A group of graduates got together to visit their old university professor.

The conversation soon turned into complaints about 1 in work and life. To offer his 2 coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and 3 with a large pot of coffee and a 4 of cups—plastic, glass, metal, porcelain (陶瓷), crystal, some plain-looking, some beautiful. The professor told his students to 5 themselves to hot coffee. When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said, “lf you have 6, all the nice-looking expensive cups have been 7, leaving behind the plain and 8 ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the 9 of your problems and stress.”

    The professor continued, “Believe that the cup itself adds no 10 to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases it even 11 what we drink. What all of you 12 wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went 13 the best cups.”

    Now 14 this: life is the coffee; the jobs, money, and 15 in society are the cups. 16 are just tools to hold and contain life, and the different types of cups we have don't decide, nor 17 the quality of life. If we concentrate only on the cups, we will 18 to enjoy the coffee in it. So don't let the cups 19 you enjoy the coffee instead." At these words, the graduates looked at each other in 20 embarrassment.

    My husband Jeff and I moved into our new home in Scottsbluff last year just before Christmas. I did not have the 1 or energy to carry out my traditional Christmas decorating and baking activities. What was the point, anyway? It was going to be a 2 Christmas after all.

    3, the neighborly nature of west Nebraska residents started to trickle (陆续来临) in.

    There was a 4on the door one evening. It was Jeff's new colleague, John Smith, and his wife, Phyllis. The Smiths had stopped by to 5 us with a loaf of homemade bread. They pointed out a 6 on the porch (门廊). Apparently the doorbell wasn't working in the cold snowy weather and we had 7 a visit from the Browns, our across-the-street neighbors, who brought us a Christmas card and more Christmas cookies.

    The 8 feelings brought by these thoughtful gestures lasted longer than the food.

    As Jeff and I were9 pre-Christmas snow from our driveway, Ernie Guzman came over from next door to 10 us to dig out.

    Then, we received an invitation to 11 a Christmas Eve meal with our neighbors, Ernie and Nancy Sommer, and their 12—a 90-year-old lady, who also had no family in the immediate area with whom to spend the holiday.

    Our Christmas Eve was quite merry, thanks to our 13. Our Christmas morning 14 was special, thanks to the Smiths' gift of bread. I was so 15 for these gestures of welcome, especially during the holidays.

    This year, we were again unable to be with our families for Christmas. The 16 and work schedules just made things too difficult. 17 that sense of Christmas isolation (孤立) all too well, we decided to try to round up some other folks who were 18 in the holidays.

    Lonely people are all around us, but most of us 19 notice them. Just take a look around you. Sometimes, the smallest 20 gesture can make a world of difference.

    Two old beggars(乞丐)were sitting on a busy street corner of a big city. They watched1as a lot of people walked by without looking at them. Sometimes, a kind-hearted woman or a small child would2a few coins in the hats in front of them.

    Today was not a3day for begging. The men were able to 4enough for a big meal. As it was getting dark, they started to5their things.

    Just as they were getting ready to leave, they6a man walking towards them. He was a7man—they could tell that from his fine clothes. The first beggar said to the second with8, “He's coming our way!” The man stopped,9into his pocket and took something out. What looked like a piece of hard10, wrapped(包裹)in white paper, hit each of their waiting hats. The rich man turned and 11his way.

    “He could have easily left us a few 12or a bill, but he laughed at us with a piece of rock candy,” said the first beggar. He looked at the offering 13 “We can't 14this at all—we have no teeth.” With these words, he picked up the thing and threw it away. Then he collected his things and 15.

    The second beggar wanted to do the same, 16a second thought made him change his 17 “I haven't had anything like this for ages,” he thought. “How 18of that man to offer me something so sweet!” With that, he opened the white paper. To his 19 there was no rock candy inside.20, a shiny white pearl worth thousands of dollars fell into his hand.

    I spent last summer volunteering at a hospital. One morning, I was called to a room in which an 1 woman was staying.2she wanted to go to a nearby gift shop, I got a(n)3 and helped her into it, heading for the shop.

    When we got there, the shop wasn't 4yet. It was merely a 30-minute wait so we went over to the 5 area and I read her bits and pieces of the newspaper aloud. After 30 minutes, we went into the gift shop. Pushing her around, I could see the 6 on her face as she looked at everything. She happily chose some window decorations and then 7chocolates. She asked me to push her8 that direction. I helped her9all the different chocolate arrangements. She 10 decided on three different boxes.

    As she was checking out, she asked the cashier for a 11 and asked me to write the numbers l, 2, and 3 on the boxes. She 12 that the nurses were taking such good care of her, so she 13 chocolates for each of the three shifts of nurses. The moment I wheeled her back up to her room, she gave the 14shift of nurses their box of chocolate, who 15offered some to me before taking some themselves. There were 16 all around.

    17her generosity and getting the opportunity to spend time with someone who got so much pleasure from life was a 18 in itself. Gratitude has an amazing way of bringing people 19 especially in a place where health is so highly20.

    I used to be a very self-centered person, but in the past two years I have really changed. I have started to think about other people 1I think about myself. I am happy that I am becoming a 2person.

    I think my 3started when I was at Palomar College. At first, I just wanted to get my4and be left alone. I thought I was smarter than everyone else, so I hardly ever5to anyone in my classes. By the end of my first semester, I was really 6It seemed as if everyone but me had made friends and was having fun. So I tried a（n）7.I started asking people around me how they were doing, and if they were having trouble I 8to help. That was really a big 9for me. By the end of the year, I had several new friends, and two of 10 are still my best friends today.

    A bigger cause of my new 11, however, came when I took a part-time job at Vista Nursing Home. One old lady there who had Alzheimer's disease became my 12. Every time I came into her room, she was so13because she thought I was her daughter. Her real daughter never 14her, so I took her place. She let me 15that making others feel good made me feel good too. When she died, I was 16, but I was also very grateful to her.

    I think I am a much17person today than I used to be, and I hope I will not18these experiences. They have 19me to care about other people more than about myself. I 20who I am today, and I could not say that a few years ago.

    In the past year I have lost two of the people I loved most. One was my little sister, and the other a best friend. I 1 them. They are still in my heart, and there they'll 2.

    3, when I moved to another city eight years ago, I didn't get to see them as much as I wanted to. Something always seemed to get in my 4­work, my dogs and, yes, the money to fly up for 5 visits.

    I was too 6 to whisper in their ear what they meant to me and to thank them for the 7 they gave me. And this is something I 8. But instead of beating myself up, I'd rather9 from this hardest of lessons.

    I've decided to put those I love 10 everything from now on­to make keeping in 11 the very first to do and to enjoy time with them while they are here. In fact, I have 12 I am going to take something 13 from their loss and enjoy everything more. Not to 14 doing things I can do straight away. To enjoy everything I own. Why? It's as John Lennon said, "life is what happens while you're busy making other plans".

    After the funerals (葬礼) of my darlings, I watched as their 15 dealt with their possessions. It 16 me of sorting out my mother's things following her 17, and the sadness that brought me. I've given up trying to "get ahead" in life; now my very 18 thing is myself and the people and things that make me happy. And I am going to remind those I love that this is the case, not just in writing 19 face to face and as often as I can. Because leaving anything for later is taking the risk that later may never 20.