our health. They gather food and water to keep us alive. All our clients use their arms for weight training to help build shoulders, chest, back, plus other muscle groups. It’s the arms that contribute to a quality of life.

Now, how are you going to use your arms today? What will you reach for that’s only an arm’s length away? Whose hand will you hold? Find the people who mean the most to you, embrace and wrap your arms around them closely. I promise, you won’t have to say a word because your arms have the power of love.

The times are countless when I raised my arms to the Heavens and asked God for forgiveness and to help me be a better man. He never failed me. Today, I am fortunate to have everything I want because it’s only an arm’s length away.