My earliest memory of dad is grabbing（抓住）his hand while we walked together. As I __________ older, I remembered my father and I listened to many basketball games on the radio. I always fell asleep __________ the game was over. When I woke up in the morning, the score sheet（计分表）with the __________ score on it would be lying next to me. I’ll always remember that.

On cold mornings my father would drive his bread truck by the house. I used to ride on the floor of that bread truck as he delivered（分送）the bread to the stores. The __________ and the warmth from the bread made me hungry and kept me warm. I’ll always remember that.

My father would attend all my games. One night before an important game, my father told me __________ that he wouldn’t be able to watch the game because he had to deliver the bread and it was a three-hour drive from his route. The next day as the game time drew near, I thought __________ my dad. I happened to look across the field and __________ saw his bread truck pulling into the stadium. He managed to make the game. I’ll always remember that.

Years later I became a teacher. I’ll never forget the voice on the phone early one morning telling me dad had just been killed in a traffic accident. I could hear my heart beat in my ears. I __________ up the phone and went back to my bedroom. After that __________ really mattered to me. One day I was on the playground when a little boy walked up to me and grabbed my hand. His hand held mine the __________ way I used to hold my father’s by the last two fingers. At that moment I found my __________ in life again. You see even though my father was gone, he left something with me. He left me his __________, spirit and touch. My purpose was to use those gifts as he did. From that day on I started. I’I always remember that!

Sometimes kids don’t think their parents are fair to them. When you want to dress in a modern way, your mom doesn’t like you to wear a ____. When you are making _____, they ask if you are speaking to a boy or a girl. Sometimes it seems that you are not as _____ to your parents as you used to be. How can you change such a situation?

Closing the Gap by American author Hay McGraw gives advice on how to have a better _____ with your parents.

Both parents and children have needs. They need to feel they are _____ and loved. You should tell your parents your needs and _____ out what their needs are. To get your parents to know what you are doing and what you want to do, you could talk about your school life now and your dreams for the ____. It helps your parents know more about you. Maybe you can think of a way to make _____ of you happy.

The book gives ways to help teens understand their parents. When you think “my parents don’t want me to have fun”, it usually means your parents want you to be _____. The book gives you lots of ideas, such as making time to talk, keeping a diary and showing your parents you are growing up. If you follow these steps you will be able to make your _____ a happier place. Why not have a try?

Wait for Hard Times to Pass

When I was a child, my mom would sometimes finish work feeling tired. Sometimes we might hear some bad _________ from family members. Sometimes we would hear about something sad on the news.

Every time, she would _________ say, “This too shall pass.” It was her way of telling herself that even the _________ of times would come to an end. Sometimes people feel like they won’t work but they _________ do if you just stay strong.

For a long time, I almost _________ about my mom’s words. But last year, they became very important to me. I met a lot of difficulties, both in my _________ life and in the world. I got very _________ and had to spend some time in the hospital. At the same time, the COVID-19 was hitting the world very hard. It was difficult to feel positive (积极的). I remembered then what my mother said so often when I was _________.   

I’m still not perfectly well, and the COVID-19 is far from over. But when I feel especially _________, I just tell myself, “This too shall pass.” You might want to give it a __________ when you’re having a bad day. If it works for me, it could work for you too.