A big storm took us by surprise. We didn't 1 to be hit hard so we didn't leave our home. When we realized our yard was 2and more water was coming, it was too late to move.

    We had to climb on3of the roof (屋顶) to get away from the water after it started entering the house. The 4 went off, it was extremely dark and we were 5 We had to tie ourselves to each other, because the 6 was very strong. I had my laptop with me and kept posting cries for7 We stayed on the roof for eight hours 8 we were rescued.

    It was a 9 night. Some people lost their lives. Many houses were completely 10 Our neighbor's roof was blown away.11 although our house was also hit, it remained intact (完整的).

    At present, we keep going back, taking many photos—an requirement 12 the insurance company. We expect them to make an assessment of the damage, and then hopefully,13 our losses. And I'm particularly 14 that my university projects were lost. That means more work for me and I am due to graduate in December.

    We are now 15 at a friend's house in Brooklyn. We won't be able to return to our house in months. There's no information about the support for the 16 of this storm. All we hear is to go to the shelter.

    But now I'm 17 because my family and I are alive. And it's important to18 that there are still people 19 food, shelter, or gas in the cold weather. It's a truly terrible time for the city now but I believe everything will 20.

    The friendship between us lasts forever. Mary Allen was my best friend— 1a sister. We did 2together, piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding, and 3.

    When I was 13, my family moved. Mary and I kept in4through letters, and we saw 5on special occasions—like my wedding and 6.Soon we were busy7children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less8.One day a card that I 9came back stamped "Address Unknown". I had no 10how to find Mary.

    Over the years, I thought of Mary often. I wanted to11stories of my children and then grandchildren. I needed to share my sorrow when my brother and then my mother died. There was an 12place in my heart that only a friend like Mary 13fill.

    One day I was reading a newspaper 14I noticed a picture of a young woman 15looked a lot like Mary and whose last name was Wagman—Mary's married name. "There must be thousands of Wagmans, " I thought, but I wrote to her 16.

    She called as soon as she got my letter. "Mrs Tobin！" she said 17, "Mary Allen Wagman is my mother." Minutes later I heard a voice that I 18at once, even after 50 years. We laughed and cried and asked about each other's lives.

    Now the empty place in my heart is 19, and there's one thing that Mary and I know20 we won't lose each other again!

    It was Mother's Day and I was shopping at the local supermarket with my five-year-old son, Tenyson. As we were 1 ， we realized that only minutes earlier an 2 woman had fallen over at the entrance and hit her head on the ground. 3was with her, but there was blood everywhere and the woman was embarrassed and clearly in shock. 4, a lot of people stopped to help out.

    5we were walking towards the scene, Tenyson became very 6about what had happened to the elderly people. He 7to me, "Mom, it's not much fun falling over in front of 8." Seeing that there was a flower stall（摊位）in the front of the supermarket, he added, "Why shouldn't we 9  the lady a flower? It will make her feel better." I was 10that he'd come up with this 11  idea. So we went over and told the flower seller 12 we wanted. "Just take it," she replied. "I 13 take your money for such a wonderful 14.”

    By now medical staff had arrived, and were 15 the injured woman. We gave the flower to the woman's husband and I told him it was 16my son. At that, the old man started crying and said, "Thank you very much." He then turned to me, "You have a 17 son. Happy Mother's Day to you."

    The man bent down and gave his wife the flower, telling her who it was from. 18being badly hurt, the old lady looked up at Tenyson with 19 in her eyes and gave him a little 20.

    I remember the first day when I saw Sally playing basketball. I watched in wonder as she struggled her way through the crowed of boys on the playground. She seemed so

    1 but she managed to shoot jump shots just over their heads and into the net. The boys always tried to stop her 2 nobody could.

    I began to notice Sally at other times, basketball in hand, playing 3. She practiced dribbling(运球) and 4 over and over.

    One day I asked Sally why she 5 so much. Without a moment of hesitation she said, "I want to go to college. The only way I can go is to get a 6. I'm going to play college basketball and I want to be the best one. I believe if I am 7 enough, I will get one. My father has told me that if the dream is big enough, the facts don't8. "

    I 9 her through those junior high years and into high school. Every week, she led her team to 10. One day in her senior year, I saw her sitting on the grass, her head

    11 in her arms. Slowly and quietly, I walk 12 and sat down beside her. "What's wrong?" I asked. "Oh, nothing," came a soft reply, "I am just too short. " The 13 told her that at 165 cm she would probably never play for a top team -- still less she would be 14 a scholarship -- so she should stop dreaming about college.

    I felt she was extremely 15. I asked her if she had talked to her dad about it yet. She told me that her father said those coaches were 16. They didn't understand the17 of a dream.

    The next year, Sally was seen by a college basketball coach after a big game. She was 18 offered a scholarship and 19 to the college education that she had 20and worked toward for all those years.

    It's true: if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count.

    My husband and I both were working in a lonely village in northern Thailand. There were many 1, particularly around our housing.

    We 2 our house this past June. Shortly after, while we were working at the office, the 3 removed all the surrounding banana trees and the grass in order to raise the ground level — she had 4 on tearing down our house and building a new one after we left.

    She brought in tons of 5. This left our house in a kind of moat(壕沟), and when the heavy rain came, our house 6. This was upsetting, but it turned into something 7, because when the headmaster at my school became 8 of it, he got my eighth-grade class to come to help 9 up.

    The boys dug into the moat to drain the water, and built a path out to the street, 10 the girls mopped up the water inside and spread newspapers to 11 it. Before the problem was truly 12, however, we had another flood. This turned into a 13, with teachers and students again 14, and our host mother bringing lunch for everyone.

    Another time, my husband suddenly got very 15. It was going to take the 16 two hours to reach our house, 17 my co-teacher arranged for a truck from the government office to take us to meet it--this truly helped greatly by 18 two hours off the ride.

    There were many other 19 of care and kindness. This community is dear to our hearts, and there is no way we can ever 20 them. I plan to try my best to pay it forward by looking for people in need of help.