Catherine had stayed at home all her life to look after her three children, but now, she, who lost her husband in a car accident, had to step out and earn money to make ends meet. With zero work experience and no professional degree, her chances of getting hired for a well-paid job were next to zero.

One day, after dropping her children at school, Catherine spotted a construction site. “I think I can work here,” she thought and approached the manager.

“Hi, are you hiring?” she asked. “Yes, we are,” the manager looked at Catherine from head to toe. “Are you sure you can work here? This job requires a lot of hard work.” “I’m ready for it,” she told the manager and signed a contract to work a 12-hour shift.

However, Catherine kept her new job a secret from her children. She thought they would feel embarrassed after learning their mother worked at a construction site.

Every morning, after dropping her children to school, she would go to the construction site and work until her shift ended. She would pick up heavy bricks on her shoulder to transport them from one part of the site to the other. One evening, Catherine’s son, Peter, told her about an upcoming contest in school that required mothers to participate. In the competition, students will wear blindfolds and have to recognize their mothers without looking at them. “That sounds like such a cool event, Peter!” Catherine said excitedly. “I can’t wait for it!” “I won’t go therewith you, mom,” Peter replied. “But why?” What her son said next was something Catherine wasn’t prepared to hear.

“Mom, I would have to touch your hands to recognize you, and everyone would look at them,” Peter explained. “Your hands are so ugly. They’re so hard and rough,” he added. “I will feel so embarrassed when my classmates look at your hands,” the boy said. “I won’t attend the event.” Catherine felt terrible but couldn’t say anything in her defense.

A few weeks later, Peter was walking home when something unexpected caught his attention.

On his way back home, he kept thinking about how he would apologize to his mother:

5 . At an airport I overheard a father and daughter in their last moments together. The airline had announced her plane’s _________ and he said to his daughter, “I love you. I wish you enough.”

She said, “Daddy, our life together has been more than enough. Your _________ is all I needed. I wish you enough, too, Daddy.” They kissed good-bye and she left.

I could see he wanted and needed to cry. I tried not to _________ his privacy, but he welcomed me in by asking. “Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be _________?” “Yes.” I replied.

Saying that brought back memories I had of expressing my love and _________ for all my Dad had done for me. Recognizing that his days were _________, I kept telling him face to face how much he meant to me. _________, I knew what this man was experiencing.

“Why is this a forever good-bye?” I asked.

“I am old and she lives too far away. And the _________ is, her next trip back will be for my funeral (葬礼).” he said.

“When you were saying good-bye I heard you say, ‘I wish you enough’. What does that mean?”

He began to smile. “That’s a wish that has been _________ from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.” He paused and looked up as if trying to remember it __________. He smiled even more.

“When we said ‘I wish you enough’, we wanted you to have a life filled with enough good things to __________ you,” he continued and shared the following as if he were reciting it from __________.

“I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright. I wish you enough pain so that the smallest __________ in life appears much bigger. I wish you enough gain to satisfy your desire. I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you __________.”

He then began to __________ and walked away.

Every morning, he sat quietly and motionless on the front steps of his house. His bright blue eyes seemed so distant and sad. Every morning, my daughter and I walked to her kindergarten and we passed his house. We were new to the neighbourhood, so I didn’t know many of my neighbours. On one beautiful morning, as we passed his house, my daughter joyfully called out to him, ‘Hi, Mr. Man!’ She was an outgoing girl, and I wasn’t surprised at her cheerfulness, but her enthusiasm soon faded when the man didn’t look at her or say ‘Hi’ back.

As we continued on our walk to school, my daughter curiously asked why the man didn’t want to say hi to her. Stumbling for words, because I didn’t have the answer, I said simply, ‘Maybe he is having a bad day.’

Once back home, I washed the breakfast dishes, and I thought about ‘Mr. Man.’ What was his story? Why did he seem so sad? Determined to do something to cheer him up, I brainstormed a few ways to make his day a bit brighter, but nothing seemed special enough.

The next morning, after dropping my daughter off at school, I saw one of my other neighbours tending her front garden. After I introduced myself, she invited me in for a chat. She was a long-time resident of the neighbourhood, who knew everyone and everything. She was a bubbly personality, but when I asked her about the man who lived nearby, she grew serious. ‘Bob recently lost his wife in a car accident. He hasn’t been the same since.’

The following week seemed to fly by. I had talked to my daughter about what we could do to bring a smile to Mr. Man’s face.

Paragraph 1: With every suggestion I made, my daughter simply said ‘No, not that.’

Paragraph 2: Inside, in perfect calligraphy, it simply read, ‘Thank you, from Mr. Man.’

It was a cold December. Mum had a hard time raising us kids on her own. My father had drowned in Pitt Lake five years earlier. Because Dad had no pension or benefits, there was not much money; we went on social assistance.

Looking back, I realize what Mum went through a sending us kids to school. Every morning she would tuck a new piece of cardboard in our shoes because our soles(鞋底) were worn out. When we got home, Mum would have French toast ready for us. This was bread deep-fried in lard(猪油). Constant moving was typical for my family in those days, and it didn’t look like we’d be in our current house much longer. Rent was $25 a month, but Mum couldn’t pay it, and we knew we would be forced out after Christmas.

The holidays were fast approaching, and we were entitled to $25 for Christmas from social services. An inspector came to our house and search edit thoroughly to be sure we didn’t have any food hidden away. When he didn’t find any, he issued the cheque to Mum. Mum said that instead of buying food, she was going to use the money to pay our rent. That way we’d have a roof over our heads for a little while longer. Then she told us there would be no Christmas gifts.

Unknown to Mum, I had been selling Christmas trees, shoveling snow and doing odd jobs to earn enough money to buy a new pair of boots—boots with no cardboard in the soles. They were ten-inch, Top-Genuine, and cost $23.

The big day for getting my boots came on Christmas Eve afternoon. I was very excited as I hurried up the road to catch the bus into town. But on the way to the bus stop I noticed da house with Christmas lights and decorations. It was then I realized that we had no lights, no decorations and no Christmas goodies. I also knew we would have no turkey or ham for Christmas dinner. But at least there would be French toast.

As I continued walking, I began to feel confused.

The bus drove off without me, and I stood alone in a daze, feeling as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Jane was walking round the department store. She remembered how difficult     1     was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. Her wish this year was    2     she could easily buy a special one to please him, just like her mother, who    3     (delight) several times before by the gifts for her.

Besides,     4     (shop) at this time of the year was not a pleasant experience: people stepped on your feet or    5     (push) you with their elbows (肘 部), hurrying ahead to get to a bargain.

Jane paused in front of a counter    6     some attractive ties were on display. “They are real silk,” the assistant tried to attract her. “Worth double the price.” But Jane knew from past experience that her    7     (choose) of ties hardly ever pleased her father.

Jane stopped where a small crowd of    8     (man) had gathered. She found some good quality pipes on sale. She did not hesitate for long: she knew that this was a pleasant gift.

When Jane got home, with her small but well-chosen present in her bag, her parents were already    9     table having supper. Her mother was excited. “Your father has at last decided to stop smoking,” Jane    10     (inform).