1 . The men of influence in our lives are our fathers, brothers, grandfathers, uncles, and friends and they play an important role in our lives. They lead by example, teaching us how to move physically through our world, how to be strong in the face of adversity, how to be wise, and how to provide for ourselves and our families.

My dad taught me how to have natural fun, playing baseball in the middle of the street, in his stocking feet. Today my dad continues to influence me in positive ways. He has faced a challenging health problem over the past few months and has carried on with his life in much the same way as he did before his illness, going about his daily business a bit slower and needing to take more rests but still living his life the way he wishes to.

My grandfather taught me the value of being trusted. My father-in-law influenced my life in a different way. He was quiet, loving and a man of power. When he spoke, I listened, as he did not speak unless he had something to say.

My loving husband has encouraged me to be strong and independent, to think for myself, and not to look to him for permission. My husband has also taught me to adapt with him to the ever-changing reality of his journey with illness, and he has met each one with courage and dignity. I have learned much from the men who have had an influence on my life. For all that I have learned and for the role they played and continue to play in my life I am forever thankful.

2 . After a long period of lockdown, now it is time to relax. Head out to find surprising holiday decorations to warm your heart and make your season bright. Come on, light shows are waiting for you.

Holiday Lights on the Boardwalk

Take a walk by the ocean and experience a holiday light display along the Long Beach Boardwalk, dusk to 9 p. m. daily and weekends through mid-January, from Long Beach to Park Avenue.

Free, 516-432-6000. You can also check the stores along Park Avenue for more holiday lights.

Town of Islip Holiday Light Show

Bring the family to see the lights from the comfort and safety of personal vehicles as you drive through the 1/8-mile light display on the grounds of historic Brookwood Hall. Decorations have been given by Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs and Public Works staff.

Cheap, 516-433-6742. From 5 p. m. to 8 p. m. Dec. 22; Brookwood Hall Park.

Suffolk County Holiday Lights Show

The Suffolk County’s drive-through display features two miles of holiday-themed lights; opens from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m. through Dec. 30. Closed Dec. 24-25. Tickets will be sold at the gate and payment can be made with credit cards only, no cash, $25; $22 on Dec. 30.

Monday through Friday; 631-543-6622.

Christmas House

Indoor family-friendly walk through holiday experience, highlights include a real snow room: 3 to 11 p. m. Monday-Thursday; 3 p. m. to 1 a. m. Friday; 10 a. m. to 1 a. m. Saturday; 10 a. m. to 11 p. m. Sunday through January. Guests must wear masks, maintain social distancing and purchase tickets with assigned arrival time in advance online.

$30 for adults, $25 for kids aged 10 and younger, 631-591-0455.

4 . Low-Cost Gifts for Mother’s Day

Gift No.1

Offer to be your mother’s health friend. Promise to be there for any and all doctor’s visits whether a disease or a regular medical check-up. Most mothers always say “no need,”but another set of eyes and ears is always a good idea at a doctor’s visit. The best part? This one is free.

Gift No.2

Help your mother organize all of her medical records, which include the test results and medical information. Put them all in one place. Be sure to make a list of all of her medicines and what times she takes them. “Having all this information in one place could end up saving your mother’s life,” Dr.Marie Savard said.

Gift No.3

Enough sleep is connected to general health conditions. “Buy your mother cotton sheets and comfortable pillows to encourage better sleep,” Savard said. “We know that good sleep is very important to our health.”

Gift No.4

Some gift companies such as Presents for Purpose allow you to pay it forward this Mother’s Day by picking gifts in which 10 percent of the price you pay goes to a charity (慈善机构). Gift givers can choose from a wide variety of useful but inexpensive things—many of which are “green”—and then choose a meaningful charity from a list. When your mother gets the gift, she will be told that she has helped the chosen charity.

8 . Sun Rui, a mother in Beijing, changed some of her plans for her 8-year-old son’s summer vacation. She had looked for an out-of-school English course, but in the end, she changed it to a swimming training class. “It is because of the strict rules on subject-tutoring classes out of schools, many parents like me choose sports or other classes for developing interests instead,” Sun said.

Sun’s choice is part of the result of the government’s growing efforts to reduce the academic pressure on young students.

On July 24, Chinese government introduced the rules in order to reduce the burden of homework and after-class tutoring for primary and junior high school students. It lists requirements in areas such as reducing the amount and the difficulty of homework and after-class services provided by schools. For example, homework for primary children below the third grade is not allowed, while homework for junior high school students should take no longer than 90 minutes to finish. Out-of-school classes cannot teach students knowledge that is ahead of the school curriculum. No subject lessons can be given on weekends, national holidays or during winter and summer vacations.

According to Global Times, more than 75 percent of Chinese children in cities, from grade l to grade 12, take part in out-of-school subject classes. This has led to many social problems such as students’ falling levels of physical fitness, more mental health problems and huge family costs, said Chu Zhaohui, senior researcher with the National Institute of Education Sciences.

Many parents showed their support for the new moves. “Subject leaning is enough at school and we hope the children’s life can be more relaxing during holidays”, a parent in Guangzhou told Xinhua. However, there are also some parents who have new fears. A parent in Shanxi said that although she agreed with the new rules, she was worried that both she and her husband had no time to be with her son

9 . My journey to isolation (隔离) in Antarctica was somewhat accidental. I saw a(n) ________ for a position as a leader for an expedition (探险) to Antarctica and was interested. ________ , it was the picture of a penguin in the ad that caught my attention. It ________ that they were looking for someone in charge of an expedition team. I took part in a job ________ and then got a job that I knew had I not gone for it I would ________ .

________ 18 strangers around the clock for a full year, with no ________ from the cold and strong winds, I learned a lot. Being in isolation meant I had to do lots of self ________ . Every day I would think carefully of how I had operated as a leader. That discipline of ________ myself taught me how to tell right from wrong.

After returning from the silent Antarctica, the noise in the outside world seemed ________ . It took me about 180 days to ________ to the noisy life. I limited the time I spent outside and gradually ________ my tolerance to noise. Besides, the ________ of my life in Antarctica was very slow, just like everyone’s life in lockdown (禁闭期) due to the COVID-19. When I first got into my car for a ride alone, I felt like I was ________ , even though I wasn’t.

Nowadays I often think back to when I saw the ________ that inspired me to look at the ad for the job -a moment that changed my life altogether.