I remember quite well a day 17 years ago. That day, our twin sons, Chad and Brad, 1 their car and left home to attend college. I realized that our 2 would soon become a "table for two". 3 , the boys would come home on the weekends, but 4 , I knew our family life would never be exactly the same again.

    The boys walked around each room to 5 they hadn't forgotten anything they needed. I packed a cooler with 6 and their favorite cold snacks. I found a box and filled it with essential 7 items. I thought they might go to bed hungry that night. I 8 my wallet and placed the little bit of 9 I had in their hands.

    We all walked 10. Chad and Brad gave me big 11 and quickly got into their car. I 12 as they drove away. When their car was 13, I sat down on the driveway and cried 14 than I had cried in a long time. My husband Roy tried to 15 me, but I could see grief in his eyes, as well.

    There are many parents who would 16 this period. Bittersweet feelings will be 17 while I cannot explain them adequately. I can still remember 18 I felt when we began that new chapter in our lives.

    19 time going by, however, Roy and I are now accustomed to our table for two and we enjoy our lives together. I have to admit I still miss our children and the old 20 we had together.

    One night last February, seventeen-year-old Duffy drove home1 a winding road, he saw a 2light thrown against the tree. “I knew it wasn't the moon”, he said. “I drive this road 3and I notice little things 4”

    Duffy stopped his car and got out to 5Below him far down in the deep valley 6a broken car with its headlights on. Thirty minutes 7a man had driven off the edge of the road, which has no guardrail（护栏）. His car fell and8over, landing on its top more than two hundred feet 9

    Duffy 10to call for help, then returned and got down to reach the 11driver. Snow covered the valley and the temperature was below 12After struggling back up the cliff（悬岸）, Duffy 13his jacket and shirt and wrapped the injured man in time, along with the blankets from his 14.

   15deeds are starting to become16action for Duffy, the oldest of seven children. When he was 12, he17his ten-year-old brother from drowning（溺水）. Two years ago, his three-year-old sister 18rat poison（毒药）, and Duffy cleaned out her mouth, made her drink milk to protect her 19and called doctors.

    “We have tried to teach the children good 20and it looks like we have got some reward for it,” his father says.

Hope in my arms

    Last year, I was invited to participate in a carnival（嘉年华） for Tuesday' s Child, an organization that helps children with AIDS.

    All the children that had 1 at one special room could paint a square on a piece of cloth. Later the squares would be sewn(缝) together to2 a quilt. The quilt would be presented to a man who had devoted his life to the   3 and would soon be retiring.

    The kids were given paints in bright colors and asked to paint something that would make the quilt beautiful. As I looked around at all the squares, I saw pink hearts, blue clouds, orange sunrises and red flowers. The pictures were all bright and 4. All except one.

    One boy was painting a heart, but it was dark and lifeless. It lacked the bright colors that his fellow artists had used. I asked why. He told me that he was very5 and so was his mom. He said that his sickness was not ever going to get better and 6 was his mom's. He looked7into my eyes and said, "There is no hope in my life."

    I told him I was sorry and I could understand why he had made his heart a dark color. I told him that8 we couldn't make him better, we can give 9, which can really help when you are feeling sad. I told him that if he would like, I would be happy to give him one so he could see what I meant. 10, he crawled(爬上) into my lap（大腿）. I thought my own heart would burst for this sweet little boy. He sat there for a long time. Finally he slipped 11to finish his coloring.

    As I was getting ready to12 home, I felt a tug (猛拽) on my jacket. Standing there was the little boy,13. He said, "My heart is changing14. It is getting brighter. I think those hugs really do 15." On my way home I felt my own heart. It too had changed to a brighter color.

    I'm currently at a unique university, an inclusive one where 46 speech and hearing 1 students graduate each year. I have been working with these students to help them get clear on their career goals.

    Today, an 2 thing happened. One girl came at around 11: 30 am and sat down. I started with what we usually do. She can speak but cannot 3 or lip-read. So she started speaking in Tamil. When I managed to tell her that I couldn't speak Tamil, she spoke English.

    I 4 asking one question, and she went on for 10 minutes 5, and in Tamil. I understood a 6 of words here and there, so I knew she was not saying something 7 to what I asked. I was just looking straight in her eyes and smiling. I kept on 8 her without saying a word. This went on for an hour and a half!

    Then after a long 9, I told her to get back on 10 with another question. And then she shared for another half an hour straight! The 11 time I was just looking in her 12 but never 13 down.

    I had absolutely no 14 what she spoke for these hours, but what I knew was that I was listening to 15 she was sharing and also started understanding a bit in 16. Several times, I would 17 with a simple question: Are you happy? And she would 18 on.

    I was 19 happy because I saw her smiling in the end. And then, I just 20 and hugged her and she was smiling even wider.

    Two-year-old Nancy is deaf. However, that hasn't stopped her from being a(n)  1 little girl trying to "chat" to anyone she meets. As soon as she goes out into town with her parents, she starts 2 in the hope that the person she is talking to 3 sign language too.

    Normally, hearing loss is a social 4 for those who don't know how to use sign language. Anyone Nancy tried to talk to 5 this and felt so sorry they couldn't 6. They wished they could 7 her and say something back, but they found themselves completely 8.

    Then, something amazing happened. Instead of causing a 9, this barrier brought the community together. Determined to 10 sign language so that they could talk to Nancy, her 11 hired an instructor on their own, and now they are 12 to taking classes together. The teacher 13 that this is really remarkable because, quite often, even the parents of deaf children don't 14 to learn the language. But here Nancy has a full community that is signing and communicating with her, and it is a 15story.

    The teacher also says that this level of inclusion will make a huge difference in Nancy's 16. It almost certainly guarantees that she will be a happier and more 17 individual in the future. Nancy's parents are already noticing a 18 in their daughter and they have no words to express how 19 they are to their neighbors.

    With a little girl and a lot of love, the neighbors 20 make the neighborhood a community.

    A wise man was passing through a city. While he was walking, he 1 a coin on the road. He picked it up. Despite his 2 life, he was satisfied and he had no use of that coin. So, he planned to 3 it. 4, throughout the day he didn't find such a person. Finally, he reached the 5 area and spent a night there.

    Next morning, he 6 up and was told that a king was going for his invasion of another state with his army. When the king saw the wise man, he 7 his army to stop. He came to the wise man and said, "I am going to beat another 8. Thus, my state can be 9. So 10 me to be victorious".

    After 11, the wise man gave the coin to the king! The king was confused with this because he is already one of the 12 kings! He 13 asked, "What's the meaning?"

    The wise man explained, "I found this coin yesterday in your 14. But I had no 15. So I had 16 that I would donate it. I walked around till the evening, but found no one such. "

    "Everyone was living a 17 life. It seemed that they were satisfied with what they had. But today, the king of this state, still has the desire to 18 more and is not satisfied with what he already has. I feel you are 19 this coin."

    The king realized his 20 and gave up the planned war.