One night I was sitting in my kitchen half-listening as my 15-year-old son Tommy fought with his brother Kevin. I didn’t pay attention when Kevin went upstairs with a look of _________on his face.

About 20 minutes later, as I was walking upstairs, I _________ Kevin crying in his room. I knocked on the door and asked, “Kevin, do you want to_________?”

No_________. I tried again. Still nothing happened.

So, I took a piece of paper from a notepad and wrote, “If you don’t want to talk, we can write_________ to each other” and slipped (使滑动) it under the door.

An hour later I was still_________on the floor outside his door with a stack of (一摞) notes in my hands. As I read one of Kevin’s notes, I couldn’t help crying. It said, “_________in this family loves me. I am not the youngest nor the oldest, and I am not the_________. Tommy thinks I am too weak, and Dad wishes he had the other Kevin as a kid_________he’s better at basketball. You’re never around to even__________me.”

He was__________about my part. Feeling sorry for him, I wrote back, “Kevin, I do love you, and you are __________ in this family.”

He didn’t reply for a while, but I could hear him crying softly. Kevin__________paper, so he wrote “Thanks” on a paper cup. I wrote back “For what?” It was returned to me with the reply “Loving me” written on it.

Since then, I have tried my best to __________ my family members. When one of us notices that the other is__________, we’ll smile and say, “Write it on a paper cup.”

A Love Note to My Mom

When I was a little girl, I would often accompany you as you modeled for fashion photographers. It was years later that I finally understood what role ___________ played in your life. Little ___________ I know you were saving every penny you earned to go to ___________ school.

I cannot thank you enough for what you told me one autumn afternoon when I was nine. After finishing my homework, I wandered into the dining room where you were buried ___________ piles of law books. I was ___________. Why were you doing ___________ I do — memorizing textbooks and studying for ___________? When you said you were in law school, I was more puzzled. I didn’t know Moms ___________ be lawyers too. You smiled and said, “In life, you can do anything you want to do.”

As young as I was, that statement ___________ ringing in my ears. I watched as you faced the ______________ of completing your studies, starting companies with Dad, while still being a ______________ and a Mom of five kids. I was exhausted just watching you ______________.With your words of wisdom in my ______________ mind, I suddenly felt unlimited freedom to dream. My whole world ______________. I set out to live my life filled with ______________, seeing endless possibilities for personal and professional achievements.

Your words became my motto. I ______________ found myself in the unique position of being either the first (woman doctor in Maryland Rotary) or one of the few women (chief medical reporters) in my field. I ______________ strength every time I said, “Yes, I’ll try that.”

Encouraged by your ______________, I have forged ahead (毅然前行) with my life’s journey, less afraid to make mistakes, and ______________ meeting each challenge. You ______________ it, and now I'm doing it. Sorry, got to run. So much to do, so many dreams to live.

When I was 14, I invited some friends for a party at our home out in the country. I planned it well, but something _______ happened. When it was time for us to ride the bus, Nora, one of my friends, didn’t _______.

I felt _______. Why would she tell me she’d come to the party and then _______ without letting me know? So, I decided to call Nora and get some _______. I needed no apologies but I demanded to know why.

Nora _______ she had to stay away from school because she was sick. Anger still seized me and I _______ to listen, “What kind of friend are you?” Nora began crying on the phone, hurt and surprised. For the rest of the school year, we _______ hung around again, and I forgot about my _______ call with Nora. ________ had happened between us at some point, but I shrugged (耸肩) it off.

Years later, I began to reflect on that ugly phone conversation. I ________ it. I recognized how ________, and self-centered I’d been, caring only about myself. I wanted to make things ________. I wrote an apology letter to Nora and soon got her ________. So finally, we did bring a sad moment from the past to a ________ conclusion, healing both of us.