Tears clouded my eyes as I stood in our washing room, holding Brett's jeans and shirt full of burn holes.
     Tired and defeated, I   __1__   to the floor. The clothes were just one more thing Brett had   __2__.
He often got almost everything in the house out of   __3__. Many windows in our house needed repair due to his breaking   __4__   to steal money when he chose to live on the street.  Yet none of this could
compare to the emotional   __5__    Brett had done to our once quiet home.
     Brett came to live with us when he was 12 years old. During the next few years I had dealt with Brett
as   __6__   as possible, but inside I was shouting, "I don't want him in my house another day, Lord! I just can't   __7__   him!" Having wiped my tears, I continued   __8__   him as before.
     When Brett was nearly 18, he landed again in Juvenile Hall (少管所). After that, my husband and I had to send Brett to a boarding school for helping   __9__   teens.
     At the   __10__   ceremony, each graduate held a white rose to give to the person who had  __11__  
the most to him or her.
     Brett spoke   __12__   to his parents and then spoke to me, "You did so much. You were always
there, no matter   __13__. My mom and dad, I am their kid. But you,   __14__   troubled enough by me, always   __15__   me such love. And I want you to know I love you for it."
     __16__, I stood as Brett placed the white rose in my hand and hugged me   __17__. At that moment,
tears   __18__   in my eyes again, this time not for disappointment but for   __19__. Although I had
struggled with silent   __20__   toward my stepson, Brett had seen only my actions. Love is action. We
may not always have positive feelings about certain people in our life, but we can love them.