I can honestly say it was the best of times and the worst of times. I was joyfully expecting my first
child at the same time that my mother was   1   her battle with a brain tumor (瘤). For ten years, my
fiercely independent and   2   mother had fought, but none of the treatments had been successful.   3  ,
she never lost her ability to smile. But now, finally, she became totally   4   -unable to speak, walk, eat or
dress on her own.
     As she grew closer and closer to death, my   5   grew closer and closer to life inside me. My biggest
   6   was that their lives would never connect. I was sad not only at the   7   loss of my mother, but that
she and my baby would never know each other. Her doctor did not   8  any hope; they told us her time
was up.
      We brought Mother   9   to her own bed in her own house. As  10  as I could, I sat beside her and
talked to her about the baby moving inside me.
     On February 3, 989, at about the same time my labor (分娩)  11 , Mother opened her eyes. When
they told me this at the   12  , I called her home, "Mom, listen. The baby is coming! You're going to have
a new grandchild!"
     "Yes! Yes! I know!"
      Four beautiful words! The first  13  words she'd spoken in months! When I  14  again an hour later,
the nurse at her house told the   15  message: Mom sat up, smiling, with her oxygen tubes removed.
     When I brought Jacob home. Mom was sitting in her chair and  16   to welcome him. Tears of joy
blocked my vision as I  17  my son in her arms and she clucked (发出咯咯声) at him. They  18  .
     Then she quietly clipped hack into a coma (昏迷) and  19  peacefully. Memories of my son's birth
 will always be  20  for me, but it was then that I learned love has the power to overcome any worries
and any sorrow. And love can last forever.