I remember quite well a day 17 years ago. That day, our twin sons, Chad and Brad, 1 their car and left home to attend college. I realized that our 2 would soon become a "table for two". 3 , the boys would come home on the weekends, but 4 , I knew our family life would never be exactly the same again.

    The boys walked around each room to 5 they hadn't forgotten anything they needed. I packed a cooler with 6 and their favorite cold snacks. I found a box and filled it with essential 7 items. I thought they might go to bed hungry that night. I 8 my wallet and placed the little bit of 9 I had in their hands.

    We all walked 10. Chad and Brad gave me big 11 and quickly got into their car. I 12 as they drove away. When their car was 13, I sat down on the driveway and cried 14 than I had cried in a long time. My husband Roy tried to 15 me, but I could see grief in his eyes, as well.

    There are many parents who would 16 this period. Bittersweet feelings will be 17 while I cannot explain them adequately. I can still remember 18 I felt when we began that new chapter in our lives.

    19 time going by, however, Roy and I are now accustomed to our table for two and we enjoy our lives together. I have to admit I still miss our children and the old 20 we had together.

    Maureen stood by the lake. Suddenly the children came running through the trees with sharp cries of 1 They rushed up to the 2leaning over the clear water, watching the crowds of tiny fish. Some children demanded loudly to go to the boats, but 3those who had been left behind at the ice-cream stall(小摊) came running up to make some announcement or other, and they all4the water and dashed back the 5 they had come. With growing excitement, Maureen6them.

    When she7what had been running for, she stopped running. They were 8things again. The toy stall was9and they were crowded around it. Behind the 10 a calm middle-aged woman was selling a great variety of small rubbish. She took 11from the forest of small hands in exchanging for little boats, plastic dolls, yellow pencils, anything. Maureen leaned against a 12 looking on. The idea of13 washed against her face like a strong current(流), trying to draw her in.

    Nona Parker pushed out to the edge of the group and14what she had bought on the ground so that she could see what money she had left in her white purse. Under Maureen's 15 lay a boat, a mouth organ(口琴) and a brown load of bread. Maureen was so full of the16for the things like that she couldn't bear to look at it. She turned her17sharply. Her face was against the tree. She shut her eyes and 18 eagerly for some money, for the price of a set of toy plates. In a moment, she opened her eyes,19she didn't turn back to the stall. It was too 20to see the others buying whatever they wanted. She rubbed almost round the tree, her eyes on the ground.

    When I was in the third grade, Mother's day came around much too quickly; I found myself empty-handed with nothing to give my mom on her special day. So I was1when an announcement over the loudspeaker said that one of the older grades would be2pins(胸针)that said “Number-One Mom”. It may not sound like much, but to an 8-year-old it's3.

    So each day I4myself that the following day I would bring the money to buy the pin, but I always forgot. And I was5when the principal(校长)and a few of the older kids selling pins came into my6and announced that it was the last day to buy them.

    I always7my principal. She could be sweet, but sometimes she could be 8. If you break9, she was quick to set you straight, so I remained as disciplined as a 10before her.

    On this day, however, my principal was in a good11. And she must have heard me tell my classmates I'd12my money again. I wasn't crying, but she knew I really wanted to buy a13.

After she left, I got called to her office. I'd never been there. So I was terrified. When I arrived14, she told me to come to her desk, and she pulled out the pin I'd had my eye15for days.

    “The kids gave me this to give to my16,” she began. “But my mom passed away, so I want you to17it.”

    Taking the pin, I looked at it in my this hands. I didn't know what to say. I probably18her and walked back to class, and proudly presented this19gift to my mother.

    I don't know if my mom still has the pin, and I don't know20the principal remembers giving it to me. But I will never forget that act of kindness from someone I'd never expected it from.

    Many people spend their New Year's Eve getting dressed up and dancing their way to midnight. My brother and I decided to do things a bit1.

    We each filled a backpack with clothes, shoes and other things and headed out to the 2. The first person we saw was a 15-16-year-old boy picking up 3 plastic bottles on the train platform（站台）. We called him over and started up a(n)4. We had a look at his 5 and noticed he had 6 fingernails（手指甲）. We explained that it was 7 to keep short nails and then we 8 cutting them for him. When we were 9 we offered him some chocolate candies, which made him look at us 10. We talked to him some more and began 11 some of the chocolate ourselves. Finally, he 12 took the chocolate himself and then began telling us his 13.

    His name was Raju. After his mother died, his father remarried. Unable to 14 his stepmother（继母）, Raju ran away from 15 and has been living on the streets for 3 years, collecting and 16 empty plastic bottles.

    When we met Raju, he wasn't wearing any 17. One quick look into our backpacks and we18 what we were looking for-a pair of Nike shoes. When we dressed him in them-Raju's eyes were full of19. “These shoes are so great. Nothing will hurt my 20 .Thank you so much!” Touched by our actions, he joined us as we walked around and looked for those in need.

    I went with some colleagues from my office for a dinner in a very popular local restaurant. It was1 business time and the restaurant was packed. We 2 found a table in a corner for three of us.

    As soon as we sat down, we heard a crash when a cleaning boy 3 the floor with all the plates he was carrying. There was 4 and no one was saying or doing anything.

    In a flash I remembered my 5 many years ago. Once, I passed out in the airport because I had rushed there on my own on a(n) 6 stomach. I was 7 and taken care of by two strangers. Now this was my chance to 8 it forward.

    I ran to the young man's side immediately, turned him on his back and screamed for someone to 9 a hot drink. Soon people started asking if I was a doctor. I said I was not, 10 I was skillful at blacking out (晕厥).

    The kid soon opened his eyes, 11 what had happened. I 12 him by saying it was OK and I had had a 13 experience. He had not eaten anything. I held the 14 drink to his mouth till he finished it and sat with him till he felt OK. By then the 15 had arrived. I asked her to give the kid something to eat. I offered to pay.

The manager was kind enough to refuse the 16 and agreed to make sure the kid ate before he went home. By the time all this was 17, it was getting late for my colleagues. Since we hadn't 18anything yet, we decided to go home.

    I slowly walked home, not hungry any more, feeling 19 for the opportunity I pay forward the20I had received many years ago.

    I was in my third year of teaching creative writing at a high school in New York, when one of my students, 15-year-old Micky, gave me a note from his mother. It 1 his absence from class the day before.

    I had seen Micky himself writing the note at his desk. Most parental-excuse notes I received were penned by my 2. The forged(伪造的) excuse notes made a large pile, with writing that ranged from imaginative to crazy. The 3 of those notes didn't realize that honest excuse notes were usually 4: "Peter was late because the alarm clock didn't go off."

    The students always said that it was hard putting 200 words together on any subject, but when they 5 excuse notes, they were brilliant.

    So one day I gave the excuse notes to my classes, saying, "They're 6 to be written by parents, but actually they are not. True, Micky? " The students looked at me 7.

    "Now, this will be the first class to study the 8 of the excuse notes — the first class, ever, to practice writing them. You're so 9 to have a teacher like me who has taken your best writing and turned it into a 10 worthy of study."

    Everyone smiled as I went on, "You used your 11. So try more now. Today I'd like you to write 'An Excuse Note from Adam/Eve to God'." 12 went down. Pens raced 13 paper. For the first time ever I saw students so 14 in their writing that they had to be asked to go to lunch by their friends.

    The next day everyone had excuse notes. 15 discussions followed. The headmaster entered the classroom and walked 16, looking at papers, and then said, "I'd like you to see me in my office." My heart 17.

    When I stepped into his office, he came to 18 my hand and said, "I just want to tell you that that lesson, that task, whatever the hell you were doing, was 19. Those kids were writing on the college 20. Thank you. "