It was a cold winter. The day my husband fell to his death, it started to snow, just  31  any November day. His   32  , when I found it, was lightly covered with snow. It snowed almost every day for the next four months, while I sat on the couch and watched it   33  . One morning, I walked slowly   34   and was surprised to see a snow remover clearing my driveway and the bent back of a woman clearing my walk. I dropped to my knees and crawled back upstairs,  35  those good people would not see me. I was   36  . My first thought was, how would I ever  37  them? I didn’t have the  38  to brush my hair,   39  clear someone’s walk.
Before Jon’s death, I felt proud that I   40  asked for favors. I identified myself by my competence and  41  . So who was I if I was no longer capable? How could I   42  myself if I just sat on the couch every day and watched the snow fall?
Learning to receive the love and   43  from others wasn’t easy. Friends cooked for me and I cried. Finally, my friend Kathy said, “Mary, cooking for you isn’t a   44  for me; it makes me feel good to be able to do something for you.”
Over and over, I heard   45  words from the people who supported me during those  46  days. One wise man told me, “You aren’t doing nothing because being fully open to your  47  may be the hardest work you will ever do.”
I am not the person I   48  was, but in many ways I have changed for the   49  . I’ve been surprised to learn that there is incredible freedom coming form  50  one’s worst fear and walking away whole. I believe there is strength, for sure, in accepting a dark period of our life.

A．on B．in C．like D．for

A．body B．soul C．shoe D．footprint

A．sweep up B．drop off C．fall down D．pile up

A．upstairs B．downstairs C．indoors D．outdoors

A．so B．yet C．and D．for

A．delighted B．disappointed C．annoyed D．ashamed

A．pay B．award C．reward D．treat

A．courage B．strength C．spirit D．power

A．stand alone B．leave alone C．sit alone D．let alone

A．frequently B．gradually C．hardly D．uncertainly

A．intelligence B．independence C．excellence D．qualification

A．achieve B．praise C．respect D．promote

A．supply B．support C．contribution D．similar

A．burden B．job C．business D．sorrow

A．sensitive B．same C．considerate D．similar

A．blue B．rainy C．bright D．snowy

A．despair B．difficulty C．pain D．regret

A．still B．once C．even D．never

A．worse B．less C．more D．better

A．facing B．noticing C．managing D．expressing