A few years after Mom died, Dad handed me a plastic bag. That evening, I 1 the bag to find dozens of shells, each one2 in white tissue paper（纸巾）and having Mom's handwriting.

    The shells were pretty 3, but to Mom, they were evidence of her endlessly magical life and 4 me of the seashore trip with her. She was 61 when she 5 these shells, and already showing 6 of the lung disease. We knew something was 7 and Mom needed an adventure. She suggested a dinner and a movie. But two friends and I had bigger 8.

    Mom had been to the ocean only twice, but she 9 the seashore. Her kitchen was decorated（装饰） with souvenirs from those two trips. I told Mom that we would 10 for Jersey Shore. Mom was so 11 that she screamed and Amber, her dog was 12 to jump onto the floor.

    One of my favorite 13 on the road was a discussion about movies. Mom often got the titles wrong. “Ohhhh,” she said, “what was that movie about a teacher at the boys' school?” Before anyone could 14, she shouted, “The Dead Man's Poet!” I looked back and saw a back seat full of 15. “Mom,” I said. “You mean Dead poets Society?” “That's it!” Mom yelled. 16 filled the car.

    Once we got to Stone Harbor, she began to 17 the trip, greeting strangers and spending hours gathering shells. The morning we left, I found her photographing every inch of her bedroom. “I don't ever want to 18 this,” she said.

    For a long time, Mom's shells stayed 19 in a drawer. Last month, I 20 them again while searching for something else. I put them in a visible place as a reminder from a mother who never lost her sense of wonder.

    A group of frogs were traveling through the woods, and two of them fell into a pit（深坑）.When the other frogs saw how 1 the pit was, they told the two frogs that they2as well wait to die. The two frogs ignored the comments and tried to jump3 the pit with all their4 The other frogs kept telling them to5,and that they were as good as dead. Finally, one of the two frogs listened to what the other frogs said and6.He fell down and died.

    The other frog continued to jump 7 and try his best. Once again, the crowd of frogs shouted at him to stop the8and just die. He jumped even harder and finally9 it. When he got out, the other frog said," Didn't you 10us?" The frog explained to them that he was a little 11.He thought they were 12 him the entire time rather than advising him to stop the pain of struggle.

    This story teaches us two13: First, there is the power of life and14 in words. An encouraging word to someone who is15 can lift him up and help him make it through. Second, a(n) 16 word to someone who is down can be what it takes to kill him.

Be careful of 17 you say. Speak positively to those who cross your path.The power of words is so great; it is18 hard to understand that an encouraging word can go such a(n) 19 way. Anyone can speak words that tend to rob（掠夺）another of the20 to continue in difficult times.The individual who will take the time to encourage another is special.

    Mike was cycling along a road in Canada's Yukon, halfway through a 2,750-mile bike tour to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. He was carrying a 30-pound camping bag,1 he wasn't moving very fast. Suddenly he heard loud breathing behind him. “Man, that's a big dog!” he thought. He looked to the side, but to his great 2 , he saw, that it wasn't a dog, but a wolf, running hard to 3  him.

    Mike's heart jumped. He reached for the 4 from his bag. With one hand on the handlebar, he 5  the spray. A bright red cloud 6 the wolf in time, and it fell back, shaking its head. But a minute later it was by his side again. He sprayed a second time, and the wolf fell back again, but only to quickly restart its 7 .

    The wolf was getting closer and closer, 8 a dozen yards away. Mike waved and yelled at passing motorists, but meanwhile 9  hard. He knew clearly that he must be 10not to slow down. Otherwise, he would become a 11 of the wolf.

    Paul and Becky were driving along the same road. From a distance, they spotted what they 12  was a dog running after a man on a bike. As they get  13, they realized it was a wolf.

Mike heard a car coming up behind him, and he slowed down. The car veered around the  14 , and then suddenly stopped in front of him. Mike15  off his bike and dashed for the back   16  of the car. It was locked. Paul quickly 17 the door so as to let Mike in, and the  18  man dived in, shutting the door behind him.

    It was quite a while 19 Mike became calm and cried out: “I thought I was going to die!” And Paul and Becky were 20  that they had given a helping hand to people in need.

    It was an evening in September when I landed in Kuching, the capital city of Sarawak in Malaysia. I was a 19-year-old Dubai-raised kid away from home for the first time to 1 my undergraduate studies.

    I had never travelled alone before. I pushed my 2 and headed to the airport 3 to find a gray car with the name of my university on it.

    As we left the airport, the driver began talking to me. As I am a driving 4 myself, we started talking about cars and driving.

    “Never make a Sarawakian 5,” he warned. “No road rage（路怒）. Very dangerous!” Not long into our 6 the lights of the car behind flashed at us. This continued more aggressively and my driver started to 7. We pulled over to the roadside. My heart was pounding but I tried to put on a(n)8 face as the man from the car came up and made his way to my side of the car. As he reached my window. I 9 it and tried to 10 a smile.

    I looked down at his hands to see that he was 11 my travel bag. It 12 my passport, return tickets, as well as cash and letters for the university. I had left it 13 on the trolley at the airport and this man had been trying to 14 it to me ever since we had left the airport.

    Breathing a huge sigh of 15, I took my bag and 16 this stranger. The man welcomed me to Kuching, wished me luck with my university studies and drove away.

    This act of kindness 17 cheered me up and thanks to this honest 18, the initial self-doubt I had about my decision to 19 so far away from home was 20 with hope and excitement.

    A little girl created the perfect Mother's Day gift. It was a drawing of a 1 on white paper with the words "For mom: love, love, love" decorated in hearts. She folded (折叠) her letter, 2 then she lost it.

    For most people, that would be the 3 of this story, but this story has a different result: James Carrell 4 the letter. He had just 5 his mother, wishing her a happy Mother's Day. After he got off the phone, Carrell saw the 6 on the ground outside of a hardware (五金器具) store in Manvel in Texas, United States. "I 7 it was a note" said Carrell. "I 8 it and saw the flower and hearts. It 9 moved me." Carrell thought the letter would 10 someone's day and maybe he could find the 11, so he posted it in the Talk of Alvin Facebook group. The message 12 a lot of people, especially one man.

    "I was sitting at my friend's house and saw a man 13," said Carrell.

    His Facebook comments (评论) included a message from Roberto Alvarado. He wrote, "I can't 14 you found my baby's letter." Carrell reached out to Alvarado to 15 the letter. It took a few days, but the men finally 16 on Thursday night, one day after Alvarado's daughter Natalie celebrated her seventh birthday.

    "17 the letter made it home," said Alvarado. "We are 18 for what James Carrell did."

    We often forget the power of 19 things, but for this family from Alvin, Carrell's small act left a(n) 20 impression (影响).

    When I was a boy we had several gardens around our old house. The largest one of all was used just for 1 potatoes. I can still remember those potato 2 days. The whole 3 helped.

    4 my Dad had tilled(耕地)the soil，my Mom，brothers，and I went to work. It was my job to 5 the little seed potatoes in the rows while my Mom dropped 6 of fertilizer (肥料)beside them. My brothers then covered them all 7 the freshly turned earth.

    For months afterward I would 8 over at the garden while I played outside and wonder what was going on underneath the ground. When the harvest time came I was 9 at the huge size of the potatoes my Dad pulled out of the soil.

    Those little seedlings had grown into sweet food. They would be 10 meal after meal of baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, fried potatoes, and my 11 favorite: potatoes cooked in spaghetti sauce.

They would 12 the entire family well fed throughout the whole year. It 13 was a miracle to be held.

    Thinking back to those special times makes me wonder how many other 14 I have planted in tills life that have grown 15 in the hearts and minds of others.

    How many times has God used some little thing that I said 16 did to grow something beautiful? How many 17 has Heaven used these little seedlings to 18 another's soul with sweet food?

    I hope then you always 19 the garden around you with care. I hope that you plant only goodness, peace, and20 in the lives of everyone you help. I hope that everyday you help miracles to grow.