It was a cold November morning several years ago. My alarm clock had just gone off, but I was having trouble getting out of bed. My dad had died a few weeks before. I felt weighed down by sadness and depression.
Tough(结实的)and strong, my dad had worked so hard all of his life to support us. He had a temper and would sometimes shout at my brothers and me, but I always knew that he loved me. Still, he had been raised in a traditional way and raised us that way too. I couldn't remember, for example, ever being hugged by him.
But eventually, my mom and grandma passed away. My dad moved into grandma's home right up the road from where I lived. I was so happy to have him close by. I would often visit him and just talk with him about life. But we still rarely touched and never hugged. Finally, his own health began to rapidly fail and within a few months he left us. It was a cold morning when we had his service, but I was too cold and numb(麻木的) inside myself to feel it. I couldn't remember when we'd had our last hug.
I sighed and got out of my bed. I turned on the lights and walked into the hallway. It was my son Tony walking down the hall to meet me. Suddenly, he opened his arms and gave me a heartfelt hug. And just as he did, I heard my dad's voice deep inside of me say, "Joey, this hug is from me！" I cried and smiled at the same time. At that moment, in the place where heart, mind, and spirit all meet, I felt loved. I felt loved by my dad. I felt loved by life.
a. The writer recalled his dad as he lay in bed.
b. The mother and grandmother died.
c. The father passed away a few months later.
d. The father raised the children as he was raised.
e. The writer felt like his dad was hugging him.
f. The writer's son came to give him a hug.
