A few weeks ago, I purchased a ring for myself which was called the “tree of life” because of the design on the ring with the word HOPE inscribed (雕刻) on the inside.

It is made of steel ___ it is inexpensive, but it symbolizes the ___ of recovery from the breast cancer for me. One of my friends who is at work has also been ___ a courageous Journey with cancer treatments for the uterine (子宫的) cancer.

I decided to ___ the ring and how much it ___ to me with her and I asked if she would like to have the same ___. We decided what size would ___ her and I ordered one for her ___ a gift.

___ I was able to give it to her, I ____her that she was strong and that the steel represented her strength in beating her ____. The tree of life and the inscription of hope ____ the ring could further serve as a reminder of the ____ outcome that she was achieving from her ____.

I felt ____ that I found that such a symbolic ring was ____ for both of us. She has shared the symbolism (象征主义) with many others and I can’t help but ____ that each time she does, it gives her more ____ to fight back against the frightening disease. So I think that the ring is more ____than the one made of gold! So I will ____ it forever and make it a reminder for me and others.

When 9-year-old Alice asked me, “Mom, do I have to brush my hair today?” I didn’t know how to answer. On the one hand, it’s good to have pride in our ________. And hair-brushing does not take a lot of effort. ________ on the other hand, I was happy that my daughter paid little attention to the way her hair looked, how she ________, or what people thought about her. In Alice’s world, brushing her hair was ________ and she would just do it as ________ as possible. I knew back then that those feelings would not last a long time.

Five years later, at age 14, Alice ________ her physical appearance. Hair has to be brushed, makeup used and clothes changed many times before we can even think about leaving the house. My confident teen worries about whether her nail (指甲) color ________ her shirt or if she looks “stupid” in the very same clothes she says she loved the day before. With shame, it ________ my mind that I somehow raised a looks-obsessed child, focusing on things that are _________

We have talked about in detail how looks don’t mater and that being a good, kind , ________ person in this world is way more important than looking good. Each time we have this ________, Alice tells me that she knows that technically looks aren’t important. But when she looks good on the outside she feels more confident on the inside. ________, that makes her a kinder, more caring and more understanding person. I certainly can’t argue with such ________ teenage thinking!

And just as she learned over the years that often brushing hair is probably a good idea, ________ she will learn that sometimes it’s okay to go out in a less-than-perfect coat or without ________. Somewhere deep down, her freewheeling (随心所欲的) 9-year-old self still knows that.