【推荐2】Around July I had made a purchase from a website in the US. My shipment was sent out the very next day, and I expected the package to arrive at my doorstep within 5 to 7 days like before. Two weeks had passed, and I had not received my package. I decided to track it, and to my shock, the courier (快递公司) actually sent my package to a different country!

I didn't know what to do, so I emailed the courier, who told me I had to email the company from which I had made the purchase. Instead of helping me, the company redirected me to the courier. Rather than getting mad at this entire mess, I tried to calm down by focusing on the good things,those like the fact that I even had the money to make the purchase and that the company shipped out the package rather quickly. I also imagined myself receiving the package, which made me happier.

Weeks turning into months, there was still no sign of my package. As I signed up for updates, I was horrified when I woke up one day in September to see that my package had been returned to the US. Instead of getting depressed, I contacted the company to inform them about the shipment and sought advice about what to do next as I really wanted the items which were a limited edition. The customer service told me that they could only offer a full refund (退款) as the items were already sold out. Even though I accepted and was very pleased, there was still a part of me that was slightly disappointed.

Around the end of November, I received a text update that my package has cleared customs in the UK but I thought it had been returned to the company. Yesterday, my package arrived at my doorstep!

While it did take many months for the package to reach me, I felt incredibly grateful as I got what wanted! And for free! This showed me that the universe works in mysterious ways that we can never really understand but it is not our job to worry about how things will unfold.

【推荐3】I wrestled her to the ground for the keys, literally. Indeed, when she opened the door to leave the house at 11 pm for the movies despite my words, I actually wrestled my 16-year-old daughter to the ground.

I did not know how to deal with a rebellious (叛逆的) teenager. We are a family of strong wills, from the top down. All my kids had pushed and argued. Everyone “kind of” followed the rules. As they got older, especially when they hit high school, I saw the power shifting, but it hadn’t been so obvious. I had not seen much in-your-face rebellion.

Until this happened.

I called Amy Speidel, a wise and practical parenting expert. She stayed on the phone with me and listened to my wild complaint about my disrespectful kid. She listened for almost two hours and then gave me some suggestions.

Amy told me that my daughter’s behavior was “developmentally appropriate”-she was supposed to test the boundaries. Amy also said that it was great that my daughter would be able to stand up for herself in a relationship that wasn’t working.

Those comments really made me feel awful. I hadn’t considered anything positive about her behavior — but outside of our mother-daughter relationship, I would never want to devalue my daughter’s strong will.

After talking with Amy, I realized that I was the one who needed help understanding discipline vs control. Honestly, I did hate that the responsibility was on me. I wanted permission to scream and punish. But I listened to Amy and here’s what I learned.

1. My daughter’s behavior was normal. That eased my fears that I had raised a terrible human and failed as a mother.

2. My daughter’s strong personality was a strength. That revelation was a huge gift. I value her qualities but don’t want them used against me. I will soften my response and listen to her.

3. I went crazy. In fact, I crossed a line. And that happens. But I learned to apologize and reset so that we could move forward.

My job, therefore, is to learn new responses that offer my daughter options and realistic consequences, not empty threats. And hopefully, this will change my relationship with my daughter.

【推荐1】Queen Elizabeth II, who ascended the British throne at 25, has passed away at the age of 96.

On Sept. 8, the official Twitter account belonging to the royal family confirmed the news, writing, “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.”

The news comes hours after Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Sept. 8, sharing that doctors were “concerned” with the Queen’s health and recommended she “remain under medical supervision.”

While Her Majesty stayed busy with a variety of royal engagements even in the final years of her life, some royal watchers grew concerned about her heath after the Queen started using a cane and was briefly hospitalized in October 2021 for an undisclosed ailment.

In February, the fears grew stronger after she tested positive for COVID-19, just weeks after she celebrated 70 years on the British throne to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history. However, the Queen would make a rare appearance a little over three months later in May at the Royal Windsor Horse Show.

But after the first day of her Platinum Jubilee celebrations in June, the Palace shared at the time that she experienced “some discomfort,” leading her to miss the National Service of Thanksgiving at St. Paul’s Cathedral on June 3.

Back in 1952, Elizabeth became queen upon the death of her father, King George VI. In 2015, she surpassed the previous longest-reigning British monarch, her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria, and also became the longest-serving female head of state in world history.

Her extraordinary reign included countless overseas visits with world leaders, but the Queen always viewed public and voluntary service as one of the most important elements of her work.

According to the Palace, Elizabeth had links — as President or Royal Patron — with over 600 charities, military associations, professional bodies and public service organizations.

“I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service,” Elizabeth shared on her 21st birthday, back when she was still known as Princess Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was married to the late Prince Philip for 73 years before he passed away in April 2021 at the age of 99.

At the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral, a card was seen atop of the late royal’s coffin. The note, written on the Queen’s stationery and placed alongside flowers, appeared to read in part, “I love you”.

The Queen carried out all of her duties while raising four children: Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. During her incredible life, she would also welcome eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren to the Royal Family.

At the time of Philip’s passing, Prince Harry reflected on his grandparents’ incredible love story.

“The two of them together were just the most adorable couple,” he shared. “I don’t know if anyone’s ever described them as adorable but, to me, knowing the cheekiness of him and knowing that behind what the world sees you have two individuals who were very much in love, and both at a very young age, dedicated both of their lives to service. The places these two travelled, the things they saw, the experiences they went through. That is an incredible bond between two people.”

【推荐2】At 98, Dick Van Dyke still sings with his group, The Vantastix, and still makes it all look easy. When asked how important it is that he’s having fun when he’s doing it, Van Dyke replied, “My whole career has relied on that. It’s such a blessing to find a way of making a living that you love. I feel so sorry for people who hate their job. I look forward to going to work every morning!”

And some of his work helped define a generation. Take “The Dick Van Dyke Show”; it ran for five years on CBS, and it was such a hit that they’re bringing it back. This week, CBS aired a two-hour tribute (致敬), “Dick Van Dyke, 98 Years of Magic”, and for the occasion, they recreated the original Dick Van Dyke Show” set, down to that well-known sofa.

Early in his career Van Dyke was quoted as saying he only wanted to make films his children could watch. That got the attention of Walt Disney, who promptly cast him in “Mary Poppins”. And his next few films were equally family-friendly, like “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” which happened to have been co-written by James Bond creator Ian Fleming. From then on, Van Dyke was almost always assigned to play the good guy, though he claims to have missed out on a choice part: “Yeah, I could have been James Bond. When Sean Connery left, the producer said, ‘Would you like to be the next Bond?’ I said, ‘Have you heard my British accent?’ That’s a true story!”

It seems that in show biz the true legends never stop. In an interview from 2017 with his friends, Van Dyke described what it was like hitting 90: “People are more afraid of aging than they are of death these days. And I want to say that remain young in heart and there’s a lot of good living to do.”