I met Mrs. Neidl in the ninth grade on a stage-design team for a play and she was one of the directors. Almost instantly I loved her. She had an Unpleasant voice and a direct way of speaking,1 she was encouraging and inspiring. For some reason, she was impressed with my work and me.

    Mrs. Neidl would ask me for my 2  . She wanted to know how I thought we should3 things. At first I had no idea how to answer because I knew 4  about stage design! But I slowly began to respond to her 5 . It was cause and effect: She believed I had opinions, so I began to 6  them. She trusted me to complete things, so I completed them perfectly. She loved how 7  I was, so I began to show up to paint more and more. She believed in me, so I began to believe in myself.

    Mrs. Neidl's 8  that year was, "Try it. We can always paint over it 9 !"I began to take10 . I had been so afraid of failing but suddenly there was no failing--only things to be11  upon. I learned to dip my brush into the paint and12  create something.

    The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was13  in the programs "Student Art Assistant" because of the time and effort I'd put in. It was that year that I14  I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing stage design.

    Being on that stage-design team15  Mrs. Neidl changed me completely. Not only was I stronger and more competent than I had thought, but I also16  a strong interest and a world I hadn't known existed. She taught me not to17  what people think I should do: She taught me to take chances and not be18 . Mrs. Neidl was my comforter when I was upset. Her 19 in me has inspired me to do things that I never imagined20 .

    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."

    Until a few years ago, I had what most people would call a good life. I had a 1job that paid the bills; I had a good family that I was close to, and I had a place to live and money in the bank for trips and 2, and there was nothing much wrong in my life.3, I was bored.

    I wanted 4. I wanted to live brightly and loudly and make sharp memories instead of the 5 ones of everyday life. But I was 6. I've never had any7in myself. As a child, even buying something in a shop caused me a great deal of 8, and even though I did get better as I got older, I never really9 that childhood shyness.

    And I tried everything, like reading books about confidence. I took tiny steps leading to my goals. But none of them really10.

    So I 11 that the small steps weren't enough. I signed up for an internship（实习期）teaching English in Vietnam, an12 huge step, one that13 me as much as it excited me. And then the day came and I left my home and my loved one. I was alone in a country where the food was14 and the streets were dirty. I had no idea whether I would be able to 15everything this very strange environment would16 at me.

    I spent five months in Vietnam, teaching and exploring and laughing. I'd learned to 17 myself, my skills, my abilities and my decisions. I returned home 18, even to myself, let alone to others. The19 that had controlled my life and the self-doubt completely20.

    That one big chance changed everything for me, and in me.

    Almost everything was fantastic in the nature camp except for a girl, Elizabeth. When I saw her sitting alone in the hot sun at lunch, I asked her to eat with us under a(n) 1 tree. However, Elizabeth refused my kind 2. When we invited her to play volleyball with us, Elizabeth 3 our invitation, too. After a few more 4 refusals like that, I decided to stay away from Elizabeth.

    It 5 that we were going on a nature 6 and that our instructor paired everyone up with a partner. Guess who my partner turned out to be. It was Elizabeth!

    "What do you like to do 7?" I asked, trying to make small 8 as we started out. "I like to 9 in peace and quiet," Elizabeth 10. So we had the quietest and most peaceful hike in the world 11 we saw a bird. "I think his wing is hurt. Poor little bird," Elizabeth said 12. "He might be taking a rest over there." I said. Elizabeth nodded. Then she whispered, "But what if he's in 13, like my granddad?" "Your granddad?" I said. "He 14 and broke his leg the day the camp started. He's 15 in hospital and is in so much pain," Elizabeth explained. I noticed she was 16. "I'm sorry for what I have done. For some reason, whenever I get really sad, I act 17 and want to be alone," she added.

    "I get it," I said. "I don't always know how to 18 it when I'm feeling down, either." "Thanks," she said, wiping off her tears.

    After that, Elizabeth seemed to get along well with us, and I think she actually 19 the last few days of the camp.

    Next time, if someone is unfriendly, give him a second 20. Maybe he's going through a tough time.

    When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant1Miller King, who was the best 2at our school.

    Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for 3.

    Just before September, Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm. I went to see him after he came back from 4 He looked very5, but he didn't cry.

    That season, I 6all of Miller's records while he 7 the home games  from the bench. We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player, 8I often had crazy dreams in which it was I who caused Miller's 9.

    One afternoon, I was 10 the field to go home and saw Miller stuck(困住) going over a fence—which wasn't 11 to climb if you had both arms. I'm sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to 12 help from. But even that challenge he accepted. I  13him move slowly over the fence. When we were finally14 on the other side, he said to me, "You know, I didn't tell you this during the season, but you did15. Thank you for filling in for 16 ."

    His words freed me from my bad 17. I thought to myself, how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated, he was18ahead of me. I was right to have 19 him. From that day on, I grew  20 and a little more real.

Nanjing Yunjin brocade is traditional Chinese silk art with a history of about 1,600 years. Its complex weaving techniques, various colors and patterns, and its particular choices of materials make it valuable and ancient people said, "An inch of brocade, an inch of gold." Today, the traditional characteristics and unique skills of yunjin remain to be an award-winning art treasure. Its techniques are passed down from generation to generation by artisans. 

Zhou Shuangxi, a national-level inheritor of yunjin weaving techniques, is one of them. Back in 1973, he graduated from a mining school and was selected to become a student at the NanjingYunjin Research Institute along with five other students, just because he was "in good shape". There were only several masters in their 70s and not even a loom (织布机) to use. "The old masters finally remembered a loom was stored somewhere. When I opened the door, I saw what seemed like a pile of wood," Zhou recalled. 

"Weaving was difficult, but different from mining. Mining requires heavy physical labor, but working with the soft and thin silk requires studying and practicing in front of a loom for decades until you master the technique. My hands became quite awkward due to mining, so I used to put my hands in warm water whenever I could. In this way, they could become softer and weave the silk more easily," he said. 

Out of the six or so students, Zhou is the only one who has insisted on the trade to this day. Having devoted the past five decades to yunjin production despite all the sweat and struggles, he has developed his techniques to the point where he can weave the antique dragon robes in all their small details. He also made various artworks that not only show China's intangible cultural heritage but also serve as Zhou Shuangxi's artistic creations. 

"I am lucky to be in such a good era and I have the honor of being a representative inheritor," Zhou said.