Want to boost the chance of your story being published in Reader's Digest and win $25,000? Here are a few of our favorite entries so far in our "Your life: The Reader's Digest Version" contest. After reading these, head over to Facebook and submit your own story about a special moment or lesson that shaped your life.

    "There's Always a John" By Darla Boyd

    My first year of teaching, there was a kid named John in my class. John was difficult to control and he nearly drove me crazy. While talking about him one day, an old teacher put his hand on my shoulder and said, "There will always be a John. Your job is to learn to discover what makes him different and help him succeed." The next year, there was indeed another John. But that advice taught me that there is something to appreciate in everyone.

    "An Early Key Lesson" By Elaine West

    Before I began my first teaching job, my mother, a teacher of 30 years, gave me a very special gift, five simple words that have had an effect on my entire life." Make friends with the janitor（门卫）." Her wisdom taught me the respect for all types of characters and continues to enrich my life to this day. Just five little words but what an impact they can have when you take them to heart.

    “Raising Mommy” By Jan Davis

    Being a mother can always present challenges and rewards. Someone told me early that children will teach you everything you need to know. Being a mother is being raised. Our children become our advisers. Their dreams become our professors, as we are taking notes carefully. The sounds of their laughter and smiles are a great reward to us. Their tears remind us that it is okay to fail, and that we should wipe the tears away and try again.

    Last month I was lucky enough to have a chance to make a trip into space with my friend Li Yanping, an astronomer. We visited the moon in our spaceship!

    Before we left, Li Yanping explained to me that the force of gravity would change three times on our journey and that the first change would be the most powerful. Then we were off. As the rocket rose into the air, we were pushed back into our seats because we were trying to escape the pull of the earth's gravity. It was so hard that we could not say anything to each other. Gradually the weight lessened and I was able to talk to him. "Why is the spaceship not falling back to the earth? On the earth if I fall from a tree I will fall to the ground." I asked. "We are too far from the earth now to feel its pull, " he explained, "so we feel as if there is no gravity at all. When we get closer to the moon, we shall feel its gravity pulling us, but it will not be as strong a pull as the earth's. " I cheered up immediately and floated weightlessly around in our spaceship cabin watching the earth become smaller and the moon larger.

    When we got there, I wanted to explore immediately. "Come on," I said. "If you are right, my mass will be less than on the earth because the moon is smaller and I will be able to move more freely. I might even grow taller if I stay here long enough. I shall certainly weigh less!" I laughed and climbed down the steps from the spaceship. But when I tried to step forward, I found I was carried twice as far as on the earth and fell over. "Oh dear," I cried, "walking does need a bit of practice now that gravity has changed." After a while I got the hang of it and we began to enjoy ourselves.

    I believe in the power of holding on. What do I mean by holding on? Hugging, or holding on, is the power we possess when we put our arms around someone. It can change relationships, makes a patient a person, an acquaintance a friend.

    My grandmother taught me about holding on, whenever she gathered me in her strong, loving Irish arms. She always hugged even when her back became curved .My mother hugs my children the same way—heart open and arms wide, breathing them into her soul.

    Once I became aware of its power, I started experimenting: I held my mother-in-law a moment too long then moved onto my sisters-in-law, aunts, nieces, nephews, and cousins. I tried it with a friend who had made my life rich with laughter, but I was too embarrassed to tell her, and acquaintances that I wanted to be friends with. Some were bothered, others accepting, but all had one thing in common—the next time I hugged them, they hugged me back.

    For me, holding on has become more than a physical interaction; it has become a way of thinking. My answer to life's dilemmas and tough choices, it's a mixture of acceptance, forgiveness, and patience—not always easy or understood but it guides me to be quiet and listen, look for the good, have a sense of humor and laugh, stop worrying and be patient because if I let it, something will change.

    I've often wondered how different my life would have been if I hadn't learned the power of holding on. If during that time in my life, when I was crumbling into myself, my mother had stopped holding on to me, I might have missed something so vital to my existence. I believe that a hug is like a battery charger—a good one can keep me going for a long time.

    Like many other people, I love my smart phone, which keeps me connected with the larger world that can go anywhere with me. I also love my laptop, because it holds all of my writing and thoughts. In spite of this love of technology, I know that there are times when I need to move away from these devices and truly communicate with others.

On occasion, I teach a course called History Matters for a group of higher education managers. My goals for the class include a full discussion of historical themes and ideas. Because I want students to thoroughly study the materials and exchange their ideas with each other in the classroom, I have a rule —no laptop, iPads, phones, etc. When students were told my rule in advance of the class, some of them were not happy.

    Most students assume that my reasons for this rule include unpleasant experiences in the past with students misusing technology. There's a bit of truth to that. Some students assume that I am anti-technology. There's no truth in that at all. I love technology and try to keep up with it, so I create to my students.

    The real reason why I ask students to leave technology at the door is that I think there are very few places in which we can have deep conversions and truly engage complex ideas. Interruptions by technology often break concentration and allow for too much dependence on outside information for ideas. I want students to dig deep within themselves for inspiration and ideas. I want them to push each other to think differently and make connections between the course materials and the class discussion.

    I've been teaching my history class in this way for many years and the evaluations reflect students' satisfaction with the environment that I create. Students realize that with deep conversation and challenge, they learn at a level that helps them keep the course materials beyond the classroom.

    I'm not saying that I won't ever change my mind about technology use in my history class, but until I hear a really good reason for the change, I'm sticking to my plan. A few hours of technology-free dialogue is just too sweet to give up.

How to Drop a Pant Size in a Week

    Dropping one pant size in seven days is a difficult task, but with dedication, exercise and the right diet, you can make it happen.

    Increase your water consumption. Thirst is often misinterpreted as hunger, and if you are drinking the right amount of water, you will find it much easier to avoid snacking. Look to drink at around eight or nine glasses of water every day.

    Lower your calorie count. You can use a calorie calculator to determine how much you need to take in to maintain or lose weight. If you take in fewer calories than you burn each day, you will lose weight as a result. As a rule, an average-sized woman needs to take in less than 1, 300 calories per day for extreme weight loss, as you'll naturally burn around 2,000. Exact measurements differ based on age, height, weight and activity level.

    Cut the junk food. Chips, soda and candy seem harmless if taken as snacks, but can seriously affect your weight loss. Limit yourself to one or two snacks per day and switch your usual snack foods for baby carrots, apples and grapes.

    Break up your meals. If you want to lose weight, try eating four or five small meals per day instead of two or three large ones. This makes it easier for your body to process what you are consuming. Divide your required calories by the number of meals you'll be eating to determine how large each meal should be. Space your meals out two or three hours apart—try meals at breakfast, mid-morning, lunch, afternoon and dinner.

Doing intense aerobic (需氧的) exercise. You have to encourage your body to burn calories if you want to drop pounds and inches. Running is by far the fastest calorie burner, with the potential for 986 calories per hour. If you're unable to run, use an elliptical machine (椭圆机), jump rope, or participate in a high-impact aerobics class.

The movie Home Coming《万里归途》took the lead in the box office (票房) during the National Day holiday in 2022.

It tells a story that happened in North Africa. After a war breaks out there, two Chinese diplomats (外交官) are ordered to help evacuate the overseas Chinese. After completing the first task successfully, they learn that another group of Chinese citizens (公民) are still in great danger. Realizing that these people will die if they don't give a hand, the two men travel through the war area. They risk their lives to help over 100Chinese citizens go to a safe place. The movie not only shows how the two diplomats protect the people with courage, but also shows their deep love for the country and people.

Home Coming reminds many people of a similar real event which truly happened in Libya in 2011. Chinese Embassy(大使馆)helped the evacuation of more than 30, 000 Chinese citizens. Behind this event were many efforts of Chinese diplomats. After watching the film, a man recalled his personal experience. "We are the lucky ones because we have a strong country and are well protected," he said.

Home Coming is a success partly because of the growing national pride and confidence Chinese people have in our country. A comment(评论)reads, "Chinese passport might not get you anywhere you want, but it can always bring you back home."