Every night, even long after my childhood years, she would come to me, push my long hair out of the way and then kiss my forehead to say goodnight.

I don't 1 when it started to dislike her hands pushing my hair that way. Finally, one night, I shouted at her. “Don't do that 2 — your hands are too rought(粗糙的)!” She didn't say anything 3. But never again did my mother 4 me with that familiar expression of her love. But because of my pride, I didn't tell her I was 5.

    As years passed, I missed my mother's hands and goodnight kisses upon my 6 again and again. Sometimes the incidnet seemed very close, sometimes far away. But always7 appeared in my mind.

    Now my mom is in her mid-seventies, still doing thins for me and my family with those two hands. Mom no longer has Dad, and on special8, I find myself drawn next door to 9 the night with her. It was late on Thanksgiving Eve. As I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a 10 hand hesitantly brushed the hari from my forehead. Then a kiss, ever so 11, touched my brow.

In my12, for the thousandth time, I thought of the night I said the rude words to my mom.13 Mom's hand in my hand, I told her how sorry I was for that night. But she had forgotten—and forgiven—long ago.

    That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her14 hands. And the guilt(愧疚感)I had had for so long was 15to be found.

    I was sitting at the kitchen table finishing my morning meal. A little taste of autumn1had risen in my soul. The2 air and falling leaves all 3 the coming of the winter. I took my last drink of meal and carried my4 bowl over to the sink to clean it. My two cats sat on top of the kitchen counter,5 above them. I saw that they were both eyeing a tiny spider on a single web from the light above. Just as the spider came near,6cats were well prepared to catch and eat him. I quickly took a paper towel and 7 the little guy before he became a kitty 8I walked out of the back door to let him 9. As soon as I set him down he quickly crawled to 10on the wall. As I shut the door, I noticed something too. I was 11and my sadness was gone.

    Now I know a lot of people would be 12 about how saving the eight-legged animal could have 13my spirits, so quickly. After all, it was just a spider. As I thought about it, two sentences I had recently read 14me. The first was: “The only true thing is 15” The second was: “ Do everything out of love.” I realized then that no act of love is 16 I had only spared a spider to live another day, but it had 17my heart and improved my spirit.

    Make your life full of love. When you do so, you will18not only yourself, but others and this world. Your soul will 19 the cheers of other people.20 people's eyes every smile you share is a treasure, and every kind act you do is a triumph(胜利).

    One afternoon, my son Adam asked me, “Are all people the same even if they are different in color?”

    I thought for a minute, and then I said, “I'll explain,1you can just wait until we make a quick2at the grocery store. I have something3to show you. ”

    At the grocery store, we4some apples—red, green and yellow ones. Back home. I told Adam, “It's time to5your question.” I put one apple of each6on the table. Then I looked at Adam, who had a7look on his face.

    “People are like apples. They come in all8colors, shapes and sizes. On the9, some of the apples may not10look as delicious as the others.” As I was talking, Adam was11each one carefully.

    Then, I took each of the apples and peeled (削皮) them,12them back on the table, but13a different place.

    “Okay, Adam, tell me which is which”

    He said, “I14tell. They all look the same now.” “Take a bite of15. See if that helps you16which one is which. ”

    He took17, and then a huge smile came across his face. “People are18like apples! They are all different, but once you19the outside, they're pretty much the same on the inside.”

    He totally20it. I didn't need to say or do anything else.

    I was running a few errands in my car the other day. The sun was out, the radio was playing, and I was1along. The song was a joyful one and even my weak voice sounded good singing it. Then it happened,2. The 3 sound of the music ended and was replaced with the dreaded news break.

    I drove on while the announcer droned on. Gas prices were going higher again4 the competitive speculation(投机)on Wall Street. The 5 for the Presidency was getting nastier and nastier, rioting(暴乱)had 6 when fans of a sports team had gone wild, celebrating their team's championship.

    Finally, I could take no7 and turned off the radio. Silence seemed preferable 8 listening to anything else about the crazy, competitive society we live in. I slowed down as I entered a local town and 9 the people as I drove by.

    A tall muscular(壮硕的)man was helping an elderly lady out of a car and helping her position her walker so she 10 go into a local store.

    A smiling woman was tossing birdseed into her backyard while a dozen robins flew down to enjoy the11 being laid out before them.

    A young man was walking along, carrying his two-year-old daughter12 in his arms. He tickled her gently when she pulled the hat off his head and they13 laughed. I laughed too as I looked at all of this 14. It felt like a glimpse of Heaven. The radio may have been 15in my car, but in my heart I was still singing.

    In truth, this world could use a little more kindness and a lot16 competition .Kindness makes us all winners in this life. Kindness 17 us that we are all God's Children. Kindness shows us that we don't have to 18 others in this world.

    We just have to love them. May all of your moments here then19kindness, love, and joy. And may your only competition be with yourself: to be the best 20 you that you can be.

    When the one-year anniversary(周年) of my mother's passing came around, I found myself in the kitchen preparing some of her favorite dishes. I hadn't planned this, 1 there I was, making her famous soup from the turkey I had roasted the day before.

    As I was cooking, some of the deep sadness I was experiencing at this one-year mark moved through me. I loved working with mom in the kitchen but now thinking about her, I began to feel more 2.

    While the 3 boiled in my kitchen, I realized that I was reconnecting with my mother through 4. I laughed a bit at myself when I thought about all the dishes I had cooked that week. 5 knowing it, I had created a beautiful ritual (仪式) to honor my mother and to 6 myself at this time. I suddenly felt my mother at hand and this place was filled with her presence. I was so 7 that I began talking to her, acting 8 she were here with me.

    "What else should we make?" I asked us both, wanting to keep the ritual from 9.

    "Irish Potato Pancakes" was the reply.

    10 I made potato pancakes was two and a half years ago. I had 11 my engagement (订婚) ring to make the dough (面团), and never found it again. Since then, I 12 to use that recipe (菜谱) even though I really liked those pancakes. It's sort of 13 but I never considered making them again, treating them as if they were to blame for the loss of my ring.

    My mom knew how 14 I was about losing my ring. I had always called her whenever I lost something. She had a talent for helping me find my way to lost things, 15 this time.

    I reached for the 16 without another thought of the ring. My mom did love Irish things and these were delicious. I opened the large cookbook and 17 the pancake recipe. At once, 18 at the bottom of the page 19. There, pressed into the pages of the cookbook, was my diamond ring! I slipped my ring onto my trembling hand and a smile filled my soul as I whispered, "Thanks, mom."

    That day, I made potato pancakes 20the shape of hearts.

    A few years after Dad died, my 82-year-old mom moved away from the family farm near Almonte into her first apartment, which meant 1 for her to go for groceries. We were also 2 that she was living alone and hoped this 3 would really widen her social 4.

    As she and I 5 her belongings, Mom shared with me all kinds of 6 about her and my father's life together. Then we drove to town, 7 the unwanted items at Almonte's secondhand store, where they could be 8 and the money would go to charity.

    A local gentleman, who had 9 one of Mom's old suitcases, found a black-and-white negative (底片) in an envelope, with the word "Daddy" 10 in pencil on the front. Knowing that this film certainly 11 something to someone, he took it to the Almonte Gazette, attempting to find its rightful 12 through the paper.

    A week later, a big photo of my father appeared in our local paper, with a story to 13 it. Readers responded immediately; they 14 "Daddy" well — it was their uncle, brother-in-law, neighbor, friend, favorite bus driver…

    So Mom and I went to the Gazette right away to 15 our film. We thanked the staff and also called the 16 to express our heart-felt gratitude for 17 Mom, Daddy and me.

    What a(n) 18 act! It meant the world to us. Mom eventually moved into a nursing home. She passed away in November, 2018, at 98, and until then 19 a day went by that she did not look at, in her words, "that famous 20 of Daddy," on her bedside table.