He was already asleep. His bag stood ready by the backdoor. His pencil box was filled with ________ sharpened pencils. A big day lay ________ . My eyes filled with tears as I thought about his new ________ in the morning. My baby was off to high school.

I thought back to his first day of kindergarten (幼儿园). How he ran in ________ to the bus as my heart broke, how his smiling face in the window caused my tears to flow. I thought about how ________ it was to let go of his hand and let him fly ________ for the first time. But this time, I found it was even harder.

Kindergarten is Mother’s Day gifts made with handprints. High school is a funny ________ and a “Love you, Ma.” Kindergarten is excited talks about his day. High school is just “My day was ________, Ma.”

Kindergarten is the ________. High school is the beginning of the end. You know that your time with him at home will become less and less. The moments where your family will always feel ________ at the end of the day are coming to an end. I’ve raised him to ________ us. I’ve raised him to be independent.

As I watched him ________ the bus to high school, my eyes filled with tears again and my heart ached more deeply than it did on his first day of kindergarten. The bus ________, and my eyes met his. He gave a quick wave and ________, “Love you.” And then he made a silly face, and he wanted his mom to go back into the house now and set her mind at ________. I waved back and laughed. High school, here we come.

When spring cleaning season arrived this year, I decided that it was time to get _______ of the accumulated stuff more than just a winter’s worth of dust and dirt. This stuff was lining my walls,_______ my shelves, and was even piling on my _______ and not bringing me one bit of _______. I couldn’t even remember how I got some of it, but I knew I wanted it _______.

It turned out to be an even _______ job than I thought. Twenty-year-old bills and receipts were_______ in the trash. File cases were cleaned of papers that were no longer _______. Broken bowls, dented pans, and damaged containers were finally _______. Unknown clothes were pulled out of the closet and bagged up to be given away to the local ________. Old books were to be passed on for others to read and ________. It took several days to get it all done, but in the end I was able to walk ________ a home that seemed a little tidier. My heart was a lot ________ too. It felt so good to be able to handle all the junk and to ________ focus on the ________ stuff in life again.

What is the essential stuff? What is the stuff that brings ________ to our days? A loving heart is essential. A ________ spirit is essential. A soul full of goodness and a life full of ________ is essential. The essential stuff can’t be ________, sold, or stored. It can only be chosen, created, and given away. The essential stuff is the stuff we all really want. It is the stuff we all really ________.

The rose bushes were finally in full bloom on that spring morning.

The _____of roses always brings to mind Wanda's childhood memories.Then the family had no _____to buy extra things,so even a tired rose was something to _____.

Currently,to have a backyard full of different roses is pure ______And her husband,Dale,devotedly _____the roses. _____that she loves the very first blooms, he picked some on this particular morning.

But as Dale returned,he came across a neighbor who had _____for a quick visit.As the woman turned to go,Dale generously gave the _____to her.And even though their visitor _____she didn't want to take them,she was ______assured that the flowers were hers to keep.

Seeing her precious first blooms go out of the door _____Wanda with regret,and a bit of _____. She knew it was "better to give than to receive". _____,she wished she could have kept the roses for herself.

Later that day,the couple headed to the post offic,where Wanda waited outside in the car.

Then,without _____,an older woman suddenly appeared at the open window,and gave her a bunch of fresh roses! " These are for you.They're my first blooms this spring. "

Completely _____,Wanda thanked the woman and _____for a moment to breathe in the rich fragrance.When she looked back,the mysterious visitor was gone.

That special _____changed Wanda.It made her understand the true meaning of _____unexpected gifts. Now, she always _____her first blooms to others,as a(n)_____that someone is thinking of them.