We have been driving in fog all morning, but the fog is lifting now. The little seaside villages are1one by one. “There is my grandmother's house,” I say2across the bay to a shabby old house.

    I am in Nova Scotia on a pilgrimage(朝圣) with Lisa, my granddaughter, seeking roots for her, retracing(追溯)3 memory for me. Lisa was one of the mobile children4 from house to house in childhood. She longs for a sense of5and so we have come to Nova Scotia where my husband and I were born and where our ancestors6for 200 years.

We soon7 by the house and I tell her what it was like here, the memories8back, swift as the tide (潮水).

    Suddenly, I long to walk again in the9 where I was once so gloriously a child. It still10 a member of the family, but has not been lived in for a while. We cannot go into the house, but I can still walk 11 the rooms in memory. Here, my mother 12 in her bedroom window and wrote in her diary. I can still see the enthusiastic family13 into and out of the house. I could never have enough of being 14 them. However, that was long after those childhood days. Lisa15 attentively as I talk and then says, “So this is where I16 where I belong.”

    She has17 her roots. To know where I come from is one of the great longings of the human18 To be rooted is “to have an origin”. We need19origin. Looking backward, we discover what is unique in us; learn the 20 of “I”. We must all go home again—in reality or memory.

    My journal book is new and in style and there are inspirational words on its cover. Hers is old and leather-bound. As different as the 1 are, the two journals contain many of the same thoughts, quotes, and personal stories about our very different 2.

    We found our connection 3. One summer holiday, I visited my grandmother. 4 I would stay only for a few days, I couldn't part with my journal. I 5 my habit of putting it under my pillow. My grandmother 6 it as she made my bed. I felt 7 that she had found my collection of literary treasures at first. Instead of 8 me, my grandmother brought me to her bedroom and brought out her own 9.

    That night, we 10 a few articles, mine from the past few years and 11 from the past few decades. We laughed at funny stories, 12 at heartbreaks with tears on our faces, and were surprised to find we are so 13.

    I was excited to find a friend who also 14 writing and quote collecting. We were astonished when we saw that we both had 15 the same quote about the truth of experience.

    The connection my grandmother and I share goes 16 literature. Although my grandmother is a Ph.D. who has written some books on education, she has never 17 her study journey. She always reminds me that she will continue to be a 18 for the rest of her life. I 19 her for so many things, but perhaps it is her way on 20 that I find most inspiring.

    Don't Be Afraid to Make a Fool of Yourself and Reach out to Strangers

    Growing up, I was glued to my mother's hip, ready to follow her wherever the world took us. I used to sleep at her 1 on the floor of her law school lecture halls while hundreds of 2 poured over scores of legal terms and historical court 3. When my mother and I would travel to different countries together, she always talked to 4 . She would tell our life story and I was often 5. I figured that people thought she shared too much and it was 6.

    I now recognize the importance of the 7 my mother made. After she died, I received hundreds of phone calls from people all over the world. They 8 to offer their condolences (吊唁), but 9 to share how much my mother had meant to them.10 she offered legal advice or simply shared a story, they11their heart to me about how she 12 their lives.

    When she first decided to buy an apartment and settled down in Paris, she 13 the writers of her favourite blogs and instantly began to form their own French14. They spent hours eating carefully selected cheeses and sipping (啜饮) coffee while 15 favorite Parisian restaurants. These are the people I now call my 16 aunts and uncles.

    What I judged as my mom making a 17 of herself was her way of sharing her 18 and charm. This taught me to 19 into fear and not to let self-criticism govern anything I do. Now, I speak up. I talk to strangers. I 20 myself and because of it, I receive.

    It's common for homeless people to pick up recyclables to sell and make a living. However, it's not so common to see them 1 in a restaurant where the average meal costs $ 150. But that's 2 what happened when a man walked into Benvindo, a 3 restaurant in Belo Hori- zonte.

    According to the staff, a homeless man 4 the waiters at the front door and wanted a 5He also insisted on paying for it with the money he made by 6the cans: a single $ 50 note.

    "I thought this was somewhat 7," said Fontes, a 21 - year - old waiter. But he continued providing 8 for the man as he serves other guests. The man 9 a costly lunch, including a main dish and dessert, which 10$ 121. 80. However, when the man asked for the 11, the restaurant's owner told Fontes to ignore the charge. Instead of accepting the 12 meal, the man politely turned it down and insisted on paying.

    When it became 13 that the man wasn't ready to change his 14, the waiter agreed to charge him $ 10.

    Fontes said, "I then had to 15, saying customers could get a discount on the lunch for there was an ongoing 16, because the man had $ 50 and refused to get the $ 40 17"

    A customer there took a picture of them and shared it online, saying, " I just 18 a great example of consideration. The photo gained hundreds of 19 praising Fontes and the man. Fontes said he simply wanted to 20an act of kindness for an honest hardworking man.

    After having a child, I found my regular exercise interrupted. I was not only busy: I also lacked the motivation. Solo gym sessions or some quick1following the DVD while the baby sleeps didn't2me at all. So I decided to sign up for a hiking3in Peru, hoping that it would get me4again.

    Looking over my travel arrangements before I left. I5phrases such as "3-hour hike6primitive forests" and "sliding with a rope down waterfalls", and I started to feel a little7.

    However, as we made our way through the forests and were8with amazing views of9waterfalls, this team of strangers10me to go on. Being physically active with a group motivated me to reach the11or the valley below-rather than simply lying down on the forest floor and giving up,12I might have done if I were alone.

    13confirm my experience: Group exercise can really start a new attitude toward fitness. "People get a better14in a group than they do on their own," said Allison Kimmel, a group15instructor. That's because other people16both support and competition. "Humans are17animals and the shared experience of facing a challenge18is compelling(不可抗拒的)," said David Ezell, the CEO of fitness provider Darien Wellness.

    With the19of a group, I'm slowly getting back into a20lifestyle.

    I had ever been invited to see a performance. That day I met a brave and talented boy I would never1. The young musician, Mr. Patrick Henry Hughes, was rolled onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the2. His fingers danced across the keys as he made beautiful3. He then began to sing as he played, and it was even more4. I was seeing something5in his face. It was something that I6can't explain. And his smile was magic!

    He was born with no7and a pair of paralyzed（瘫痪的）legs. As a child, he was fitted with man-made eyes and8in a wheelchair. Today, Patrick is a junior. His father9classes with him and he's made nearly all As.

    But more than his10musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that11my soul. On stage, between songs, he talked to the12about his life and about how blessed he was. He said, "God made me blind and unable to13. BIG DEAL! He gave me the ability, the musical14I have and the great opportunity to meet new people."

    I15a quote, "Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass; it's about learning to16in the rain!"

    I thought that's it! We all17adversity(不幸）in our life. However, it's not the adversity, but how we react to it that will determine the joy and18in our lives. During19times, do we spend too much time we feeling sorry for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude,20how to dance in the rain?