I am a proud mother of three children, my last little one being delivered in the middle of this pandemic (疫情). She was born in August and her name is Aida.

Shortly after having Aida, my mother-in-law Ann showed me something she learned from her friend’s mother in an art class she attended weekly, She had showed me how to knit (编织) a scarf.

I spent a lot of time breastfeeding my sweet little girl, so I had some extra time to do something with my hands throughout the day. I enjoyed making the scarf so I purchased tons of yarn (线) since it was winter. I wanted to make scarves for my three children as Christmas gifts.

There was a new family that moved in down the street. The only daughter of the family was Jane, a shy girl, aged 14, the same age of my oldest son David. It seemed that she came from a financially disadvantaged family, for she always wore old clothes. Worse still, in such cold days, she had no more clothes to wear and trembled with cold.

Due to the pandemic, society was thrown into crisis mode. Schools were closed, food supplies and deliveries were suspended and children were stuck at home. In such discouraging time, however, they became good companions, talking and playing at home or around the houses.

It was dreadfully cold this winter. Every time David came back from outside, with red face, he always cried, “Mum, it is freezing outside!” Then, he came over to see whether I finished the scarf. I could tell how impatient he was to wear my scarf sooner! I had to speed the project to satisfy his expectation. But David comforted me by saying he could wait a few days. What a kind and considerate boy he was! Then my great art project finally was accomplished on the morning ahead of Christmas.

Yours,

Li Hua

I feel so sorry to hear that you are feeling bad these days.

Yours sincerely,

Mary

8 . Letting me move into my university dormitory wasn’t an easy decision for my parents. However, they knew if I wanted a good ___, I’d have to live away from home. I’d always __ living alone ： the life of no rules and regulations and being independent. So I was __ about this new stage in my life.

___,during the first few months of living alone，I’d find myself crying every day. I’d call my mum every day. I __ to fly back home as soon as I got any time off. That was the only thing I was __ about. Coming from a big family, I was __ to noises surrounding me. Therefore, the scary __ at night was the worst. I couldn’t even ___without keeping the lights on.

As time went by, I started enjoying the___ that came with living alone. I could do things in my own time： eat whenever I want, wake up whenever I want. The space of loneliness was   also then __ by friends who became like family, so I __ missing my family less.

When it was time to say goodbye and go back home after my __ I   was bittersweet. I’d __ my time alone, learning things which wouldn’t have been __ if I had never moved away from home. But I’d also missed my family too much.

I’d learned a lot from this __ . Living alone made me value ___time even more.I realized that every second with them __ though I might not get the freedom I had while living alone.

I   guess it’s __ for everybody, but for me,there is no warmth in a house __ it’s filled with loving members and people you love.

9 . When Mom pulled in the driveway, Grandpa Joe was weeding his garden. He stood up and _______ us with wide-open arms. In his muddy gloves and jeans, he looked_______ like the well-dressed grandfather I remembered. The super professional bank president who loved numbers had retired(退休) and let his hair run _______. I wasn’t_______ him to look so different.

After the hugs and kisses, Grandpa couldn’t _______ to show off his garden, pointing out his   almost-ripe tomatoes and ___________ about the rabbits eating his lettuce. The man who had been _______ for ages with interest rates(利率) now cared only about gardening.

Once Mom was gone for business, Grandpa_______ me and said, “Now, Anthony, if I remember _______, you like pasta(意大利面) with pesto sauce.” I eagerly nodded. “That’s perfect!” Grandpa said. “We’ll make some.”

We__________ some vegetables from the garden, and then drove 15 miles to the nearest grocery, where Grandpa bought cheese and nuts. On the drive home Grandpa asked, “What’s the__________ of having a grandpa if he never makes you a big home-cooked meal?”

Then Grandpa showed me how to __________ eggs with flour to make pasta and then how to prepare the sauce. When everything was ready, he proudly ____________ me a large plate of pasta. I ____________ a forkful into my mouth and it was just__________.

“So,” Grandpa said, his eyes__________, “what do you think?”

Before answering, I thought about our ______________. The garden, the shopping, the ____________ “I . . . I . . . love it, Grandpa!” I said.

Then his face broke__________ a smile so warm that I was sure I hadn’t told him a__________.

10 . As people age, the body changes in all sorts of predictable ways. Brains can slow. Wounds take longer to recover. And sleep patterns(模式) shift, too. This can come as news to many, says Michael V. Vitiello, a psychologist at the University of Washington who is expert in sleep in aging.

The most noticeable---and often most annoying---changes are how sleep and wake-up times change and sleep gets lighter, often beginning in middle age. Gone are weekend sleep to 11 a.m. and the ability to sleep through a noisy garbage truck down the block.

But not every restless night can be ignored. Studies have found that poor sleep can create a particular threat to older adults---Falls, depression and anxiety, problems with memory, and increased suicide(自杀) risk are among the effects of sleep issues in this population group that researchers have found. But scientists are still unsure why those risk connections exist.

What is clear is the connection between good sleep and psychological well-being in older adults. A 2010 study showed us that connection when it came to sleep quality, but sleep quantity didn't show the same effects. And that, experts say, may be the key to understanding sleep as you age. If you're sleeping less, but don't feel negative effects out of bed, the changes you notice may just be normal age-related.

Over time, Vitiello says, sleep patterns simply change. "A lot of older adults recognize that they don't sleep the same as they did when they were 18, but they can still function and they're OK. And all is well with the universe."