1 . When she was 86, Mom moved to our city. My husband, Kevin, and I found a lovely apartment for her. I was happy to help take care of her ________ she arrived.

The day after she moved in, she called me to ________ about the food at the facility. “The pizza was like rubber. I couldn’t ________ it.” “Mom, you’re complaining to me. Wouldn’t it make more sense to tell someone who can ________the problem?” We hung up. This was only her second day here! And week after week, Mom found more to complain about.

When with my friend Beth, I spent 20 minutes sharing how Mom’s attitude

________ me. “She seems ________. After everything Kevin and I do for her, all we hear is what she doesn’t like.” As the words spilled from my lips, I realized that I’d developed the same ________ of complaining that annoyed me so much in Mom.

I decided to keep a better watch on my ________. Things went fine for a few weeks. But soon I felt powerless to ________ by myself and couldn’t help complaining to Beth about Mom’s ________ again.

A few days later, I received a journal from my friend Torry. On the first page, he had written, “Jeanette, I use such a journal every day to ________ things I’m thankful for.” I wrote three things I was grateful for. ________ filled my heart. Maybe this was it. It was a joyous ________ that helped me overcome the complaining—Gratitude.

Over the next few months, as I continued, I noticed little things I’d ________. Life was handing out gift after gift, including Mom, complaints and all. I couldn’t change her; I could only________ her.

2 . Teenagers are more likely to cause conflict with their parents than any other age child. Teens often think what they are saying is _______. They believe that if they keep arguing, they can _______ their parents’ minds.

Teenagers argue with their parents because two things are still _______ during the adolescent period: the limbic system (边缘系统) and the frontal lobe (额叶). The former _______ emotions, and the latter helps with people’s decision making.

With not everything fully developed in teenage bodies, it _______ how they react to discipline and the word “no”. Teenagers want to have freedom and the _______ to do what they want. Being teenagers is very _______. There are too many things happening in a teen’s _______ all at once and their bodies are not quite ready to _______ everything that’s happening. They are still in the ________ of growing and making all these life decisions.

With teens having little free time, it’s an unhappy thing to hear “no” coming from ________. Teens want to do something interesting with friends or just simply ________ without worrying about anything. They trust themselves to be ________. Some teens don’t understand why they’re told they can’t do something. Without reasoning behind the “no”, there is often a spark (火花) of ________ leading into an argument. If parents gave a ________ reason for their decision, it could ________ many arguments and keep a healthy ________. Even if they disagree, when knowing their parents’ reason ________, teenagers are less likely to respond in a negative way.

Parents should not ________ intervene with (干预) their kids’ choices. It is a part of growing up, and making ________ and suffering the consequences is an important lesson to learn.

3 . Dad’s Mystery Package

A few years ago, my father arranged to mail a fruitcake to me before Christmas. Although I     _________ a good job and owned an apartment in Manhattan, he _________ my refrigerator might be bare.

Ordering the fruitcake was his way of _________ love to me. A fruitcake, in his mind, was a _________ Christmas gift. It can fill your stomach and last long. _________ my middle-aged status, I was still his son. “It is _________ to arrive the first week of December, ”he phoned me.

As I would go to California for Christmas with my parents, I was looking forward to _________ the gift before that. However, the first week passed with no _________ of his fruitcake.

Fruitcake is not to everyone’s _________. People who don’t like it tend to __________ whether it’s a cake at all. And in some ways, my father’s character __________ a fruitcake: a little crazy mixed with a sweet foundation. While __________ as a meat cutter in grocery stores, he was called Crazy Charlie by his coworkers for his workplace tricks, such as pretending to lock someone in the walk-in meat freezer. But he also gave out detailed __________ to customers who didn’t know how to cook meat. He would even leave candy bars under our pillows, thinking we might wake up, __________.

The day before my flight to California, my father called to wish me a (n) __________ trip and asked: “Did you receive the fruitcake?”

“Not yet, ”I said. “It’s probably __________ in the holiday mail. ”

When I arrived at my parents’ house, he asked again. “No, perhaps it’ll be there when I go back home,” I said. As soon as these words escaped my lips, I suddenly __________ something: Wasn’t this my home? Wasn’t I home now?

The following months, my father never __________ asking about it, and I never once considered lying and telling him yes. __________ , I said, “Sooner or later it will arrive.”

Early last December, nearly a year after my father died, I got a call from a delivery man __________me of a package, but my father could never know it!

4 . Growing up, I was always fortunate to be around well-tended gardens at my parents’ and my grandparents’ homes. My grandfather was considered quite “green-fingered”, as there were always _______ flowers in his garden. Not only was it a nice one in the _______ sense, but what he _______ in it was also often on the dinner table, so it was also a very _______ garden.

I decided to turn my hand to growing some plants recently. I only have a small balcony to _______ my horticultural activities, but that has not _______ me at all. It’s possible to _______ a nice “garden” even in the most _______ space. I had already _______ to grow some flowers, but couldn’t ________ the difference between those and weeds, so my ________ and efforts turned to something much more practical: ________.

I took the ________ of one little tomato and planted them in a number of pots. After several weeks, I was ________ to see 15 tomato plants on my balcony in different ________ of growth. I keep my fingers crossed that one day they will ________ me something very practical indeed: some tasty tomatoes.

In this age when we have such fast-paced lives and ________ modern technology for so much, it’s very ________ to see this greenery on my balcony and to engage in a practice as old as time itself. ________, plant life is the most basic and oldest “technology” on our planet.

Even if you don’t consider yourself to have “green fingers”, it is something that’s well worth a try. You could be amazed by the ________.

5 . An act of kindness has warmed people’s hearts after a stranger left a note and boxes of free food out in a park. The last year has been an especially ______ time for many. There are numerous people who find themselves in ______ of a little help. And one kind ______ has taken it upon themselves to make a difference to someone in need. They did so by ______ food supplies on a park bench for people to collect, free of ______ .

A local resident ______ the boxes and bags of free food on a bench while ______ through Leith Links park. He then ______ it via Facebook alerting others that may be struggling for food during the cold ______ period. The photo showed there were two big boxes and a bag packed full of ______ such as bread, rolls, fruit and vegetables with a ______ attached that read: “Free to use, please put the lid back on.” The ______ who shared the collection of food commented, “What a ______ thing to do.”

This isn’t the first time a similar ______ of goodwill has been spotted over the last few years in the area to help homeless individuals and those struggling ______ . People in the comments said that this has been a ______ occurrence over the years, with one kind-hearted soul taking it upon themselves to ______ help during the winter months.

A lot of people have ______ from anxiety and mental health issues during the pandemic and this touching gesture is sure to ______ those who still feel uncomfortable being within close approach of others. It’s so lovely to see people having each other’s ______ during the most difficult of times!

6 . For many people, being locked down during the pandemic means having more free time to get those creative juices flowing! Fanni Kovacs and Hosszu Norbert are professional _______ and entertainers. The fun-loving couple _______ going out in the world to entertain others, so they decided to use their _______ to spread smiles in a new way. Since they’re such big movie fans, they figured they would recreate _______ from their favorites!

“Our love for movies is what inspired this series. When we were still at university, we loved _______ whenever we had the chance. _______ those days, we had saved up a lot of accessories (配饰) and costumes. Thus, we could _______ our theatrical work when we were stuck at home,” Fanni said.

“We mainly choose topics for the _______ based on which setting we can pull off and which is relatable to the topic of lockdown in general,” Fanni added. “We have been _______ something like this for quite some time, but now we finally have plenty of ________ to make it happen.”

They’re also finding other great ways to give. Norbert ________ as a Red Nose Clown Doctor, which means he visits hospitals to cheer up sick kids. Now that he’s unable to physically go to see them, he’s switched to online ________.

They’re just trying to make people ________ during these hard times. They are ________! These pictures are amazing. These two really know how to use their talents to bring joy to others, something that’s more ________ now than ever before. Great work, you two!

7 . One evening in 2010, Lennon and Carla gathered at the dinner table in Carlas in Los Angeles. Lennon had just _______ there. She met Carla on her first day at work in the strange city. The two young women became close quickly after _______ they had something in common: Both were_______ with life after losing a close family member. Carla also _______ a few others who were grieving(悲伤)that evening. It was a night of deep conversation, _______ understanding each other and healing (治愈）hearts. Each guest left believing they weren’t _______.

Three years later, Lennon and Carla_______ The Dinner Party to meet and understand people who have _______ deep loss. Since 2013, their nonprofit organization has helped bring together over 13,000 people to _______ their grief, “There’s so much________when normal people hear the expression of grief, because they don’t know what to say,” Lennon says. “Then people suffering may think whatever they’re feeling is ________.” She also learned there’s almost no ________   of death and grief among young adults, because they haven’t experienced such loss — making life especially ________ for those who have. Lennon found people are more likely to let down their ________ and tell their grief over a meal. That means the ________ of the healing. The Dinner Party allows people to check out ________ tables online and reserve one. They can also list themes they’re hoping to   ________ before meeting the tablets host. All hosts have received   ________ from experts in the organization to make meaningful and powerful conversations. “One________we’ve seen in this is that people could admit they weren’t okay freely,” Lennon says, “ I hope the condition ________. ”

8 . I'll call him Peter because I didn't know his name. He was a waiter in a restaurant to which I had taken Robert, my five-year-old son, for his ______. Robert wore his new ______, proud and joyful.

Peter greeted us warmly and brought his ______ close to Robert's level to talk with him. Robert lifted his left foot so Peter could see his boot and then he asked Peter to ______ it. Before I tried to stop his ______ request, Peter got down to Robert's boot and took a long smell. Then he thanked Robert for ______ the special smell. Robert smiled at Peter's reaction.

When ______, Robert took more time than a fast-food customer should. Eventually, he ______ an orange juice. Peter praised his ______, which brought a bigger smile to Robert's face. Peter followed us ______ with our food as the birthday boy picked the perfect table. My heart was filled with thanks for this man who made my son feel ______. Though Peter did what Robert asked calmly, I still criticized (批评) Robert for his impolite deed.

Peter treated all customers with extreme ______ and politeness. Eight years later, Robert can still feel Peter's   ______. In life, we often ______ people by material worth or university degrees. However, the true ______ of a person comes from how they treat others.

9 . My parents, siblings and I took our first camping trip to the Lake Houston Wilderness Park recently.

We had finished putting up the ________ when it suddenly started to rain. Luckily, we had ________ our tent on a high flat ground where water could not pour in. Mom got some snacks and drinks ready for us while we played games and ________ about our daily life, which made wet-weather camping fun. How ________ it was camping under the sound of the rain! We were gathered around in the center of ________ and it was a nice feeling. Even with the rain, I had never been so ________.

The rain died down before dark and the sky turned clear. Soon, Mom ________ a big meal over the fire for the family. I sensed that a hot meal and good ________ would warm us right up. While we ate together, Dad ________ at the stars and told us about his childhood. As we laughed and ________ on our days, the stars shone like diamonds at night.

The following day, we had a good time ________ the rocky trails around our campsite. ________ hiking in the forest, we had a lovely late afternoon boating. It was amazing to see the ________ changing rays of the sunset behind the pine trees. That evening we packed up our ________ and headed home.

I am very grateful for this camping trip, which has left us unforgettable ________.

10 . Last summer, I was suffering from too much stress, I’d just graduated from a challenging doctoral program and was ________ from the years of research, study and writing. I took a vacation to celebrate, but the academic intensity had become a ________ . Sitting on the beautiful lawn of the hotel on Mackinac Island, I just felt like I should be studying or working as usual.

________ seeing natural beauty would have relaxed me, but I couldn’t ________ . I couldn’t help looking at my cell phone repeatedly in case I missed something important. “ Enough,” I murmured. I needed to ________ , but why couldn’t I?

A dragonfly buzzed around me. With each ________ , this creature’s wings changed color — blue one moment, green the next. Dragonflies usually fascinated me with their quick movements that ________ me of acrobats (杂技演员) in the wind, but I wasn’t in the ________ that day. What I needed then was ________ , not movement. As if on cue, the dragonfly came to rest on a blade of grass in front of me.

I watched that dragonfly carefully for many minutes. So did the dragonfly. “It’s not a matter of relaxing,” it seemed to say. “It’s a matter of ________ the now, the here. Life is so short. Be here in the moment and let the ________ take care of itself.” Suddenly, I ________ this beautiful creature, who only had months to live, was “instructing” me about the ________ of life and felt much relaxed. The dragonfly seemed ________ that its message had been delivered. It sprang from the grass and flew away. I didn’t see it again. But I would never forget what it taught me: Be here and ________ yourself.