Of all the things my mother ever baked, my favorite was the birthday cake she made me every year. The cake was a beautiful creation with buttercream frosting (糖霜). This ________ continued until recently.

My mother died from colon cancer last year. The hours spent with my mother during her months of illness were a ________ I couldn’t have expected just a year or two earlier. In caring for her alongside my siblings, I became, at 47, the daughter I had longed to be ________.

During one of my last ________ to the hospital, as I stood outside her room, I heard Mom exclaimed (大声说) to her nurse, “Oh, that’s Margot’s voice I hear in the hall!” She ________ just the same as she always had.

Mom asked me what was going on in the world. We ________ an old photo album, and she recounted (叙述) ________ of weddings guests and university roommates.

Mom’s supper tray (托盘) arrived and I ________ her bed to a seated position. I cut her food into tiny pieces and was ________ to see her eat a small portion.

________ from my visit and the effort to eat supper, Mom quickly fell asleep. I ________ waking her to say goodbye — I did, and don’t ________ it. “Okay dear, I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said. She lived a few days longer, but that evening was the last time she would ________ my voice, call my name or claim me as her own.

A few months after she died, I ________ Mom’s well-used recipe album down from its new home on my bookcase. Skimming through it would be ________, but somehow, I hoped.

As I ________ handled the folded and worn recipe, I noticed ________ for mocha (抹茶) buttercream at the bottom of one card, ________ in my mother’s neat handwriting. I had found my special birthday frosting! Now, I will be able to recreate the ________, to treat myself and ________ my mother’s legacy (遗产).