My mom’s life was a busy one. Raising four kids on her own was a full-time job, but she also worked outside the home. _______, she always seemed to find a little bit of extra time for us despite her schedule.

She would take us over to my aunt’s in the _______ when she worked as a waitress in a small diner. We would just be finished with school and have to _______, so my mom would be on time for work. I thought she would pass us over to our aunt and hurry off as soon as we made it through the front gate, but that didn’t happen. _______, we would sit on the porch (门廊), my mom in her waitress uniform, and we would rock in my aunt’s big wooden swing and talk about what happened that day.

“I learned how to _______ my name!” Larry, my younger brother, would shout.

My mom would get a piece of paper and a pencil out of her purse and hand it to my brother, “Show me how you do it,” she’d ask _______.

“Do you have enough time to hear what I did today?” I’d ask her.

Mom would _______ at me and nod. “I’m never too busy for something important like that!”

She gave us the gift of time again and again. When she came to live with us after her retirement, my mom gave the gift of time to my _______ too.

By then my mom had health problems. In the last few years of her life, I would sit with her on the porch, and we would talk about the past, the dream of the future, and just enjoy being with each other. I would look at her and ask her if she minded me _______ so much of her free time.

“Nonsense,” she’d tell me, “It’s one of the greatest joys of my life.”

I will always remember those wonderful words and the loving heart behind them. In this busy world of ours, and in a life filled with ________, she always had time to share her joy with me.

You change into your pajamas, turn off the lights, and get yourself ready to sleep. How do you prefer to sleep, on the back or on your side? Here are some interesting sleeping positions.

Starfish is when you lie on your back and sleep with your arms lifted near your head. Sleep scientist Idzikowski says starfish sleepers value friendship, and that while they prefer not to be the center of attention, people who sleep in this position are good listeners and quick to help others.

The fetal position gets its name from the shape of a baby in the womb. People who sleep in the fetal position tend towards worry and anxiety. They are often shy and sensitive. In the fetal position, a sleeper’s body is essentially curled up into a ball as they lie on one side with legs and arms bent.

This sleeping position is kind of strange, but common. It’s when you sleep on your back with your arms down and very close to your body. Studies have shown that people who sleep like this may not like to make a big deal out of things. It is actually a good sleeping position, as it helps keep your spine in a straight line.

Freefall Position ◂

If this sleeping position is not familiar to you, you should know that at least 7% of the world’s population sleep that way. In this position, you have your hands on or around your pillow, with your head turned to one side. But it may create a twist in the neck. Some studies suggest that generally you’re a social person if you like to sleep in this position.

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One day Nils was studying at home when suddenly he fell asleep. When he woke up, he saw in the mirror— a tiny Nils! He had become only a little thumb toy figure!

But once he opened the door, he found all of swans circling around them. They chased him. They pinched (掐) him and laughed and said, “Now it is time for you to fear us!”

Then the wild swans flew in and saw their ancestors and said, “Hey, come on! Let us all go to beautiful Switzerland!”

A male swan named Max heard the wild swans, so he scooped up high into the sky. Nils found this good chance to experience new things and held on tight to Max’s neck. They both flew high above into the sky. Nils was very scared, so he didn’t open his eyes at first. At last, he got the courage to open his eyes and look down. He saw the white clouds high up the air and saw the black earth under the ground.

Max’s energy left him behind, so he fell behind the group. Max flapped his wings quickly and quickly, but he still felt down and down. Nils was very worried, so at first, he said, “Don’t worry, Max. You rest for a while and let’s go home!” Max liked his comfort, so he quickly caught up with the group.

The leader of the swans whose name was Oscar saw Nils and asked him, “Who are you?” Nils stood up and said: “My name is Nils. I was a human yesterday, but this morning…” Before Nils could finish his words, all the wild swans took a few steps back. Humans had been the swan’s enemy for centuries! No matter how hard Max tried to let Oscar agree to let Nils stay with them, Oscar still agreed to just let him stay with them for one night.

When they all slept snugly that night, a fox crept out behind a tree. He had kept his eyes on the wild swans for a while, and still thought of their delicious meat even as they slept. Oscar sensed this and told all the swans to get up and fly away to a safer place.

But Max left too quickly and dropped Nils down on the ground. Nils did not get hurt, but he did see the fox carrying the swan between his jaws. Nils shouted to him, “Hey, put the swan down!” He quickly grabbed the fox’s tail and pinched it with all his strength. This move allowed the fox to scream and so dropped the swan out of his mouth. Oscar said to Nils, “You are the first person to do good to a swan. So, you can stay with us for the rest of the journey.”