“Don’t quit that trip,” Mom said anxiously, as I tried to find the flight route through my tears. Doctors had just informed us that she had a deadly disease. My husband and I were set to leave for Cuba the next morning. As we boarded the airport shuttle, she said, “Don’t cry Jackie, try to have a good time, and bring me back a good CD. I’ll be here when you get back.”
That was Dec.31, 2019. She passed away on Feb.11, 2020. Looking through photos from our trip and listening to music gave her some of her final smiles. For the rest of my days, I’ll be reminded of the way she found joy in other people’s experiences and happiness.
When I was about 5, out shopping with my mom, I led her to the next passage, and cheerfully shouted, “Mom, look at this cute little lady!” That was an adult woman not much bigger than me. Instead of making me apologize to the woman straight away, she calmly said, “Jackie.” When I looked up to catch her eyes, she tugged on her right ear, which was a signal for “I will explain this to you when we get home.”
I remember when I was 8, my friend and I were going to play basketball through our local team. We were the only two girls on the team, but after the first game, my friend gave up. I didn’t want to become the only girl on the team so I wanted to give up. But my mom explained: You made a promise to the team; you need to stick it out for the season.
When I see the parents in my life filled with stress over keeping up with appearances and modern trends, I want to tell them to remember it’s them that their children will remember when they’re gone. Who they are, what they taught, and how they taught it. That’s what will outlive them in the hearts and minds of their children.
【小题1】What made Mom smile in her darkest hour?| A．Finding happiness from her daughter’s happy experiences. |
| B．Remembering joy from your own past. |
| C．Making good preparations for a trip. |
| D．Listening to good CD music about her daughter’s trip. |
| A．Recommending her to apologize to the lady at once. |
| B．Signaling to her to wait for an explanation at home. |
| C．Asking her to keep silent right away. |
| D．Beating her immediately for her bad manners. |
| A．One should keep one’s promise in life. |
| B．One has to be careful enough. |
| C．One needs to do his best. |
| D．One should never lose his confidence. |
| A．Keeping children following the modern trends. |
| B．Providing children with good conditions. |
| C．Teaching children personally at home. |
| D．Impressing being yourself on children. |
