My wife and I were attending a wedding at St. John's Church. The sound of 1rang to the heavens as the ceremony continued.

    At the church, I 2an old friend, Casper, who happened to be at the3. Now 73, Casper was a brilliant and 4softball pitcher（投球手）back in the Men's Leagues of Philadelphia in the mid-60s. I did not 5the now silver-haired fellow until my brother-in-law John mentioned his name to me！After a very pleasant 6, Casper asked if I remembered a letter of 7I had written to him back in 1964. It appeared Casper fell on hard times, as professional pitchers8do, and he wasn't pitching too well for a period of time. I did not 9the letter, but he said, “Yes, I still have it and I read it anytime 10aren't going too well.” He said that he had read the letter many times, and the situation always seemed to improve. I was 11and speechless!

    He continued, “You don't remember?” I said, “Sadly, no, I don't.” But I did ask if I could have a(n) 12of the letter. He said he would email it to me. After the 13, we met on the steps of the church. Casper came up to me and 14the letter. He lived a block from the 15 and had run home to get it. The envelope was 16 and turned yellow, and so was the letter inside. That letter had to be nearly 50 years old.

    In 17 terms, the letter read: “These hard times are 18！Keep your enthusiasm for the 19. Never quit and you'll be back on the top again 20. Hang on there!”

    The moment I stepped off the plane after a writer's conference, my youngest son Jeremy greeted me and cried out, “Poster paper, Mama! I need poster paper. We're having a1at school.”

    Being a housewife and writer, I felt like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep up with the needs of my 2. Back at home, Jeremy kept reminding me of the poster paper, but I just couldn't 3a minute for it. Gradually though, he began to speak more 4, almost 5he were talking to himself. “Maybe he'll just forget it, ”I thought hopefully. So I put Jeremy's request at the6of my long list of things to do.

    My third day home I managed to take fifteen minutes to type an article when a small 7fell across my paper. I knew who it would be before I8. Jeremy stood quietly watching me.“Oh, Lord, please don't let him say it again.” I knew what he wanted but I needed to9. I smiled10at Jeremy and kept typing. He11for a few more minutes,  then turned and walked away. I almost didn't hear his12. “Competition is over tomorrow, anyway.” The small figure walking out of my room, a silent voice spoke urgently to my heart, “Get him that paper—now!”

     “Let's go to get the paper, Jeremy.” He stopped, 13and looked at me in 14“You're going to the store just for me?” I15. Suddenly, a look of16shot across his face, erasing the disbelief. I don't think I'll ever17that moment. Later that day, he worked silently on the18all afternoon. And a few weeks later, a large yellow envelope came. Inside it was the Certificate of Award. So19was I that I didn't turned away from his20to get him some poster paper.

    Each year her husband sent her valentine roses, tied with pretty bows, and a card. The card would 1say, "I love you even more than last year on this day."

    The year he2, the roses were delivered to her door as usual. The card said, "Be my valentine. My love for you will always3with every passing year." She thought this was the4 time that the roses would appear. She5he ordered roses6without knowing that he would7.He always liked to do things ahead. Then, if he got busy, everything would work out 8.She put 9 in a very special vase, and then placed the vase beside the portrait of his smiling face. She would sit for hours, staring at his picture and the roses.

    A year went by, 10it was tough to live without him. Then, on Valentine's Day, the doorbell rang, and she saw roses sitting 11 her door. She brought the roses in, and then looked at them in surprise. Later she 12 the flower­ shop and asked them to explain 13 valentine roses were sent to her.

    The owner replied,"I know your husband passed away a year ago. The flowers you14today were paid for two years ago. Your husband always planned ahead. Here is 15 of many years. You'll get them every year till... and he also wrote a special little16for you...he did this years ago. He said, 'If you find out that I'm no longer here, the card should be sent to my wife the following year.'"

    She thanked him and hung up the phone, her tears 17 her face. She found a card among the roses and read it slowly, "Hello, my love. I know it's been a year since I was gone. I hope it's not too hard for you to overcome. I know you must be 18 and the pain is real. The 19 we shared made everything so beautiful in life. I loved you more than20can say. Please try not to be too sad. That is why the roses will be sent to you for years."

    Around twenty years ago I was living in York. 1 I had a lot of experience and a Master's degree, I could not find 2 work.

    I was 3 a school bus to make ends meet and 4 with a friend of mine, for I had lost my flat. I had 5 five interviews(面试) with a company and one day between bus runs they called to say I did not 6 the job. "Why has my life become so 7?"I thought painfully.

    As I pulled the bus over to 8 a little girl, she handed me an earring 9 I should keep it 10 somebody claimed (认领) it. The earring was painted black and said "BE HAPPY".

    At first I got angry. Then it 11 me—I had been giving all of my  12 to what was going wrong with my13 rather than what was right！I decided then and there to make a 14 of fifty things I was happy with. Later, I decided to15more things to the list. That night there was a phone call for 16 from a lady who was a director at a large 17. She asked me if I would 18 a one­day lecture on stress(压力) management to 200 medical workers. I said yes.

    My 19 there went very well, and before long I got a well­paid job. To this day I know it was because I changed my way of20 that I completely changed my life.

    In 2011, a law was born. A kind of ladybug（瓢虫）became the state insect of North Dakota. When the governor 1 the bill into law, four kids stood behind him!

    Jaden, Logan, Megan and Isabel were in first grade 2 their idea for a law was born. Megan and Logan were farm kids and they had been 3 with the ladybug already. They knew that farmers had difficulty in 4 crop-eating pests called aphids and that ladybugs tended to 5 on aphids. The more ladybugs were around, the fewer 6 the farmers had to use.

    They decided that this ladybug should be their state insect. This ladybug was of great 7 to the crops on the farm and deserved a place of 8. But they had no idea how to 9 a law. So they asked help from their teacher, who happened to 10 their local state representative. When they all met, he told the kids they would have to present facts and reasons to 11 lawmakers that North Dakota was 12the ladybug as the state insect.

    The students spent much of that first-grade spring 13 ladybugs. There was no doubt that their research was hard work; 14 , they fell in love with it. "Even if we hadn't 15what we wanted," says Jaden, "even if the bill hadn't passed, I think it was really 16 a lot."

    In the fall of their second-grade year, they were invited to speak to a committee. In 17 , Megan wrote songs for the group to sing, they 18 more experts for support, and they practiced their presentation a lot! They showed up at the state building in ladybug costumes and presented their case. 19 , the bill passed!

    The students want everyone to know that kids can make a 20 . "Whether you are 20 or 80," says lsabel, "you have a voice in your community（社区）."

    A few weeks ago, my friend offered to sell some of our things for us. I thought it was a good opportunity to 1my 7-year-old son's room and 2some toys that were no longer suitable for him to play with. We 3 that all the money we got from selling the toys would be his money.

    The night before the 4 we loaded(装载)up the truck with toys and a little bike that was too 5for him. In the yard he   6 the bike for the last time and then happily put it onto the truck. This little bike had at least two previous (以前的) owners as far as we 7 .It was certainly not 8, but the tyres (轮胎)were 9 good.

    We put a price of $ 10 on it, but it didn't sell. So, after the sale was 10 , my friend put it on the sidewalk, with a sign that 11 "FREE BIKE". Within five minutes her doorbell rang. A little boy was 12 there. In poor English he asked whether the bike was 13 free. She said yes and that he could have it for 14He smiled, got on the bike and rode away.

    Later that evening when I told my son how much money he had made at the sale, he was very 15 , shouting happily. He asked about a few of his things, wondering 16they had been sold. When he asked about the bike, I told him about the little boy and that made him 17. He was much happier than when I told him how much he had 18 He was so happy to 19 that someone else would make good 20 of that little bike!