Akondi was trapped by the travel ban because of the lock down. She longed to ______ in her own way during a national emergency.

On the evening of May all, she ______ a group of migrants (移民) being stopped by the police. Akondi learnt that they were ______ their way to their distant home. Akondi ______ thought of helping them, ______ there were 10 children and a pregnant lady.

Her first ______ was to help them get movement passes within the state. Then, Akondi arranged for food and ______ the railway authorities to let them stay at the station.

Akondi next turned her attention to the women, ______ for vitamins and medication for them. Alongside the arrangements, she also made frequent posts to the social media, ______ attention and help for the migrants. There was no ______ for days, but she didn't give up.

Her steady efforts finally ______ On May 19, the happy group were waving a ______ goodbye to Akondi. “Some of them still send me ______ of themselves,” she tells us.

Afterwards, Akondi ______ to help other migrants — around 3,000, in fact — reach their homes. ______ the world came to a standstill, this woman became the ant that moved mountains.

My tenth Christmas was one I was not looking forward to. Money was tight. Mom said we were old enough not to count on ________ .Just being together would be enough.

We weren't the only family in our small community who would have a simple Christmas. But the knowledge that others were going through the same thing didn't _______ much.

One night we had a small pity party for each other.

“How can I even wear that same old dress one more time?” I complained .

“ I know,” said my sister. “I think I might as well give up asking for a _______.

The next day, Mom told us that she had been saving up and shopping around so that we could give the Walters family a Christmas basket.

“If anyone needs some cheer, it's the Walters.” Mom reminded us.

The Walters! They were the strangest people we knew. How could Mom be so _______ with them when our own family didn't have enough?

Mom was determined. She packed flour and sugar, a small turkey, some fruits in a basket and asked us to _______ it to the Walters.

I really didn't like to have anything to do with them. Not wanting to be recognized, we left the basket on the doorstep and hid behind a nearby bush.

Seeing the Walters gather up their basket, I asked in whisper, "Did they look happy?"

“Well, yeah, happy, but mostly they looked like they were thinking, Maybe we do belong.” Christmas morning arrived.To my great _______,I received a fabulous-looking dress. I couldn't believe it's for me.I was about to speak when we noticed Dad ride up atop a new horse.

My sister screamed and ran out. She couldn't wait to meet her “gift”.

“Mom, how did you do all this?”I asked.“We were _______ for a no-present Christmas.”

“Oh, not necessarily _______ but just helping each other . Mrs. Olsen at the dress shop let me bring your gift home. Dad offered to hang up Mrs. Marshall's tree lights. Mr. Jones had a horse and he was happy to know we had someone to love it.”

"I thought since you were giving away food to the Walters, we would never have enough. They really don't have anything to give in return.”

“We are like a big family. Never _______ who can or who can't give. The most important is that we should listen to our hearts. Perhaps the right gifts will end up with the right families."

Mom always knew _______.Thinking about the expression on the Walters's faces when they discovered the Christmas basket, I realized their “belonging" feeling was more precious than any of the gifts.

That was the Christmas that I learned about the magic of giving.

To me, June 6, 1990 is a special day. My long awaited dream came true _______your father cried, “A girl!” You are _______just a second child. You, little daughter, are the link to our _______ line, the legacy of another woman’s pain and sacrifice 31 years ago.

Let me tell you about your Chinese grandmother. Somewhere in Hong Kong, in the late fifties, a young waitress found herself pregnant by a cook, probably a co-worker at her restaurant. She carried the baby to term, suffered to give it birth, and kept the little girl for the first three months of her life. I like to think that my mother—your grandmother—_______me and fought to _______me on her own, _______ that the daily struggle was too hard. Worn down by the _______ of the new baby and perhaps the constant threat of starvation, she made the painful decision to _______ her girl so that both of us might have a chance for a better life.

_______, I was dropped at the orphanage steps or somewhere else. I will probably never know the ________. Having a baby in her ________state would have brought shame on the family in ________, so she probably kept my existence a secret. Once I was out of her life, it was ________ I had never been born.

Nevertheless, someone gave me a lucky name “Siu Wai”. “Siu” means “little,” and “Wai” means “clever”. Therefore, my baby name was “Clever little one.” Who chose those words? Who cared enough to note my arrival in the world?

I lost my ________name for 18 years. It was Americanized for convenience to “Sue”. But like an ill-fitting coat, it made me ________. I hated the name. But even more, I hated being Chinese. It ________ many years to become proud of my Asian origin and work up the courage to take back my birth-name.

Your name, “Shao-ming”, is very much like mine—“Shao” means “________”. And “ming” is “bright”, as in a shining sun or moon. Whose lives will you brighten, little Maya? Your past is more complete than mine, and each day I cradle you in your babyhood, generously giving you the loving care I ________for my first two years. When I pat you, I comfort the ________baby inside me who ________cries for her mother.

Sweet Maya, it doesn’t matter what you “become” later on. You have already fulfilled my wildest dreams.

I love you.