I learned how to accept life as it is from my father. ________, he didn’t teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was ________ and ill.

My father was ________ a strong man who loved being active, but a terrible illness________ all that away. Now he can no longer walk, and he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is ________. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. We started ________ about life, and I told them about one of my ________. I said that we must very often give things up ________ we grow — our health, our beauty, our friends — but it always ________ that after we give something up, we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father ________ up. He said, “But, Peter, I gave up ________! What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I couldn’t think of anything to say. ________, he answered his own question, “I________ the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes, along with hope and thankfulness.

I was also________ by his words. After that, when I began to feel angry at someone, I ________ remember his words and become ________. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be ________ to give up my small anger. In this ________, I learned the power of acceptance from my father.

Sometimes I ________ what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though, I am grateful for this________.

Tom’s father is a lawyer. In his spare time, he likes to go out in the country and take some pictures of animals.

For a long time, Tom had wanted to go with his father on one of his _________. But his father didn’t take Tom along with him _________ he was fifteen.

Tom and his father drove to the farm which _________ to his uncle in the afternoon. They _________ the night there, so that they could start out early the next morning. Uncle Smith and his son John, who was sixteen, were going to go out with them.

It was still dark when Tom heard the alarm clock the next morning. He wondered why it was running so early. He couldn’t remember _________ he was. He turned over _________ and looked at the clock. It was 5 o'clock. Then he _________ that he was on the _________ and that he was going out to take pictures with his father. He jumped out of bed and got _________ quickly.

He ran downstairs. The others were already in the __________. Uncle Smith was cooking bacon and eggs. There was a pot of coffee on the stove. It __________ good.

They ate breakfast quickly. They didn’t talk __________, because they didn’t want to __________ up the other people in the house. They filled a thermos bottle __________ hot coffee and took some sandwiches __________ Aunt Jane, Uncle Smith’s wife, had made for them. They gathered their camera equipment and started out.

My mother was not only my best friend, but also my life instructor. While I was young, she ________ me with her actions and advice. Thanks to her, I can be a good ________ player. She taught me one important ________: “Trust yourself.”

There wasn’t “I can’t.” in my mother’s mind. She didn’t have the opportunity to finish high school and ________ two jobs to support her large family. ________, she never complained. Through self-education and years of hard work, my mother became an excellent reporter. When I was in high school, I had a ________ time playing football and even I wanted to ________. She tried to help me, but I ________ struggled. So my coach suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for ________ training. I told Mom, “That’s ________! I’m tired! I can’t do that!” She replied, “You can do it. I’ll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we’d leave the ________. Despite working 12 hours every day, Mom never once ________ driving me to school.

After months of ________, I was facing an important match. I was so ________. On the day of the match, my Mom hugged me and said, “Peter, ________ yourself. You can do it.” Her words made me realize I should be confident with my ________ and the hours of work. When I finished the ________ excellently, the first person I called was my mother. She cried, “Yes! You deserve it!”

Even now, whenever I ________ that a task is too much for me, I think of my mother. No matter how ________ something is, if you’re willing to work, you can succeed. I’m forever ________ to Mom for that lesson.