I remember my mother reading to me when I was a small child. I remember watching as she showed me the words she read.” Can you say that?” she asked.

    “A for apple," Mom said many times. I listened carefully, then pointed at the letter and repeated it. Time and again my mother listened to me as I sounded out letters and simple words. By the time I reached kindergarten I could read simple sentences. A year or so later I remember running home and telling her I was in the “Red Birds”, the top group in my second grade class.

    During my high school years I remember using a Reader's Digest magazine to challenge my mother to Word Power competition. We read the words given by Reader's Digest and wrote a definition( 定义)for each word. We checked our answers and compared our scores. My beginning junior years Mom won most the challenges, but my senior year I began to beat my mom most of the time. “It's about time." She said.

    I remember Mom giving me a lifetime love of reading. Whenever I read a good book I appreciate (感激)this gift given me by my mother.