I got my first bike in 1943. It was an old, second-hand blue bike. Bikes of any kind were very1at that time. A new bike was rarely to be seen, as2was needed to produce weapons to3our brave men and women in the fighting overseas.

    At ten, I was quite4 I convinced my mother I could earn enough money to be a millionaire—if I only had an old second-hand bike. She laughed but5about 80 per cent of the total cost of the bike. I had6a few dollars digging gardens, cleaning snow and doing other jobs.

    I7Mother I'd pay back the loan(借款). The day I got my bike was one of the happiest of my life. I could8earning some money--9groceries(杂货) for Clarks' grocery store and packages for a small store a few block away—this was in the Forest Hills section of Edmonton. I made a few dollars but10to start another work, as the first was proving too11to come by.

    My mother, another brother, Len, and I were to12Dad in Yellowknife, which was so far way that my bike couldn't be transported there. Leaving my bike was very difficult, but13had to come first. I made very little money14it, not enough to pay Mother back. We15Yellowknife in the fall of 1943. It was quite an experience for a young fellow, or anybody else for that matter.

    After we'd been in Yellowknife for a while, I was able to16Mother for the bike loan. I got a job at the recreation centre in the Negus Mine. The17paid great—I had lots of money, but would not18another bike. The19there were made with the tailings(尾矿) from the mine—lots of rough rock. The new20had not been built at that time.

    Two brothers, Ruby and Harry lived in Spain. They 1 for years to buy their mom a very special Christmas present this year: a BWM 3 Series.

    “Showing 2 to our beautiful Mum who's worked so hard to 3 us everything in life,” Ruby, 30, told the media. “Compared to the 4 she has made for us over the years, this is nothing.” He said the 5 had been in the works for years.

    “My mother wanted a BMW ten years ago, which we never 6,” he said. “We said that one day we would get her one and we 7 a little each week knowing one day we would be able to get her 8 car.”

    Ruby and his brother Harry saved for about five years 9 they bought the car. Their mother appears 10, saying “no” over and over again as the two brothers 11 her to the garage to have a look at a silver BMW.

    “She was just very surprised and couldn't 12it,” he said. “We were sure she 13 loved it.”

    They gave her the car as an early Christmas gift, but also as a 14 to say thank you. It will 15 their mom's current one.

    “She 16us two brothers and worked two jobs for most of her life to 17 us in school and give us everything we 18,” Ruby said. “We watched her go from her 19 job on Friday, get changed and 20 the weekend at a restaurant.”

    He added, “Maternal love is the most selfless love under the sun and we just thought it would be nice to show how grateful we are for everything and remind ourselves that thankfulness is a virtue.”

    Many years ago, I was working in an office in Halifax, Nova Scotia. We had a large 1that looked out over a busy street. I was standing by it one day when a woman in a 2car looked up and made eye contact. Naturally I 3. As she turned and tried to identify me, a quiet laugh 4 my lips. My co-workers began taking an interest, and stood back watching the 5 I received, and laughing happily. Then the stress of work was 6 away.

    Christmas was approached, and job 7were announced. Several of my co-workers were losing their jobs, and everyone was8. While I was working a night shift, a red jacket, a box of foam(泡沫橡胶)packing and strips of tape in the corner attracted my 9. They could be Santa's jacket and beard! Then I folded a red file into a 10 and tied the beard to it. The next day I walked 11 down into the office in the costume. My co-workers 12 around me and laughed for the first time in weeks. Suddenly, my boss came up to me, 13, shook his head and then left. I feared 14. Then the phone rang.

    With a bead of sweat 15 my forehead, I entered the boss' office. 16, he laughed: "Thanks, Mike! It's been hard to enjoy the Christmas season. Thanks for the laugh. I 17 it."

    That evening, I stood 18 by the window and waved at my fans, with my heart 19 with joy. For a few minutes of that day, we'd been able to forget our 20.

    Shayla Mitchell, 16, was diagnosed with the terminal stage of cancer. As a father, Mitchell always stayed home to care for her. He said the 1left them financially worse off. Then a group called Growing Hope 2 in with $1,800 to help with his living costs.

    3, he wanted to pay them back. In his 4, he had been a 5. So at age 40, Mitchell took up the6again, participating in two fights in Fairfax. Mitchell was7out in the first and second rounds, but he still8to raise $ 20,000 that he gave to Growing Hope. During this time, he 9 his daughter. "I fell into a dark bottom," Mitchell said, and for six months, he did little but 10.

One day, Mitchell11 upon a Mark Twain quote— "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you 12why." "After I read that quote, I was going to spend the rest of my life helping kids with 13and their families." he said.

    Mitchell thought of creating a foundation, though boxing did not seem 14anymore for fund-raising due to his age. Then he found that 15 could be a source to raise money. In the Corps Marathon, he cut a striking figure on the course.16by this success, he set his sights higher. He 17each of the miles of the race to a different child with cancer, and he carried their 18with him. Years after his daughter's death, Mitchell now 19up in the morning knowing his 20.

    Tears clouded my eyes as I stood in our washing room, holding Brett's jeans and shirt full of burn holes.

    Tired and defeated, I 1 to the floor. The clothes were just one more thing Brett had 2. He often got almost everything in the house out of 3. Many windows in our house needed repair due to his breaking 4 to steal money when he chose to live on the street. Yet none of this could 5 the emotional damage Brett had done to our once quiet home.

    Brett came to live with us when he was 12 years old. During the next few years I had dealt with Brett as 6 as possible, but inside I was shouting, "I don't want him in my house another day, Lord! I just can't 7 him!" Having wiped my tears, I continued 8 him as before.

    When Brett was nearly 18, he landed again in Juvenile Hall (少管所). After that, my husband and I had to send Brett to a boarding school for helping 9 teens.

    At the 10  ceremony, each graduate held a white rose to give to the person who had 11 the most to him or her.

    Brett spoke 12 to his parents and then spoke to me, "You did so much. You were always there. No matter what my mom and dad, I was their 13. But you, although 14 enough by me, always 15 me such love. And I want you to know I love you for it."

    16, I stood as Brett placed the white rose in my hand and hugged me 17.

    At that moment, tears 18 in my eyes again, this time not for disappointment but for 19. Although I had struggled with silent 20 toward my stepson, Brett had seen only my actions. Love is action. We may not always have positive feelings about certain people in our lives, but we can love them.

It's 4:30 in the morning. Behind a forest, the sun begins to lighten the sky with bright and warm tones. The national bird of Honduras, scarlet macaws （红金刚鹦鹉）, which have colorful feathers, groom （理毛） each other as they wait for Anayda Pantin Lopez who has devoted the last 12 years to protecting them.

Pantin and her husband, Santiago Lacuth Montoya, live in a small village called Mabita, where most of its villagers protect these birds and the rest of the wildlife surrounding them. Twice a day, Pantin prepares food for 40 to 60 scarlet macaws that come to her village for feedings. She also cares for several other birds at a rescue center, or chicks that fall down from their nests, until they can fly freely.

Years ago, Lacuth supported the family by selling macaw eggs and chicks as pets — not realizing it would have a detrimental impact on the bird population. At that time, the hunting and sale of wild species was legal and thousands of scarlet macaws disappeared.

However, when Lacuth learned the number of scarlet macaws was sharply decreasing, he decided to become a guardian of them. He tried to convince other hunters to follow in his footsteps. Eventually, other Mabita residents joined Lacuth and Pantin's efforts. "For many years the scarlet macaws helped me provide for my family. Now it was my turn to help them," Lacuth said.

"The Mabita project is very impressive because of the commitment of Pantin and Lacuth and the entire community," says LoraKim Joyner. founder of One Earth Conservation. In 2014, additional funds came from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, and England's Darwin Foundation stepped in to support the conservation and community engagement efforts.

Since the project began, the scarlet macaw population has grown from 500 to more than 800. "Now we have seen that the number of these birds has increased," said Pantin. "But that does not change our goal, which is to continue caring for them so that our children and grandchildren can have the opportunity to enjoy everything that nature gives us."