On our first anniversary, Jack bought a bottle of Casaque, an expensive cologne（古龙香水）for me. "We agreed to save the money for your postgraduate education", I said somewhat half-heartedly as I took it out from a beautifully-wrapped packet. "I am unable not to give something 1 to the world's most beautiful bride, honey!" I held it to my2, and smelled the most pleasant flavor I could ever3. Looking down at my4blue jeans and ugly, ragged tennis shoes, I wondered if I could ever be worthy of it. But I would 5. I used only a little of it every time 6Jack graduated and our life was financially easier. It's a 7the foolish love of a young husband.

       Then one day three-year-old Jim was sitting on the floor8the empty cologne bottle. His lips wet, he was making a(n) 9face. He drank my10cologne! "Jack, come quick," I cried, "can cologne11my baby? Jim drank the rest of it!" "It's mostly just alcohol, honey," Jack12me. Little Jim was fine, and my concern for my child was13. I now felt 14to see the empty cologne bottle.

      A few weeks later, Jack bought another bottle of my beloved cologne. I 15it as much as I had done to the earlier one. 16, it became three-quarters empty. I thought it best to buy another 17. But the shop assistant told me that there wasn't even a maker of that brand any more.

    Now I only use my special cologne on very important occasions, because there will be18to replace it when these last few precious19are gone. But from the bottom of my heart it's not three-quarters empty but still one-quarter full. Perhaps if I'm very careful, I can 20using it for the rest of my life.

    As I was sitting in a coffee shop in a town, a man entered and sat beside me.

    He 1 his order saying, “Two cups of coffee, one on the wall.” I heard this order with 2 and observed that he was served with one cup of coffee but he 3 two. The waiter 4 a piece of paper on the wall saying A Cup of Coffee.

    5 I was still there, two other men entered and 6 three cups of coffee, two on the table and one on the wall. The waiter did the 7; he pasted a piece of paper on the wall saying, A Cup of Coffee.

    It seemed that this gesture was a 8 in this town.

    The next day while I was 9 my coffee in the same coffee shop, a man 10 entered. As he seated himself, he looked at the 11 and said, one cup of coffee from the wall. The waiter served the poorly-dressed man with 12. The man had his coffee without paying. The waiter took 13 a piece of paper from the wall and threw 14 in the dust bin.

    I was deeply moved by the great 15 for the needy shown by this town. Coffee is not a necessity of life. 16, when we take pleasure in any blessing, maybe we need to think about those who cannot 17 to have it.

    I also admire the waiter, who is playing a 18 role to get the communication going between the affording and the 19 with a smile on his face. The poorly-dressed man entered the coffee shop without having to 20 his self-pride. He simply looked at the wall, placed an order for himself, and enjoyed his coffee with dignity.

    My mother and I started our morning by rushing into the local grocery store. I waited in line at the Starbucks counter while she 1 around to pick up a few things.

    As I was 2 there I noticed an elderly woman, wearing layers（层）3 layers of old torn clothing, moving behind me in line.

    She had a few toiletries（化妆品）and seemed to want the Starbucks cashier to 4 since our queue was shorter than the grocery store queues were.

    At some point I became 5 of her moving closer behind me — it was 6 than I was comfortable with! I instinctively（本能地）7 a hand over my purse and drew it closer to me. My fear and imagination raced creating wild 8 about this homeless woman who might try to 9 from me.

    Then it was my 10 to order. As the cashier rang up my total, I discovered I was 37 cents 11. I called to my mother but she was hard of hearing. She asked me to 12 what I said but she still couldn't 13 me out.

    At that point, a long grey arm, with 14 in its sleeves, 15 over from behind me. She laid 37 cents out on the counter, saying, "Here. We all need some 16 sometimes."

    I was 17 ! Here was a woman who clearly had very little to 18 and in great need herself. I had judged her 19 and she had reached out, voluntarily, to help me!

    What an amazing gift and lesson this woman gave me about 20 others. Thank you, God!

    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.

    The most delicious memories happen during the holidays. 1 them are my little girls at the church play, the moment they got their first angel wings, or New Year's snowmen with bright scarves. 2 there is one memory that is a little bittersweet. This story 3 to mind a colorful candy dish and a very little boy. The occasion was sometime between Christmas and New Year when a few candies in a dish 4 dull December day.

    Wrapped against the cold, my then 3-year-old grandson, Justin, and I had dashed from the 5 of my parked car into the building where I had a few work-related tasks to 6. A secretary  7 us as we brushed the snow from our clothes. Then, I 8 myself seeing to the business that had brought us there. But while my grandson's hand remained in mine, his 9 moved to the candy dish sitting nearby.

    As we turned to leave, the 10 woman behind the desk asked the question all children wait to hear.

    "Honey," she said, looking at Justin. "Would you like a candy?"

    The boy looked up 11, his eyes meeting mine. After a slight 12 from me he hurried over to the candy dish. Without hesitation, his little hands grabbed one – and only one – and then he began to  13 his way back to me.

    "Justin!" I said from the doorway, a little loudly as I realized 14 had been forgotten. "15 do you say?"

    The little boy returned to the candy dish.

    "Get 16 one, too!"

    I laughed. The secretary laughed. And 17 little Justin innocently (天真地) laughed at the fun we were having.

    But in that moment, I saw something about Justin that remained long after the 18 of the candy had disappeared. My grandchild was already a person with a lot of 19 in his heart.

    In the years since, I've enjoyed a laugh or two thinking back on that moment. Really, what could be 20?

    Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get. Each of us fails from time to time. If we are wise, we accept these failures as a 1 part of the learning process. But all too often as parents and teachers we 2 this same right to our children. When I see a child 3 from this kind of pressure, I think of Donnie.

    Donnie was my youngest third-grader. His 4 of failure kept him from classroom games that other children enjoyed. He 5 answered questions ­ he was afraid he might be wrong. I tried my best to build his 6. But nothing changed until midterm, when Mary Anne, a student teacher, was assigned to our classroom. She was young and pretty, and she loved children. My pupils, Donnie included, all 7 her very much.

    One morning, we were working on math problems at the chalkboard. Donnie had 8 the problems with pains-taking tidiness. Pleased with his progress, I 9 the children with Mary Anne and went for art materials. When I returned, Donnie was in 10. He'd missed the third problem. My student teacher looked at me in despair.  Suddenly her face 11. From the desk we shared, she got a container filled with pencils. "Look, Donnie, " she said, kneeling beside him and gently 12 the tear-stained (弄脏的) face from his arms. "I've got something to 13 you." She removed the pencils, one at a time, and placed them on his desk. "See these 14, Donnie, " she continued. "They belong to Mrs. Lindstrom and me. See how the erasers are 15? That's because we make mistakes too. But we erase the mistakes and try again. That's what you 16 learn to do, too." She kissed him and stood up. "Here," she said, "I'll leave one of these pencils on 17 desk so you'll remember that everybody makes mistakes, 18 teachers." Donnie looked up with love in his eyes and a smile.

    The 19 became Donnie's prized possession. That, together with Mary Anne's frequent encouragement, gradually 20 him that it's all right to make mistakes ­ as long as you erase them and try again.