I knew Ernie, son of Al. He is one of the kindest men I have ever known. I saw the _________ between Ernie and his children, thinking that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere, _________Ernie never talked much about his father.

One day, I worked up my _________ to ask him what on earth his father had done so that he became such a special person. Ernie told me the _________.

As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, with a wife and two fine sons. One night, his older son _________ a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal (肠的) disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very _________. But the boy died suddenly that night.

Knowing the death could have been _________ if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, he always felt _________. Worse still, his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his six-year-old younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Al could _________, and he __________ alcohol for help. In time Al became an alcoholic (酒鬼).

As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose __________ he possessed—his land, house, etc. Finally Al died alone in a small bar. Hearing this, I thought, “What a totally wasted life! What a complete __________”

However, Ernie said __________, “As a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘Love you, son.’

Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a __________ I had been to judge Al __________ a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and left behind his best love.

I wasn’t prepared for the way I felt when my 18-ycar-old son, Dylan, left for Asia during his winter break. I was _________ the moment he first told my husband and me that he wanted to use some of his _________ to go around China. We were excited for him to explore the world. We told him that _________ was one of the best ways to spend his money and that the _________ will last a lifetime.

On the morning of Dylan’s departure, he _________ a few more things in his bag. Before he and Michael _________ for the airport, I yelled, “Be safe, and _________ when you arrive.” That night, _________ he was flying somewhere over the Pacific Ocean, it hit me that Dylan was really on his _________. I woke hourly, each time __________ the clock and counting the hours before he would land the following morning. __________ my decision to let him go alone, I prayed and thought about all the things that could go __________. And then I heard from him. The first text said he’d arrived. The second text said his luggage didn’t __________ it. Feeling anxious, I madly attempted to __________ his luggage. And I persuaded him to go back to the __________ and go to the airline’s office. My efforts __________. All the while Dylan was texting me he was all right.

After that, there was no more talk about lost luggage, __________ I knew that he’d figure it out, and that the life lessons would be __________.

Several days into the trip, Dylan sent a photo from the top of Victoria Peak in Hong Kong. “I thought I could __________ study abroad anywhere but Europe. However, I could definitely do it here,” his note read. And I was __________.

Everybody seems to pay more attention to my little sister Lisa. I’ve _________ enough of this big-sister thing!

So I decide to _________, with my favorite toys and other _________ like clothes. Mother _________ my running away. However, she’s not as upset as she _________ be, “Are you going to Grandma’s?” I can’t believe she can even _________ this out. She’s like a witch!

I don’t _________ her and go out. So _________ on my leaving, I’m unaware Mother is _________ me. Finally, I get to Grandma’s. __________ I even knock, the door opens. I realize Mother has __________ ahead.

Mother comes in and sits down, patting her thigh (大腿), “Come here.” I don’t want to, but I’m hot and tired, so I __________ her thigh. She pushes my hair behind my ear and asks __________, “Dear, why have you left?” And it all comes out: “It’s __________ and all the time with Lisa, I get into trouble…”

Taking my face in her hands, Mum says, “I don’t want you to be so __________. If it’s hard for you, I’ll call the orphanage and send her away tomorrow.” I start to __________ and I beg her, “No. Don’t send her away!” Seeming __________, Mother agrees.

__________, whenever we have a(n) __________ if I say, “Mum, Lisa’s being mean to me!” Mum smiles, “You had your __________.”