2 . My grandma passed away last week. My mum began the painful yet necessary task of sorting through her belongings.

“Is there anything you want from grandma’s flat?” Mum texted me.

“Her aloe (芦荟), please.” I required zero thinking time.

Sometime around 1975, Grandma, always believing good things would happen in the future, received this plant as a gift, which she appreciated and placed in her doorway. It came from the local butcher. Five years later, my mum married the butcher’s son and had me. Grandma revealed to me this particular plant was a living relationship between the two families. And so was I.

Recently, whenever we visited Grandma’s flat, I attempted to fix this concept in my children’s minds. “That was a gift your great-grandma bought your other great-grandma! It’s older than me!” Then my kids would nod and ask Grandma for a sweet.

Numerous times, Grandma gave me cuttings or clippings of the plant, hoping I might raise my own and continue the legend. Yet, every time, my new branch died with my awful gardening skills. But that didn’t used to matter, because I could turn to Grandma, who would wait and accept my disturbance without becoming upset. Then I got another clipping and tried again. But now I can’t. So, I decided that the plant will go and live with Ann, my mother-in-law, who is a genius with a greenhouse.

The plan is for Ann to keep hold of the original plant. In time, she can teach me how to deal with its cuttings properly, and then maybe one day I can settle the plant in my place.

In the meantime, Ann will allocate (分配) clippings among my relatives, as Grandma used to do. My wife’s two sisters, for example, are both better at tending plants than I am, so it is quite imaginable they, too, will offer cuttings of the plant to their partners, spreading this loving plant across my entire extended family.

5 . The middle child, I think, is now an “endangered species”. According to a study, in 1976,65 percent of mothers between aged 40 and 44 had three or more children. Today, nearly two-thirds of women with children have only one or two. Middle children will soon be the tiniest.

As a middle child, I am disappointed at the potential disappearance of middle children. I’m the middle of three—two boys, one girl—so I’m what’s sometimes regarded as a “classic middle child”.

Being a middle child is not something you are eager for. As one middle child said to me, “There is a thing called middle-child syndrome (综合征). I certainly was always aware that the middle was not a position to be admired, even as I came to see typical middle-child features in myself. Middle children are natural mediators (和事佬); I avoid disagreements and habitually act as the family peace-maker. Middle children tend to be private but also long for love; I keep to myself but do not exactly hate attention.”

According to studies, middles traditionally receive less economic and emotional support from their parents. They also typically have less close relationships with their mothers and fathers compared with other brothers or sisters, so they tend to have more friends to fill the feeling gap.

In a study conducted by the City College of New York in which participants were asked to choose words they associate with the first, last, and middle kids, positive words such as caring and ambitious were cited concerning all three birth orders. Only middles, however, were described with such negative terms as overlooked and confused. More importantly, middles may be many things and they were the only birth order with which no one connected the term “overindulged”. It is true: their parents couldn’t allow them to do or have whatever they want, especially when they are enough old, and they don’t ask for everything either even if they are eager to own it occasionally.

7 . It was the third time that Lucy and her 30-year-old son Bob had participated in Run for Inclusion. It’s a mass run event organized by local non-profit group Runninghour to raise ________ of persons with special needs (PWSNs).        

When Lucy first heard about the event, she ________ immediately. “We feel very ________ to the event because it’s about us.” the mother said.

This year, Bob participated in the 20km tandem (双人自行车) cycle. Lucy took part as well but was ________ with a different partner. Nevertheless, she was ________ looking out for Bob during the ride.

It’s something she has been ________ for years, since Bob was diagnosed (诊断) with Global Developmental Delay at the age of five. For the past 25 years, the duo (搭档) have been inseparable. She even ________ him through his 12-year competitive swimming career, the ________ being representing Singapore in the 2019 Special Olympics in Abu Dhabi.

Lucy ________ that Bob will be able to be a part of Run for Inclusion for many years to come. She smiled with pride: “Even though he cannot be ________ to an abled person, he can still do it.”

Getting ________ in such events, regardless of ability, helps PWSNs ________ into society better and shows the world that PWSNs can do their ________ too.

“Never give up on your journey,” she ________ parents of children with special needs. “You will never ________ spending so much time and effort.”

Tim’s daughters, Hope and Hannah, have smartness, great humor, athletic abilities and beauty. His home is full of medals and many other awards his daughters have won over the years.

But the one thing they have never had in abundance (大量) is money. Having a single parent with a low-paid job, they never have pocket money. They wear hand-me-downs store clothing. But they never complain and never cry out for something Tim can’t afford.

Tim has many wonderful memories of his daughters. However, there is one that stands out.

When Hope was 10 years old and Hannah was 8 years old, they were looking for a gift to give Tim for Christmas. “Dad often gave us gifts. Now I think we should also give one to him,” Hope suggested. Hannah said it was a good idea. And they wondered what gift they should give their dad. After thinking for long, they thought of the National Geographic magazines. Their dad always loved the magazine. But because money was especially tight (紧的) that year, Tim had not been able to subscribe (订阅) to it. “The magazines sold in the bookstore aren’t that cheap. Well, at least, we can buy one and give it to Dad as a Christmas gift,” Hope said.

Not having any money of their own, Hope and Hannah then wondered how to solve the problem. Finally, they decided to find part-time jobs in the small neighborhood to make money. First, they needed to be permitted (允许) by their dad.

When they shared their decision one night, Tim thought they wanted to buy some toys, candy or something else for themselves. Since he couldn’t give them pocket money and thought part-time jobs could be helpful to a kid, he agreed. But he didn’t want them to be too tired, so he reminded them, “When you find you dislike the jobs, you can just give up.” Hope and Hannah smiled and nodded, and Tim thought they surely wouldn’t stick to their part-time jobs for long.

The next morning, Hope and Hannah walked around the neighborhood to look for possible part-time jobs.

With the money, Hope and Hannah rushed to a nearby bookstore.