The winter had been long. I desperately needed a break, so I decided to have a trip with a friend. The trip was just three days away, and it consumed my every thought.

I was planning to pick up some things for the trip during my lunch break，but at around 12:30pm, the boss came to my desk and asked to speak with me in the boardroom.

At first, I didn’t think anything of it, but as I entered the room and saw the human-resource manager had already been seated, I knew it couldn’t be good. Just months before my ten-year anniversary (周年纪念日) with the company, I was kicked out.

As I left the office with my belongings, I was in complete shock—too shocked to even cry. I wondered how they could do this after everything I had done for them.

Canceling my trip wasn’t a choice, as I needed it now more than ever. But instead of buying a new hat for the beach, I spent the next two days rewriting my resume (简历) and standing in line for unemployment insurance.

The night before my trip, I had a dream that my friend came to pick me up to go to the airport. I had two suitcases at the door—one that was packed and the other that was empty. When I got to the airport, I realized that I had brought the empty one.

When I woke, I realized this dream meant that I was leaving all of my “baggage” behind and I did. I enjoyed and appreciated my vacation more than any others. And while I usually feel depressed about returning from a trip, I wasn’t this time. Having had time and distance from my work break-up and a dream about getting rid of my old baggage, I was looking forward to returning and starting the next chapter of my life.

I knew I wasn’t going to find a position in my narrow, competitive field right away.

I started writing after I was out of work, and I did it because I liked it.

One day, a woman gazed silently at a black and white photograph of a little girl kneeling in the snow.

“Her name is Tina,” said the man who had handed her the picture. “She’s seven years old.   I love my daughter more than anything, but I can’t keep her. My wife…she isn’t Tina’s mother,   you know? She hates having a reminder around of my other marriage. I had to send Tina back to my cx-wife. to keep her cafe”

“But Tina’s mother hasn’t had Tom with her for your; she’s married now with two kids and she... well. she’s mutationally manic in deal with another one. You see?” He swallowed hard before adding. “My daughter need a home.”

The woman handed the photograph to her husband, when look it and audited it for several minutes before giving it back with a small smile He said. “Well. honey, what do you think?”

The woman looked into the eyes of the little girl’s father “Yes,” she said “We’ll take her.”

The little girl in the photograph was me. And the common when degreed to open her heart and home to a child she’d never met was my new mother. My new father, of course, played an important, loving part in this decision. but it was my mother who was willing to take on the full-time, thankless, and often heartbreaking care of a previously abused child. Loving me would be a challenge for hot from the very beginning.

In the first place, I didn’t want to be there. I was heartbroken at being taken away from my father. Moreover, I had a natural distrust of women. The two in my life so far had either abandoned me or beaten me. In my mind, why should this new one be any different?

I bonded with my new father quickly. But my mother was the one to deal with a bitter.   confused little girl. I tested my new mother’s love from time to time.

One day, when we ate out, I made a noise on purpose.

However, my mother didn’t give up.

The Christmas Spirit Strikes Again

I always dreamed of making a big surprise of a lifetime. Thanks to a little determination, some luck, and a generous helping of Christmas Spirit, my dream became a reality.

My family is Canadian, although my sister moved down to Australia a few years ago to study. She was graduating just before Christmas, but due to my own scholarly schedule back home, I would be unable to make it down in time for her graduation. She was understandably disappointed, and I felt guilty that I wasn’t able to be there for her on this special occasions.

While I was talking to my professor the week before my sister’s graduation, she commented, “Well, if you want to go, just go ahead!" I couldn’t believe my luck! I nearly jumped for joy. “Just make sure you get permission from administrator (行政主管)，” she added. My heart sank. The administration at my school was infamous for denying any sort of time-off requests. I almost didn’t bother asking, because I knew it would be a waste of time. But something in me decided to try, just in case. Maybe it was the hope that the Christmas Spirit would somehow affects the administrator at this time of year. When I returned home to check the reply in my inbox, I steeled myself for disappointment. I held my breath, opened the e-mail, and started to read. And re-read, just to make sure I’d understood. Approval? I couldn’t believe my luck!

Immediately, I called the airline. Unexpectedly, even during the busy Christmas season, I was able to change my ticket to arrive the day before my sister’s graduation. With news this fantastic, I was bursting to tell my sister. But, fingers on the dial((拨号盘), I paused. Wouldn’t it be much more fantastic if I could surprise her? What a state of shock she would be in! Slowly a great idea came to my mind. I decided a much more dramatic arrival than just a ring of the doorbell. What if I couldn’t arrive in a box?

I started to plot.

I, hidden in the big box, heard the mailmen ringing my sister’s doorbell.