From the very first moment I met Mattie on my TV show three years ago, I fell in love with him. He was a ten-year-old little1 born with a life-threatening disease. But his poems of peace and 2 had touched millions of lives. We became quick friends, 3 each other.

    We often talked about the sunrises and sunsets on the web, and I 4 with Mattie that being a black, I wasn't a beach person because there was no 5 for me to tan(晒黑). He strongly 6me to go to the beach that he and his mom visited. He always 7every single second of the present. He could not understand why everybody wasn't out on the beach at 8 during their vacation, and he couldn't 9 why people would want to miss a 10. I said, “Mattie, most people don't like to 11early on vacation.”

    We also talked a lot about 12. He said to me one day, “I sometimes get a little unhappy or angry when I'm 13of dying. The boys who lived upstairs said that14 I got famous, I should always be happy and never sad. I don't 15 they understand what it's like to know you have to live your life so 16, because unless I keep getting miracles(奇迹), my life here won't 17. I am afraid of the pain of dying and worried about what I will 18 because I love living so, so, so much.”

    After a pause, he continued, “I really do want to be a 19 when I die. My dream is to bring my 20of peace to as many people as possible.”

    I often read of incidents of misunderstanding or conflict. I'm left1.Why do these people create mistrust and problems, especially with those from other2?

    I was growing up in Kuala Lumpur in the early 1960s,3children from different races and religions played and studied4in harmony. At that time my family lived a stone's5from Ismail's. And no one was bothered that Ismail was a Malay Muslim and I was an Indian Hindu-we just6our differences. Perhaps, our elders had not filled our heads with unnecessary advice, well7or otherwise.

    We were nine when we became friends. During the school holidays, we'd8the countryside on our bicycles, hoping to9the unexpected. At times Ismail would accompany my family as we made a rare shopping trip to town. We would be glad of his10.

    When I was twelve, my family moved to Johor. Ismail's family later returned to their village, and I11touch with him.

    One spring afternoon in 1983, I stopped a taxi in Kuala Lumpur. I12my destination. The driver acknowledged my13but did not move off. Instead, he looked14at me. “Raddar?”he said, using my childhood nickname(绰号). I was astonished at being so15addressed(称呼). Unexpectedly! It was Ismail! Even after two16we still recognized each other. Grasping his shoulder, I felt a true affection, something17to describe.

    If we can allow our children to be18without prejudice, they'll build friendships with people, regardless of race or religion, who will be19their side through thick and thin. On such friendships are societies build and20we can truly be, as William Shakespeare once wrote, “we happy few, we band of brothers”.

    My mother asked me to call my grandmother. What could we possibly have a 1about? Nothing! I just did what she told me and2called my grandmother.

    When she3the phone, I planned to have a small, 10-minute exchange.4, she invited me to lunch at her house so we could5together. Hesitantly, I agreed.

    After hanging up the phone, I immediately6agreeing to the lunch date on Saturday.

    Surprisingly, my Saturday morning wasn't 7. I found it was nice to see her. I forgot the time8her stories about her recent trip to Europe and her sewing class. I wasn't9that 60-year-old people had a social life. It turned out that her10wasn't as mundane（平凡的）as I thought. I was happy to have spent time with her. We planned to meet11at her house. My mom didn't have to12me any more.

    This time I didn't feel the gloom(忧郁).13I wanted to ask were building up in my mind: What was my grandfather like? What did you do at my age?

As we looked through pictures, I was14. I had never seen, nor imagined, my grandmother as a young girl. She reminded me of myself. I learned that as humans, we15human experiences, no matter what age.

    She told me about the time she and her friends went swimming in the lake late at night and the first time she met my16. "You would have adored him. He was the funniest man I'd ever met. "We sorted through three shoeboxes of photographs, each with a17story.

    Ever since that18phone call to my grandmother, we have talked at least once a week. I regret not calling her earlier. She has19me what can't be learned in a textbook: being open to new things, enjoying the simple things, and appreciating what life has given me. I have20a new perspective(视角) on life.

    My wife Pat and I were having drinks outside our home, The weather was unusually1for March in Mississippi, There was barely any breeze, After we finished the second cup, flashes of2danced across the sky. When the first drops of rain drove us3 the phone rang.Pat's face4on that gray and hot day. It was our son, David, a helicopter pilot who5in the US Air Force in South Korea. David intended to sound6but we recognized the sign of homesickness from his voice7the power of conversation made us feel8until a crash shook the windows.

    David wondered what it was,“Just thunder,”Pat said.

    There were several seconds of silence,“David”,I asked, “are yo9there?”

    “Yes…apart from the two of you, do you know what else I10most? Thunder, We have rain, wind, and11here, but it never thunders, Remember? Dad, when I was a kid, you laughed me out of fear of thunder? I wish I were there to12with you now.”

    “Yes…”I said, trying to13my tears, On hanging up the phone, I told Pat,“I'm going to record our son some 14”“Bob, the neighbors will think you're crazy.”

    “David won't,” I said and went outside with a recorder, Later I15the tape to David with a single line:A16gift.

    David called again, “Dad,”he said,“you won't believe that some friends and I had a thunder party where we realized we were listening to the sounds of 17 Thanks, Dad! It was really a special present,” While David was in Korea, we found ourselves 18thunderstorms.19feeling blue, we regarded the thunder as special which let us know that wherever we might be, we were 20together as a family.

    Once upon a time, there was a poor man. His 1 was also very poor — a small and empty house, which was 2 with spider webs (蜘蛛网). People tried to 3 coming into his house as they didn't want to come to such a 4 place. And the poor man thought that poverty (贫困) was the 5 for his unlucky life.

    Then, the poor man 6 a wise man and told him about his poverty. The man felt sorry for the poor man and gave him a vase (花瓶). “This will save you from 7,” the wise man 8. The poor man took the 9 from the wise man and wanted to 10 it at first and then spend the money on drinking, as usual. Besides, why would he 11 such a beautiful thing? But then he started 12 the vase carefully and decided not to take it to the market. He brought the vase back to his 13, put it on the table and started watching it again.

    “It's not 14 for such a beautiful thing to be 15” the poor man thought. So he 16 some flowers and put them into the vase. It became even 17. “Not good that such a beautiful thing stands next to a spider web,” the poor man 18 again.

    So the poor man started 19 his house. He cleaned the dust, washed the floor and whitened the walls. And it became clear that his house wasn't poor, 20 rather warm and comfortable. And the poor man wasn't a poor man anymore, but a hard-working host, who had no time to think about poverty.