The Person Who Influenced Me the Most

    I opened the box and took out the shining gold bracelet. “For me?' I could barely talk. Yes, of course, said my Aunt Estelle, I really shouldn't have been 1 because she was like that, unexpected and golden.

    When I was younger, I knew that I could always go to my Aunt Estelle for comfort, advice and 2  She was my best friend and my guardian angel. I could always be 3with her and tell her anything that was on my mind. She also knew when I was trying to 4something. Aunt Estelle gave me advice when it was sought and guided me5many difficulties.

    Last December, I was faced with one of the most difficult 6I ever had to make in my life. She was dying of cancer and I was 7to go to Israel for two weeks for a research project. 8  I sought Aunt Estelle's advice but for the  9time I didn't like her response. When I went to the hospital to visit her for what turned out to be the last time, she was waiting for me with a book about Israel on her bed and made it very clear that she10me to go—that it was her greatest wish for me to go—haw could I 11her. Aunt Estelle was the most unselfish person I ever knew and would not even consider my 12about going. She called me 13I left for Israel to tell me that she loved me and that she would always be with me.

    I went to Israel and had the time of my life. When I returned, my parents 14me up, I told them I couldn't wait to tell Aunt Estelle about my journey. They became15and I knew before they said the words that she had died. Aunt Estelle's unselfishness was her greatest16.

    The gold bracelet she gave me for my sixteenth birthday was the one that I had always admired on her. Each time I look at it I am17of an even greater gift from my aunt, the gift of her 18.

    Whenever I find myself becoming too self-centered and19the needs of those around me, I recall her selflessness and20to follow her example to make the needs of others a priority.

    Mother's Day, 2017 was the last time that all my three kids would be kids at home. I was 1 a Mother's Day to remember.

    That morning, I got up early and left for2 since I was the math teacher in the same school with my boys. The boys and I were going3as usual, so I expected the time I'd have with the three of them surrounding me during break. I entered the office after my class4the crowd for their faces. I didn't find the boys, but wasn't too worried5their classes often ran late. I found a row with plenty of room for all four of us6seats for my handsome young men.

    The longer I sat there, the more7and angry I got. How could they 8their mother on this of all days? I couldn't9my work, only on how I'd been wronged10the time the last morning class ended, I could hardly wait to get home and give them a piece of my mind.

    Arriving home, I noticed a pile of roses on the ground. I looked closer and saw the roses were the11of a track made from fresh flowers, which led to our room. As I 12the flowers, the door got opened and three 13faces greeted me. They let me see what they'd been working on all14.

The words were 15the entire floor, “Happy Mother's Day, We Love You. ”They were placed with16.The space was 17with sweet of roses and other flowers. They'd asked for a(an)18and worked all morning, gathering fresh flowers and arranging them into surprise message.

    I immediately realized I'd been much too hurried in my19of the situation. While I had been feeling unloved, they'd spent their time writing a 20to show how much they really cared.

    I was eleven years old when the fire broke out that year. I stood outside in just my underwear while I watched the 1 that I grew up in rapidly burn to the 2. A few minutes earlier I had been 3 asleep in my nice, warm bed when a 4 woke me up. My mum's bedroom was just next to mine and my brother's. A fire had broken out there and 5 her. While I stumbled(跌跌撞撞地走)around in the 6 and darkness, she ran from room to room quickly waking everyone in the house. The house, however, was over 50 years old and made of wood. Before we could do anything the fire 7 it. We all barely 8 outside before the 9 engulfed(吞没) every room.

    I stood there 10 while the fire destroyed my books, clothes, and toys. I watched 11 while my mum cried and my Dad swore. I 12 what was going to happen to us 13 we had lost all of our things. As I looked around, though, I realized something for the first time: The things that 14 aren't things. I realized at that moment that we were all alive. 15 that was essential had 16 the fire. We would all be around to love each other for many years to come. And that was all that mattered.

    I still think of that fire in the 17 that helped me to become who I am today. It showed me for the very first time what is truly 18 in this life. It helped me to learn that the love we 19 is far more important than the things we 20.

    When Pat Jones finished college, she decided to travel around the world and see as many foreign places as she could1she was young. Pat wanted to visit Latin America2, so she got a job3 an English teacher in a school in Bolivia. Pat spoke a little Spanish,4 she was able to communicate with her students even when they didn't5much English.

    A sentence she had read somewhere stuck in her mind if you dream6 a foreign language, you have really mastered(掌握)it. Pat repeated this sentence to her students and7that some day she would dream in Spanish and they would dream in8.

    One day, one of her9students came up and explained in Spanish that he had not done his homework. He had10early, and had slept11.

    "What does this have to do with your12?" Pat asked.

    "I dreamed all night, Miss Jones, and my dream was in English."

    "In English?" Pat was very13, since he was such a bad student. She was14secretly jeal-ous (嫉妒的).Her15was still not in Spanish. But she encouraged(鼓励)her young student," Well,16 me about your dream."

    "All the people in my dream17 English," the student said. "And all the signs were, in English. All the newspapers and magazines and all the TV programs were in English. "

    "But that's18,"said Pat, "what did all the people say to you?"

    "I'm sorry, Miss Jones. That's19 I slept so badly. I didn't 20a word they said. It was a nightmare(噩梦)!"

    "When I grow up, I want to be a mountain climber," Jack, my four-year-old son, announce. My husband, Jack and I are now 1 Cradle Mountain. Here the sky is clear and the plants are green. We don't know how our kid will progress, but we're 2 to give it a go.

    Usually some parents, me included, would 3 that bushwalking would present a great opportunity for disaster. However, we couldn't be more 4. We are swallowed up (吞没) by the 5 of the nature.

    My husband and I 6 glances (眼色) as Jack runs ahead of us. He keeps a confident and steady (稳的) 7, staying three or four meters ahead of us. Who is this kid 8 us through the bush? This can't be the same boy who won't play outside 9 someone keeps him company (陪伴).

    "Hey, look at this!" Jack cries, pointing at a 10 in a tree. "Who lives here? It may be a snake's 11." His dad and I 12 and look on, nodding and predicting (预测) who might call the tree home. Before reaching a 13, Jack is off again, keeping a distance between himself and us.

    I think about how I have often felt 14 as a parent. Frequently I find myself 15 to cross the tricky (棘手的) pass of boyhood: "Why won't this child 16? Why won't he do as he is told? Why is he so 17?" Yet, here we find ourselves in the wilderness, and the boy is showing us the 18. The world is unfolding before him, and he is crossing it with 19 and natural curiosity, and as his parents, we are only 20 on his journey, following in his size 12 footsteps.

    Several years ago I started riding a bike. At first, I thought it was only a 1 ride. But as I built up strength, my friends encouraged me to try some longer 2. The first one to come along was a 150-mile journey, an event held every year that 3 money to fight cancer.

    When I signed my name, the 4 seemed great — to support a worthy cause while going for the 5 — and I trained with great excitement. But as the time for the ride approached, my 6 gained ground over my endurance(耐力). I didn't really want to 7 all those miles for two days straight.

    The ride began on a Sunday morning in the Georgia countryside, 8 for the first few hours I felt wonderful. This was just the 9 I had imagined, and my spirits were 10 . But by the end of the day, I felt tired. I was sure I'd have to 11 .

    As I topped the hill, the nice sunset 12 me going for a few minutes more. Then in the distance, I 13 a lone rider riding very slowly. I 14 that the person looked different in some way, but I couldn't tell why. I managed to 15 . There she was, riding slowly but steadily, with a 16 smile on her face — and she had only one leg.

    My focus 17 at that moment. I'd been doubting my body for a whole day. But now I knew — it wasn't the body, but the 18 that would help me reach my goal.

    It rained all the second day. I 19 saw the one-legged biker again, but I pushed on without complaining. And at the end of the day, still feeling 20 , I completed the 150th mile.