Do you still hug your parents? How do you feel when you hug them? When do you need a hug the most?
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 and strong, my dad had worked so hard all of his life to support us. He would sometimes shout at my brothers and me, but I always knew that he loved me. Still, he had been raised (养育) in a traditional way and raised us that way too. I couldn't remember, for example, ever being hugged by him.
After my mom and grandma passed away, my dad moved into grandma's home. I was so happy to have him close by. I would often visit him and just talk with him about life. But we still seldom 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 (追悼会), but I was too cold inside myself to feel it. I couldn't remember when we'd had our last hug.
I sighed (叹气) and got out of my bed. I turned on the lights and walked into the hallway. I saw my son Jim walking down the hall to meet me. Suddenly, he opened his arms and gave me a heart-felt 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. In 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.
