2 . Growing up, I was fortunate to have dinner with my family almost every day. Sometimes, the family dinner circle_________to include relatives stopping by. Yet, I knew some friends whose parents got home after dinner or even_________the entire evening. So I_________the quality time around our kitchen table, which witnessed countless valuable_________in my life.

_________,my kids cannot relate to my childhood memories. They have been left to_________with babysitters more times than I would like to admit. My husband and I have_________careers. And we often end up staying at the office way past dinnertime. When this happens too often, it_________the balance of our family.

Apart from suffering from_________,what else can a hardworking family do? I think we can all try to__________our own ways to spend time together. Surely there are days when I’m too busy to share a meal with my family. But I would make efforts to__________and chat later that day,__________       setting aside cellphones every time. And I even find a bedtime reading with my kids much__________.I am also proud to have our “big breakfast” routine every Saturday. My husband serves as the head chef, and my younger son__________       him to make the breakfast.

I am aware that my sons are growing up quickly and will be out of the__________someday. But now, I am happy to have so many wonderful things on my plate.

The day was a special one for twelve-year-old Lydia.Her older sister Marcie was coming home from college for the summer.Lydia could hardly wait to go to the movies and to the swimming pool—the things they used to do together.

When Marcie walked in the door,the sisters greeted each other with a warm hug.Lydia hoped to hear all about Marcie’s college experiences while they made pizza that night.Unfortunately Marcie had made other plans.Though disappointed,Lydia was sure that they would do something together the next day.

At breakfast the next morning,Lydia asked Marcie to go shopping.Lydia wanted her sister to help her pick out some summer outfits and even offered to treat Marcie to lunch.Once again Marcie already had plans.“We’ll spend some time together tonight,” Marcie promised.Lydia rented a movie for the two of them to watch that night.However,when Marcie came home that afternoon,she informed Lydia that she had invited some friends over.Lydia pretended to be reading to hide the tears welling in her eyes.She did not want to begrudge Marcie a good time with her friends,but she missed her sister’s company.When Marcie’s friends arrived,Lydia was not her usual self.She intruded (打扰) into their conversation by making comments or asking questions that had nothing to do with their discussion.She sang loudly while Marcie was on the phone and even changed the channel while everyone was watching television.By the time Lydia’s bedtime arrived ,she was feeling very ashamed.Marcie had not said anything about Lydia’s behaviour, but she looked hurt.

Over the next few days,Lydia was not able to find a good opportunity to apologize to her sister.When Marcie’s friends visited again ,Lydia considered joining them in the backyard but decided not to.She was afraid she would aggravate the problem.

Desperate to be close to Marcie again,Lydia went into Marcie’s room and sat on her bed.

Lydia invited Marcie to sit beside her on the bed.One of Marcie’s old letters to Lydia that Lydia had been rereading fell to the floor.

5 . I woke to the sound of birds outside my window and lay in bed, going over the busy day ahead of me. Finally, I got up and attempted to switch on the light — nothing happened. I checked my phone. No Wi-Fi, no data. With our unstable cell service, there was no way of knowing if we had received alerts fbr a power failure. I grabbed a sweater, went downstairs, found a flashlight and a match to light the gas stove, and then boiled water to brew coffee. Outside the window, the falling snow obscured (遮蔽) the sunrise. Deep piles of snow covered the road.

My work meetings and deadlines, my sons’ classes and tests, my husband’s plans — everything would have to wait. Why does this happen today of all days?“ I asked. Thankfully, the wood stove was still going strong. I took a deep breath. I supposed we had everything we needed.

The house was quiet as I sipped my coffee and cuddled (搂抱) our dog. One by one, my husband and sons came downstairs and complained about the turn the day had taken.

I opened the curtains to let light in. We gathered around the table and had cereal. After breakfast, my husband played a game of solitaire. Then my sons joined him in building a house of cards that reached three levels until our cat jumped up to investigate and knocked it down. We played a round of Scrabble and had my favorite snow day lunch: grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Then we took a long walk in the woods behind our house, walking along the stream. We spotted deer tracks and played in the snow that was coming down in big fluffy flakes. When we returned, all the clocks in the house were blinking. I started to make dinner, happy to have things back to normal — even better than normal.

It was a day that began without electricity, cut off from the rest of the world, and ended with hot chocolate and power restored. We were recharged by the unexpected gift of a day together.