Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南针). While he was alive, he1 me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important 2: “Believe in yourself.”

    If there was one phrase my dad 3liked to hear, it was “I can't.” He never got to finish high school and 4 two jobs to support his large family, 5 he never complained. Through education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.

    When I was in high school, I had a 6time with math. He tried to help me, but I 7 struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7:00 each morning before school for 8 help. I told Dad, “That's9! I'm tired! I can't do that!” He replied, “You're doing it. I'll send you to school.” Every morning at 6:45, we'd leave the10. Despite (尽管) working 12 hours every day, Dad never once11 driving me to school.

    After months of12, I was facing the final exam. I was so13. On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke, 14yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my15 and in the hours of work I'd 16. When I got my17 proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it!”

    Even now, whenever I18 that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how 19something is, if you're willing to work, you can succeed. I'm forever20 to Dad for that lesson.

A Leap（跳跃）to Honor

    Leaping on a narrow balance beam（平衡木） is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it. To perfect her skills, Lola 1 for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.

    That's especially impressive. 2 she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can't 3how far away things are.

    When she was little, her mom 4 that even though she couldn't see 5, she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the 6 right away and gymnastics became her favorite.

    Though learning gymnastics has been more 7 for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn't let her 8 stop her from doing anything that she wants to.

    She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest 9 is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. 'You have to 10 your mind that it'll take you where you want to go.' says Lola.

    To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most 11 for anyone because it's four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn't fall 12 the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10 — her highest score yet.

    Lola doesn't want to be 13 differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don't know about her vision 14. She doesn't tell them, because she doesn't think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her 15 attitude.

    Lola never thinks about 16. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her 17 is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she's learned to other kids 18 she grew up.

    Lola is 19 of all her hard work and success. She says it's helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her 20 for others is 'just believe yourself'.

    “Paul must have been trying to carry his waste paper to garbage can and dropped a few pieces.” I1picking them up.2later I found more pieces. No quiet sighing this time. I 3“Who is throwing garbage?” No answer. Instead, I saw more bits of paper silently floating4from upstairs. Looking up, I saw my seven-year-old son, Paul.

    “Stop making a mess.” “It's not a mess. They're5.” “Sorry, what did you say?” I hadn't heard him clearly.

    He didn't answer me. Paul has autism (自闭症) and6answers a question, especially when he's 7attentively on something else. He ran down the stairs. “Where are my other butterflies?” he asked,8around. Every time Paul 9five or more words together, my heart says a 10of thanks. But lately he seems to 11that the benefits of forming complete sentences when communicating are12of the effort.

    Butterflies. Of course. I rushed to13them from the garbage,14them off and handed them to my young artist. “Want to see them15again?” he asked with a shy smile. “Oh yes! They're beautiful.” I whispered. He ran back upstairs to float his 16down again. They really did look like beautiful butterflies.

    That day Paul 17me to look up at 18instead of down at garbage. How many other masterpieces (杰作) do I miss because I'm too caught up in my 19to take time to appreciate what's right in front of me? Life is not what happens to us. It's 20we look at it. Now, I look up.

    When I was in the seventh grade, I was a volunteer at a local hospital in my town.Most of the 1 I spent there was with Mr. Gillespie.He never had any visitors and nobody seemed to care about his 2.

    I spent many days there holding his hand and talking to him,3 anything that needed to be done.He became a close friend of mine,4 he responded with only an occasional squeeze(捏) of my 5. Mr. Gillespie was in a coma(昏迷).

    I left for a week to vacation with my parents, and when I came back, Mr. Gillespie was 6. I didn't have the7 to ask any of the nurses where he was, for fear that they might8 me he had died.

    Several 9 later, when I was a senior in high school, I was at the gas station when I noticed a familiar face.When I10 who it was, my eyes filled with tears.He was 11! I got up the nerve to ask him if his name was Mr. Gillespie. With an uncertain look 12 his face, he replied yes.I 13 how I knew him and that I had spent many days talking with him in the hospital.His eyes welled up with tears, and he gave me the warmest hug I had ever 14.

    He began to tell me that15 he lay there comatose(昏迷的), he could hear me talking to him and could 16 me holding his hand the whole time. Mr. Gillespie17 believed that it was my voice and 18 that had kept him alive.

    Although I haven't seen him since, he fills my heart with 19 every day.I know that I made a(n)20 between his life and his death.

    Did The Earth Move For You?

    Eleven-year-old Angela suffered from a disease involving her nervous system. She was unable to1and her movement was restricted in other ways as well. The doctors did not hold out much2of her ever recovering from this illness. They 3she'd spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. They said that4, if any, were able to come back to normal after catching this disease. But the little girl was brave and confident. There, lying in her hospital bed, she would5to anyone who'd listen that she was definitely going to be walking again someday.

    She was then sent to a specialized rehabilitation hospital in the San Francisco Bay area. Whatever therapies(治疗方法) could be6to her case were used. Things didn't work as the therapists expected. Still they were charmed by her7spirit. They taught her about8— about seeing herself walking. If it would do nothing else, it would9give her hope and something 10to do in the long waking hours in her bed. Angela would work as hard as possible in physical therapy, in whirlpools and in exercise sessions. And she worked just as hard lying there11doing her imaging, visualizing herself moving, moving, moving!

    One day, as she was twisting with all her12to imagine her legs moving again, it seemed as though a13thing happened: The bed moved! It began to move around the room! She14out, “Look what I'm doing! Look! Look! I 15it! I moved!”

    Of course, at this very moment everyone else in the hospital was screaming, too, and running for 16. People were screaming, equipment was17and glass was breaking. You see, it was the recent San Francisco earthquake. But don't tell that to Angela. She's18that she did it. And now only a few years later, she's back in school.

    19her own two legs. No crutches(拐杖), no wheelchair. You see, anyone who can shake the earth between San Francisco and Oakland can conquer a little disease. You never know what's around the corner until you take a20step.

    Experts say boredom is good for kids. It forces them to be creative,1their imaginations, and helps them discover new things. A(n)2in point is 13－year－old Luke Thrill from Dubuque, Iowa.

    Luke was3of playing video games and riding his bike, so he decided to build a tiny house in his backyard instead. He made money from cutting lawns(草坪) and4exchanged some services, such as gaining the help of an electrical engineer5sweeping his garage. Luke also6spare materials from his grandmother's house and other7materials from his neighbors for some of the windows and the door.

    The 89－square－foot home cost $1, 500 to build and818 months. Inside there's a kitchenette, a back sitting room, a table and a mounted(镶嵌的) TV, and an upstairs bedroom can be easily9by stairway.

    Although Luke did the10and learned how to do all the work, he had his father's11throughout the project. Greg Thrill was very happy that his son learned to stay on12and deal with grown－ups.13, he had some simple rules when Luke14the house: “You15the money. You build it. And you own it.”

    Luke is now in love with16. He has a YouTube channel and hopes to17other kids to start building.18, he wants to build a bigger tiny house to live in, but for now, he19in his new home a few nights a week, does homework there, and uses it to take a20from his twin brother.