While my father was an officer of the British army in South Africa, we lived in a two-storeyed house. One evening my father and sister and I were sitting together. He was 1 the window. I suddenly 2 that he was turning very pale. I sat 3 for I didn't want to 4 my sick sister. Soon father said in a 5voice, “Kate and Joan, a friend of mine 6 here to see me this evening, and I wish to be 7 him. Will you go up to your own room?” We obeyed, went to our room and closed the door.

    Soon I heard a8 like that of a door burst in, and then a climb of feet. They were hurrying 9 the narrow stairs. Fearing that there was10 near, I seized the pistol (手枪) on the table. Then I heard my father cry out, “For God's sake, child,11 the door.” I did so. To my scare, I saw,12 my father's shoulder; a gorilla (大猩猩), the worst enemy of the soldier in Europe, he was 13 my father. I raised the pistol and fired. The animal fell backwards with an/a 14 loud cry. Father took the still 15 pistol from my hand, and fired another shot, which killed the gorilla.

    It happened when father 16 us upstairs because he thought he would be able to 17the door-which was twenty feet away 18 the animal reached it. However, the gorilla was too 19and this was the cause of the 20 flight (escape) up the stairs.

    When my oldest son was in high school, he planned to1 a Christian contemporary concert with the youth group from our church. To my 2 Aaron invited me to go along. I3 accepted; however, by the time the date of the concert arrived, my youngest son had been ill, and I was4 about him. I hesitated (犹豫). Then my husband5 me to attend the concert, promising he would take care of our youngest.

    Finally, the6 was made. Aaron was sixteen years old. How many 7 would I have to do something fun with him8he went away to college? And how many youths actually would 9 their mothers to attend a concert with them that was clearly for teens? I would not miss this opportunity.

At the concert, I 10with Aaron in the third row, putting cotton in my ears to block out the 11 ear-splitting music of the first performer. I stood when the kids stood, clapped when they 12 and never let anyone know how13 I was to feel the floor shaking beneath my feet. Aaron and his friends were 14at my enthusiasm (激情).

    By the time we left the concert, my ears were ringing, but it quickly passed.15 did my son's teenage years.16he was in college and away from home. I missed him more than I could say. Whenever I felt17 I would think back to the concert we attended and be thankful once again that I didn't 18an opportunity to spend time with my son.

    Aaron is now grown and has a family of his own, but he often calls just to 19and tell me about his day. I drop everything and 20the moment.

    October 12^th, 2008. It was a cold, rainy day, and I had no desire to drive up for two hours along the winding mountain road to my daughter Carolyn's house. But she had 1 that I come see something at the top of the mountain.

    "I'll stay for lunch, but I'm 2 back home straight after that," I announced when I arrived.

    "But I need you to drive me to the garage to 3 my car," Carolyn said. "Could we 4 do that?"

    "How far is it?" I asked.

    "About three minutes," she said. "I'll drive—I'm5 it."

    After ten minutes on the mountain road, I looked at her 6. "I thought you said three minutes."

    She laughed. "This is a detour(绕道)."

    Turning down a narrow path, we parked the car and got out. To my 7, the views before my eyes were 8 words.

    From the 9 of the mountain, several acres(英亩) across hills and valleys, were rivers of daffodils(水仙花). Plenty of 10—from the palest ivory(象牙白) to the deepest lemon and then to the most vivid pink—shone like a carpet before us. It looked 11 the sun had tipped(翻倒) over and spilled(洒落) gold down the mountainside.

    A series of questions 12 my mind. Who 13such beauty? When? How?

    As we approached(接近) the house that 14 in the center of the land, we saw a sign that15: "Answers to the Questions; I Know You Are 16."

    The first answer was: "One Woman—Two Hands, Two Feet, and Very Little Brain." The second was: "One at a Time." The third: "17 in 1958."

    The 18 of it would not let me go. "Imagine," I said, "if I'd had a 19 and worked at it, just a little bit every day, what might I have 20?"

    Carolyn looked at me, smiling. "Start tomorrow," she said. "Better yet, start today."

    Yesterday evening I was watching the evening news on television. The news was about a1for scientific discoveries. The announcer, whose name was Ralph Story,2something that caught my 3. "All great discoveries," he said, "are made by people between the age of twenty-five and thirty." Being a little over thirty myself, I wanted to 4with him. Nobody wants to think that he is past the age of making any 5. The next day I went to the public library, spending several hours looking up the 6 of famous people and their discoveries. Ralph was right.

    First I looked at some of the 7discoveries. One of the earliest, the famous experiment that8that bodies of different weight 9at the same speed, was made by Galileo(伽利略) when he was 26. Madam Curie(居里夫人) started her research that led to a Nobel Prize when she was 28. Einstein(爱因斯坦) was 26 when he10his world-changing theory of relativity. Well, 11of that. Yet I wondered if those "best years" were true in other 12.

    Then how about 13? Surely it needed the wisdom of age to make a good leader. Perhaps it 14, but look when these people 15their careers. Winston Churchill(丘吉尔) was elected to the House of Commons at the age of 26. Abraham Lincoln(林肯) 16the life of a country lawyer and was elected to the government at what age? Twenty-six.

    But why don't best years come after thirty? After thirty, I 17most people do not want to take risks or try new ways in their lives. Then I thought of those famous people18Shakespeare and Picasso. The former one was writing wonderful 19at the late age of fifty, 20the latter was still trying new ways of painting when he was ninety! Perhaps there is still hope for me.

    One day, when I was in high school, I saw a kid named Kyle from my class walking home from school with all his books. I thought to myself, "1 would anyone bring home all his books for the weekend? He must really be 2 ."

    As I was walking, I saw several kids running toward him. They ran at him, 3all his books out of his arms and he fell down in the dirt. His glasses went 4and landed in the grass.

    My 5 went out to him. So, I ran over to him.  6 I handed him his glasses, he looked at me and said, "Hey, thanks!"

    I helped him pick up his books, and asked him where he lived. As it 7 , he lived near me. We talked all the way home. Over the next four years, Kyle and I became best friends.

    Kyle was the 8 student of our class, one of those guys that really found 9 during high school. Therefore he had the honor to prepare a 10 speech. On the graduation day, I could see that he was 11 . So, I patted(拍) him on the back and said, "Hey, big guy, you'll be 12 !" He looked at me and smiled.

    He cleared his throat, and began. "Graduation is a time to 13 those who helped you make it through those 14 years. Your parents, your teachers…but mostly your friends. I am here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best 15 you can give him."

    I just looked at my friend with 16 as he told the story of the first day we met. He had planned to 17himself over the weekend and was carrying his books home. "Thankfully, nothing happened. My friend 18 me from doing the unspeakable(不能说出来的)."

    Not until that moment did I realize that you should never underestimate(低估) the 19of your actions. With one small act you can 20 a person's life. For better or for worse.

    I will never forget the year when I was about twelve years old. My mother told us that we would not be1Christmas gifts because there was not enough money. I felt sad and thought, "What would I say when the other kids asked what I'd2?" Just when I started to3that there would not be a Christmas that year, three women4at our house with gifts for all of us. For me they brought a doll. I felt such a sense of5that I would no longer have to be embarrassed when I returned to school. I wasn't6. Somebody had thought7of me to bring me a gift.

    Years later, when I stood in the kitchen of my new house, thinking how I wanted to make my8Christmas there special and memorable, I 9remembered the women's visit. I decided that I wanted to create that same feeling of10for as many children as I could possibly reach.

    So I11a plan and gathered forty people from my company to help. We gathered about 125 orphans(孤儿) at the Christmas party. For every child, we wrapped colorful packages filled with toys, clothes, and school supplies, 12with a child's name. We wanted all of them to know they were13. Before I called out their names and handed them their gifts, I14them that they couldn't open their presents15every child had come forward. Finally the16they had been waiting for came as I called out, "One, two, three. Open your presents! " As the children opened their packages, their faces beamed and their bright smiles17up the room. The18in the room was obvious, and19wasn't just about toys. It was a feeling—the feeling I knew20that Christmas so long ago when the women came to visit. I wasn't forgotten. Somebody thought of me. I matter.