Running for a Dream

     I will never forget that November day. It was hotter than normal. This was the 1my father and I had waited so long for, because we had been working towards this race for three years. Dozens of familiar faces from church and school flashed across my view. They had come 2 me. I saw worry and 3 on my father's face. Then the race began!

        For the first two and a half miles, I felt 4. I had never before been so ready for something. The weeks leading up to the race were filled with controlled5 and a strict diet. My friends hadn't seen me in weeks, but they understood the6  required to make my dream a reality. As in all of my races, I didn't7 out in the front, I loved the pleasure of passing people as my strength overtook their premature speed.

       Then without warning, my strength began to decrease. Neck and neck with one of my greatest competitors, I 8 see the finish line. I had begun the final dash into 9 when my knees became weak and my legs gave way. Nothing I could do would make them 10 weight.

       I watched as runners rushed by me. 11 I knew my dreams of victory were destroyed, I had to finish the race. However, my legs hurt badly. With all of the 12 left in me, I got on my hands and knees and crawled (爬), inch by inch, across the finish line. Voices, both 13 and familiar, cheered me on. They gave me the courage to keep 14 until the very end.

        The doctors were there in seconds, but my eyes searched the crowd for him. There was only one person I wanted to 15to. I whispered, “I'm so sorry, Dad, I'm so sorry I16 you.” He looked at me, saying, “You could never disappoint me. Sometimes these things just 17 ． All that matters is that you did your best.”

      “But we worked so 18 ． What about our dream?” He reached over for my hand and said, “Don't you know that you are my dream and it has come true?”

       It wasn't long before my running shoes were back on, marking a 19 path for my journey, I learned that all of the miles, the tears, the sweat, and the pain my dad and I experienced together were not for a 20. What I realized, though, was that to him, I was the greatest prize he had ever won.

    I was tired and hungry after a long day of work.

    When I walked into the living room, my 12 -year-old son 1 up at me and said, “I love you.” I didn't know what to say. For several 2 , all I could do was to 3  there and looked down at him. My first thought was that he must need 4  with his homework or he was trying to 5  me for some news. Finally I asked. “What was that all about?”

    “Nothing.” He said, “My teacher said we should 6  our parents that we love them and see what they say. It's 7 .”

    The next day I called his teacher to find out more about this “experiment” and how the other parents had 8 .

    “Basically, most of the fathers had the 9  reaction as you did.” The teacher said, “When I first 10  we try this”, I asked the children what they thought their parents would say. Some of them thought their parents would have heart trouble. “The 11  is,” the teacher explained. “feeling loved is an important part of 12 . It's something all human beings 13 . What I am trying to tell the children is that it's too 14  we all don't express those feelings. A boy should be 15  to tell his dad that he loves him.”

    The teacher, a middle-aged man, understands how 16  it is for some of us to say the things that would be good for us.

    When my son came to me that evening, I held on to him for 17  second. And just before he 18  away, I said in my deepest, most manly voice, “Hey, I love you, too.”

    I don't know if saying that made either of us healthier, but it did feel pretty good. Maybe next time one of my children says, “I love you.”, it would not take me a whole 19  to think of the right 20 .

    We all love college reunion(再聚). I feel very lucky to have been able to 1my 25th anniversary reunion. The meals were2welcomed. The celebration was inspiring,3 an overview of the past years. And the 4of my four years on campus were satisfying and5.

    One of my favourite parts was 6about the lives of my classmates. Their7lives-families, relationships-and also their professional work. There's the classmate who is an organic farmer and a leader in the effort to 8 other farmers about organic farming skills; the classmate who9over her family's power plant; the classmate who 10her own company; the classmate who went to a(n)11school and now works as a delivery nurse. All are inspirational. What they also 12 is a commitment to learning, leading, challenging and contributing, all things we learned the value of in college.

    Then there is our classmate who passed away in January 2017. He shared the commitment to all the 13listed above, as well as to the value of adventure and positive thinking. He was missed14 words. As a class, we 15him on Saturday evening and as a college, we did honor to him, along with other classmates who have passed away in the past five years, at a memorial service on Sunday morning. I was honored, on16 of our class and our college, to read his name and 17a candle for him at the service. This classmate was an18throughout his short life.

    I have been 19 on my 25th reunion and on my college days and all the days since. I am 20for the lessons I have learned so far. And I am inspired.

    I worried about my personal image and how I could be remembered during my boyhood. In the fifth grade, there seemed to be only one 1－to be cool. In the sixth grade, suddenly, there were two choices: be cool, or be invisible. 2 one day, when a teacher had us fill out a questionnaire with 3 questions, I found the4 option.

    Assuming the teacher would read our answers privately, I felt it was 5 to share my privacy. To my 6, she collected and redistributed (重新分发) them to us. We were asked to 7 the name and our three favorite answers to the whole class. My answers went to the meanest boy in class.

    The first question was “What's your favorite movie?” My answer was Beauty and the Beast. A laugh erupted and my cheeks 8. The next was “Where would you like to travel?” My answer was 9 special — “Wherever a book takes me.” The 10 this time had an explosive quality.

    I could11 remember what happened next; all that I had in mind was the laughter. But something amazing happened. A(n) 12 came, “Guys, cut it out.” The room went 13. It's Michelle Siever, a popular and cool girl. Then she 14, “Why are you laughing? What is the point of 15 if we just laugh at others?”

I can't remember the teacher or other kids' names, but I remember Michelle's. When she 16 for me that day, she 17 me we actually have three choices if we want to be remembered.

    Be cool, and you might be remembered 18. Stay invisible, and you won't be remembered at all. But if you stand up 19 someone when he or she 20you most, then you will be remembered as their hero for the rest of their life.

    Many families usually take their children to travel during school breaks. But Julie and Tim Rivenbark planned a(n)1vacation with their two children―a one-year trip around the world. They plan to230 countries in all.

    Right now, the four travellers are about halfway through their 3. Ms. Rivenbark says they are trying to see as much of the4as they can.

    Mr. Rivenbark says the family has5on ostrich (鸵鸟) birds, elephants, and camels. But, he says, one of the most6experiences of the trip has been meeting new people.

    “People have been7friendly and welcoming and love our kids―and it's lovely to see them interacting (互动) with new people and their8to see our kids enjoying themselves in their country.”

    Eleven-year-old Tyler says he has enjoyed9about the people they have met. “I learned in Africa that people have very10lifestyles to those in America.” His sister Kara11that she liked Thai food.

    Ms. Rivenbark says that the trip is12the children a lot more than short visits would have. “I think that the longer we travel, the more13it has on how they see the world. I can see them14more than they can see themselves,” she said.

    It took the family a year to15for the trip. They had to sell their house and cars. Ms. Rivenbark16her job and her husband is using unpaid leave. They carry small bags17lightweight clothing and whatever else they need. Ms. Rivenbark says she18being able to carry everything she needs on her back.

    Tyler and Kara each have iPads so they can communicate with teachers to stay19with their schoolwork. Tyler is also20a 365-day video blog.

    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 Mrs. Neidl would ask me for my 2. She wanted to know how I thought we should 3 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 take 10. I had been so afraid of failing but suddenly there was no failing—only things to 11 upon. I learned to dip my brush into the paint and 12 create something.

    The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was 13 in the program as "Student Art Assistant" because of the time and effort I'd put in. It was that year that I 14 I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing stage design.

    Being on that stage-design team 15 Mrs. Neidl changed me completely. Not only was I stronger and more competent than I had thought, but I also 16 a strong interest and a word I hadn't known existed. She taught me not to 17 what people think I should do. She taught me to take chances and not be 18. Mrs. Neidl was my comforter when I was upset. Her 19 in me has inspired me to do things that I never imagined 20.