【推荐1】Last year, I visited Patchings Art Centre to view the winning entries of a competition. After that, I remembered a rather _________ story.

Some years ago I _________ a local art competition, the Stafford Open. As a famous local artist, I was _________ confident of selection, which was a silly assumption, as I soon _________.

My painting, a scene _________ life in the 1950s, was large and only just _________ my car. It took me great efforts to paint and deliver it. I paid the _________ fee and checked it in at reception then, a day or two later, I received a letter informing that my entry hadn’t _________ it through. I collected the painting and brought it home, _________.

I went to view the exhibition when it opened and was __________ with the usual mix of competent __________ largely uninspiring landscapes and still lives, __________ one exhibit, that stood out from the crowd. What was it? __________ an A3 canvas board painted completely black except for a small white spot, just off centre. Needless to say, the local __________ pounced on (争相报道) it but then the ‘artist’ came forward and __________ that it had been entered as a joke, and that he wasn’t an artist. This was much to the __________ of the selection committee, who made a good __________ to justify their choice to the press. But it was too late by then, as all __________ was lost.

However, there was nothing like that here, at Patchings and I was delighted to have won an award for the second year running with the same painting that had been __________. So, here comes to my __________ that don’t worry too much about losing, your time will come if you keep on trying.

【推荐2】Since I was young, I’ve noticed ______ in people’s hairstyles, clothes, facial expressions, behaviors. I like noticing the world around me and I ______ the power of paying attention.

I grew up on our family farm. My grandpa always had an eye on the sky, ______ the clouds and their various colors. He knew when the soybeans got the ______ of brown paper bags it was time to ______. Farming is about noticing and paying attention.

My mother and grandmother ______ everything from curtains to clothes. My mother made quite a few of my ______ and her pattern work was so ______. My Aunt Becky knit socks and sweaters. The patterns looked like a foreign language to me, but they were road maps she followed ______. If she noticed a ______ stitch (针), she would follow seriously ______. The women in my family practiced demanding crafts, requiring precision and an eye for ______, attention to color combinations, a love of a ______world.

Noticing was all ______ me. It was the clothes on my body, the ______ in the fields, and the clouds in the sky.

I’m teaching how to write and seeing details is my job. Nothing is too small to ______. Paying attention is my occupation. Through paying attention to my ______ carefully, I can get to know more about them than before. So if I notice that their eyes look ______ instead of bright, I will know ______. The world is made up of one detail after another, and by opening my eyes to each of them, I can see the world much more ______, much more broadly.

【推荐3】My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “_________my job. Family to Feed.”

At this store, a_________like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and made a_________on how bad it must be to have to stand outside in the cold wind.

In the store, I asked each of my kids to_________something they thought our “friend” there would_________. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a_________. I thought about it. We were_________on cash ourselves, but…well, sometimes_________from our need instead of our abundance is just what we need to do! All the kids_________something they could do away with for the week.

When we handed him the bag of food, he lit up and thanked us with__________eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for__________his family might need, he burst into tears.

This has been a wonderful__________for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can help! Things would have played out so__________if I had simply said, “No, we really don’t have__________to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in need, it also gave my kids the__________taste of helping others. It’ll go a long way with them.

You are only three years old, and at this point in your life you are not able to understand this letter. But some day when you _________, I hope you will find something _________ in what I am going to tell you.

Life can be _________. There will be people in your life who won’t be very nice. They’ll _________ you because you are different, _________ for no good reason. You will also face heartbreak and might be _________ by those you love. I hope you don’t have to face these too much, but such things _________.

Be open to life anyway. You’ll find cruelty and _________ in your journey through life, but don’t let that _________ you from finding new things. Don’t retreat (退却) from life, and don’t ____________ or wall yourself off. Be open to new things, new experiences, and new people. You will ____________ many times, but if you allow that to stop you from trying, you will ____________ many chances. Do remember failure is a stepping stone to ____________.

You will meet many people who will try to do ____________ than you, in school, in college, and at work. They’ll try to have nicer cars, bigger houses, nicer clothes, and so on. To ____________, life is a competition. However, I believe life is a(n) ____________. If you always try your best to ____________ others, you are wasting your life. Learn to enjoy your life ____________ and you will make it a journey of ____________, of learning and of love.

Finally, know that I love you and always will. You are ____________ a really wonderful journey, and I will always be there for you.

Love,

Dad