【推荐1】After her college _______ following the covid-19 pandemic, 24-year-old Nethra Rammohan still felt left out of the on-campus action. Continuing to commute (通勤) from her family home, she felt _______ as if all her friends were having fun without her. Upon graduation, she was _______ to move out into a place of her own.

Her parents were _______ at first. In Indian culture, Nethra explains, the early 20s are often seen as the last years a young woman has with her family before _______. Nethra’s parents hoped she’d enjoy these precious single years by their side.

But despite having to fight “tooth and nail” with her parents to do it, Nethra moved out the summer after she graduated from college. _______, her parents approved of her decision. But initially, “It was an emotional, tough time at home,” she tells me. “My mom was like, ‘Oh, you’re moving out? You still haven’t really learned to _______ or anything!’”

Settling in, Nethra took full advantage of her newfound _______ and lack of curfew (宵禁). She _______ every night, paid the bills, cleaned and, yes, learned to cook for herself. But keeping up with this new lifestyle slowly had an influence on her ________. In trying to do it all, she neglected self-care and began to burn out. In the end, she decided to give living with her parents a second try.

With a new ________ of her parents’ gestures of love, home-cooked meals and bids to spend time together, Nethra is now happier and healthier than ever. And the feelings are ________: “We understand each other better” after the move, Nethra’s mom says. Though Nethra is open to moving out again later in her 20s, she now feels ________ not constricted (限制) living with family. Since returning home, she says, “I haven’t really felt, like, lonely or anything even once.” Why? ________ put: “I had my fun. I ________ what I wanted to when I was away.”

【推荐2】A Lesson from a Five-Year-Old

It’s eight o'clock on a cold spring night. The phone rings for the sixth time in less than an hour. I know who it is—my mom.

When my mom was 68, a stroke(中风) took her _______ but not her life. She’s suffering from paranoia. She thinks she has been kicked out of her house which is not true and she thinks her daughters have not visited in months even though it was only a few days ago.

Each time she _______, I play a game with myself called “How Good of a Person Can I Be?”. I’ve _______ five rounds of the game tonight. But I’m due for a loss. My mom has no idea that she has _______ the things she has said a million times today and a million times yesterday. She has no idea that she cannot recall her own grand-daughter’s name.

“Mom!” I yell. “You’re not being _______ your home! And we visited two days ago! I cannot talk anymore! Everything is fine!” I sink into the sofa, _______ that my daughter saw everything. I have not only failed tonight at being a good person, but I have failed at being a good _______ to my daughter.

“Can I talk to Grandma Ellie?” My daughter _______ for the phone. I hand it over.

“Hi, Grandma!”

I hear my mother’s bright and cheerful voice _______ the receiver, “Sweetheart! Did you go to school today?”

“Yes, Grandma. Today was share day, and I brought my Wonder Woman necklaces.”

My mother tells her how much she loves her and how lovely her voice sounds. Then, “Tell me, did you go to school today?”

“Yes, Grandma. I went to school and we had share day. I brought my Wonder Woman necklaces.” I listen to my daughter talk ________ to her grandmother. My daughter has a lot of ________ towards her.

I have spent so much time ________ she had a “real” grandmother. In this moment, I realize that she does have a real grandmother, and she does have a real ________ with her. It isn’t the one I had hoped for, but to her, this is ________—to care for a loved one is a part of life.

Tonight, she ________ me how to answer the phone like a grown-up.

【推荐3】Over the past few days, Eddie has had to put his old toys into garbage bags and the new ones into boxes. His family is about to move to a new house, and they need their home ________ for the next family.

Without any furniture, the house looked big, empty and ________, which made Eddie feel a little sad. “Come on, Eddie. All that’s ________ to clean is the attic (阁楼).” Eddie’s mother urged.

Eddie followed his mother to the attic by climbing an old ladder. His father was already ________ there, ________ boxes of old photographs. Eddie reached his father, who ________ Eddie two small and dusty pictures. One showed a young boy playing baseball in his backyard; ________ was a young girl in the same yard, playing hopscotch (跳格子游戏).

“You guys were kids?” Eddie asked. “We weren’t born ________ old,” Eddie’s mother said. Eddie had never seen his dad or mom playing ________ or hopscotch or other games. It was hard to ________ them as kids enjoying themselves in their backyards.

Eddie looked out of a dusty ________ of the attic. There his favorite swing set was ________ in the backyard where he did have a lot of fun. ________ he was not a little kid anymore. At the new house, he would be going to a new school. He wanted to ________ for the school soccer team and maybe join the drama club. Maybe it was a good time to move after all.

Climbing down into their now almost-empty house, Eddie took their camera to his parents and said, “Mom, Dad, could you take a picture of me ________ in our backyard?”

【推荐2】I’m forever grateful for everything Dr Cohen has done to save my life.

While I was studying at Baylor University, I ______ from a loss of feeling throughout the entire left side of my body that ______ from 15 to 45 minutes. As a gymnast, I have always been ______ and I know exactly what I eat and do to perform at my best. So, I thought that ______ in my body could not be anything ______. After all, I was only 20 years old.

I continued my ______ at the University of Notre Dame to earn my master’s degree. When I ______ home one weekend, I experienced another loss of feeling. My dad, who happened to be in the room, rushed me to the nearest ______.

Medical examinations ______ a tennis ball-sized tumor (肿瘤) taking over the right side of my brain. My dad ______ made an appointment for me to see Dr Cohen to ______ the next steps. I knew I was in excellent hands, having Dr Cohen as my doctor. It even made me feel a little more ______ when Dr Cohen told me he would open my brain and give me an operation. This was without any ______ the hardest thing I had ever had to ______, but I always knew everything would be okay and that I would ______ whatever came my way. About a year and a half later, I made a full ______.

Not even a brain tumor could ______ me. Luckily for me, I ______ from the University of Notre Dame with my class on time! This ______ has given me a different opinion on life and made me very thankful that I am still here, ______ by such loving and supportive people.

【推荐3】Hard luck makes one stronger and India’s youngest para-badminton player, Palak Kohli, agrees entirely. Her left arm has not completely grown—a(n) ______ since birth. This put her in a very awkward position. ______ questions and sympathy were a part of Palak Kohli’s daily routine. However, it never ______ her but instead inspired her to do more.

A chance meeting with a national ______ when visiting a mall sowed the seed of para-sports (残疾人体育) in her mind. Although her teacher insisted she should ______ studies, it only made her more ______ to prove herself. Her intensive research on para-sports ______ her to Gaurav Khanna—India’s national para-badminton coach, the ______ man who had met her before. Palak Kohli visited Gaurav Khanna’s para-badminton academy and soon knew her ______ and destination. In 2019, three years after she was ______ to the academy, she played in the nationals and did extremely well, winning three gold medals. Things seemed to be ______ until she was diagnosed with a bone marrow (骨髓) issue in her ______ and was advised bed rest for three months. Palak Kohli was undisturbed as she was used to ______ hard luck. She was quick to focus on solutions to ______ her body and slowly getting back on her feet again.

For Kohli, para-badminton is her world now. She ______ Khanna for his contribution and support in her career.

【推荐1】As part of my upbringing, I was taught to smile and say, “Thank you. My mother always______, “Smile and act like you’re happy!”

Years after my mother passed away, when social media was becoming a growing______and part of life, I decided to use it as a platform to express______why I was thankful. I would also write online a______message that could touch others once a week. Here is a common______of my Thankful Thursday thoughts: If you do more than just_______, you’ll not only make your life become different but also ______.the life of someone else in the world. Be a life-changer!

After a few years of ______Thankful Thursday messages, I considered ______, thinking that maybe my online friends had had enough of my thoughts. I was ______. There were responses like, “I ______your messages,” and “I love Thankful Thursday!” These______made me decide to keep going and even ______the messages through more social media platforms. The feedback has been______, and I am happy for the very reason that the:______posts are not about me; they’re about many people’s expressions of gratitude (感激), which ______happiness among hundreds of people.

We______our gratitude—when we realize that happiness comes from______, and being thankful is an expression from the heart. Making it a ______to say “thank you” to all the people who have made a______in our lives can push us into a state of happiness.