3 . Every year on my birthday, a white gardenia (栀子花) was _________to my house. But no card or note came with it. Calls to the flower shop were always _________— it was a cash purchase. After a while I stopped trying to discover the sender’s identity and just _________in the beauty and heady perfume of that one magical, perfect white flower lying in soft pink paper.

But I never stopped _________who the giver might be. My mother _________to these imaginations. She asked me if there was someone for whom I had done a special kindness who might be showing _________. I had more fun imagining that it might be a boy I fell in love with or one who had a _________on me even though I didn’t know him.

One month before my high-school graduation, my father died. My feelings _________from sorrow to fear and anger: my dad was _________some of the most important events in my life. I became completely __________in my coming graduation, the senior-class play and the ball. But my mother would not hear of my losing any of those things. Mother and I had gone shopping and found an impressive dress, but it was the __________size. When my father died, I forgot about the dress.

The day before my ball, I found that dress — in the right size — hanging over the living room sofa. It was __________to me so lovingly. I didn’t __________if I had a new dress or not. But my mother did. She wanted her children to feel __________, filled with a sense that there was a beauty even in the face of __________.

My mother died ten days after I was married. The following year the gardenia stopped coming.

4 . With a broad smile on her lips, 15-year-old Sirin rushed to her mom to show off her new painting. But her mom raised her eyebrows, and spoke in a hushed tone, “Shh... honey.. don’t shout. I am busy with a(n) ________ talk.”

Holding her oil painting, she ________ and then searched for her dad. “Dad, see what I have done,” Sirin announced aloud in a(n) ________ voice. Her dad smiled and just patted her on back lovingly, saying, “No time, baby. I’m late for work.”

Hearing this, she stormed off to her own bedroom, slammed the door and ________ herself on her bed, sobbing. When her mom was calling her for dinner, Sirin arrived late deliberately. She kept silent, ________ the table mat with her nail. Her mom was puzzled at the ________ behavior. Suddenly, the morning ________ clicked in her mind. Softly, she asked, “Honey, did we do anything wrong?”

At this very moment, Sirin could no longer ________ her anger. “Why is everybody so busy?” she roared, tears streaming down. She assumed that, ________ ignoring her like others in her school, her mom and dad would appreciate her painting, but they were no ________. Shocked, mom threw her arms around her tightly, announcing ________ and firmly, “Baby, I am so sorry!”

When back from school the next day, Sirin was surprised to see her beautifully-decorated ________ on the wall. It was beautifully framed and just below the painting, it read, “Honey, we are really proud of you!” ________ her parents’ stress from daily routine, she felt sorry about her previous behavior. She ________ her head and apologized.

Though everything came and went, mutual ________ would stay forever in their family.

My dad got a new job. We had to pack up and move away from everything we were familiar with. There were so many changes. We came from the north, and now we were almost as far south as possible. We landed in South Florida, and we were total strangers. We moved over during the summer vacation, so I didn’t have to deal with school right away. Summer passed by while we unpacked, arranged furniture, found stores we liked, and adapted to the Sunshine State.

School was coming, and I was afraid of it. I was not an adventurous person. Being shy and quiet, I read a lot and did not make friends easily. My head was filled with fears and worries. Would I make friends? Would If it in? Would I survive in this strange new world? Anyway, there I was, attending a new school full of people I didn’t know.

I had a difficult time adapting to the new school. However, I still loved learning and reading. I even loved homework, and I was good at doing my homework. Loving books and reading helped me to get good grades. Teachers loved that about me. Other kids, though, did not. Although I always answered questions in class, I seldom talked with my classmates. I was unpopular. I felt like a total failure and nobody would like me.

The none day, at all boy walked over to me after an English class. He introduced himself and told me he was in the school basketball team. I knew him—he was the star player! “Hey,” he said. “You do really well in English class. And you know, my teammates and I spend much time competing and practicing. The subjects, especially English, really bother us. Do you think you could help us?” “Yes. Oh, definitely yes. I could, and I would,” I replied with surprise. We made the deal with an exchange of smiles.

Something gradually changed after that.

Meanwhile, the basketball players taught me how to play basketball.

7 . Setting boundaries (界限) with people, especially those you care about, can be difficult. You may feel guilty about doing so, but there’s no need to. You won’t be able to care for others if you can’t care for yourself.     1    

You may have a friend who wants to come over and stay all day. Being a good friend doesn’t mean doing everything they want you to do. You have every right to decide what you feel comfortable with.     2     However, you can offer alternatives. You can say, “It’s OK to come over, but only one hour is available.”

You may find that you are always asked for help but never receive any in return.     3     For example, if your friend always asks for a lift, you could say, “I don’t mind taking you places, but I’ll need some gas money if this is going to continue.”

Let them know you’ll be there for them with conditions. Some “friends” want to use up all you’ve got, but never offer anything in return.     5     These are “friends” you don’t need, and you’ll need to let them know now. Offer a warning about boundary violations to let your friend know when they occur. You might say, “Hey, you failed to keep an appointment as arranged and that wasn’t cool.”

8 . When I first met Sarah, all I noticed was her drool (口水) running from the corner of her mouth. As Mrs. Wagner pushed the wheelchair toward me, I felt _________. Why was she seated beside me?

For the entire morning, I was uneasy. _________, I nerved myself to ask Mrs. Wagner, “Mrs. Wagner, can I have my seat _________?”

She patted (拍) my shoulder _________ and said, “Natalie, Sarah needs our care. Try it.”

Why? I didn’t need a deskmate with running drool! I decided to _________ Sarah. At three o’clock, our gym teacher came and said, “Kickball time! Put on your gym shoes. ” As I bent over to tie my shoes, Sarah’s caught my attention and I _________ how it feels to never walk. My _________ felt tight.

Mrs. Wagner asked me, “Natalie, although Sarah cannot kick, she can _________ balls. Would you help her in the gym class?”

I had to _________ and push Sarah to the __________.

Firstly, Matt kicked the ball and it came to me. I __________ it to Sarah and she threw it, which just struck Mike’s heel!

“You got him out!” I __________. Sarah laughed happily. Then I laughed, too. The rest of the game was __________ and we all enjoyed ourselves.

At the end of the day, Sarah read a journal entry to us, “My first day of school went well. I __________ playing kickball. I made a nice new friend, Natalie. ”

Sarah smiled at me. I didn’t __________ her drool. What I saw was a new friend, a friend I had almost missed.

A Mother’s Heartfelt Note of Love

Everything seemed to have changed for me when I entered high school. I never saw a single person I knew from middle school. At home I was just as lonely. “My brothers and sister all fit in.” I thought, coming in the door after another bad day at school. “Why can’t I?”

Mom was there waiting for me. “Karole, your bedroom’s a disaster. Why can’t you keep it clean?” The last thing I needed was criticism from my mother. What had happened to the mother who used to snuggle (依偎) with me on the sofa, loving me with complete acceptance? Who thought everything I did was wonderful? I didn’t bother trying to explain my unhappiness. It was easier to hide in my bedroom, without saying a word, like I did every afternoon.

Clearing off some space, I sat down at my desk. Yet another thing I wasn’t good at anymore. My grades had slipped along with my confidence. I turned to a new page in my notebook and started working out the first problem. Almost immediately, I saw I’d made a mistake. “Wrong again!” I thought. “You can’t do anything right!” I tore the paper out of my notebook, balled it up in my fist and threw it at the wastepaper basket. The ball landed on the floor. I heard my mother’s voice in my head, “Why can’t you keep your room clean?”

By the time I finished my homework, the floor was littered with crumpled (弄皱的) paper. It gave me a kind of satisfaction to see the mess I’d made. Like it was proof of all my shortcomings. Every time I looked at those crumpled balls, I reminded myself what a failure I was. But my unhappiness stayed hidden away, just like those mistakes. With my face a mask of indifference, no one knew what I was really feeling. Who would want to listen?

One day, I came home to an empty house. It was a relief not to be met with Mom’s latest complaint. “Nothing I do is right in her eyes.” I thought. “Or anyone else’s, including mine.”

When I opened my bedroom door, I froze at the sight of a neat and orderly room.

I sat down at my desk, staring at those words.