It was 4 o'clock in the morning, when I received the phone call.

  “This is the emergency room calling and your son was just 1 in with severe burns on his face, neck and arms. We have called for a(n)2 and are going to fly him to the burn unit in Seattle.” Seattle was 350 miles from his college, so we knew immediately this was 3.

    The doctor described the 4, which caused the burns. At 6 am, our son and his friends decided to barbecue hamburgers in the courtyard of their apartment. When they 5 the charcoal(木炭), it burst into flames because they had sprayed too much gasoline. The flames 6 my son's shirt tail and shot from his waist to well over his head.

      7, one of the boys who was quick—minded grasped my son and 8 him on the grass. While it saved his life, it was not in 9 to save him from severe burns and the terrible scars.

    After he 10 from the treatments, the doctors told him they would not do plastic surgery(整容) for 6 months 11 it takes that long for the skin to stop wrinkling(起皱). So, he had to return to college with scars typical of severe burns.

    When I was a child, my mother told my sister，who had a 10-inch very  12 scar on her arm, “Nancy，if you ignore the scar, other people will ignore it. It does not mean they will not 13 it, but it means it will not matter to them if it doesn't matter to you.

     I 14 this wisdom on to my son. He took my advice to 15 and returned to school with his head held high—glad he was alive.

By the end of the six-month waiting period, he decided that the scars did not 16. So he made the 17 to give up any plastic surgery.

    We all have “scars” that we believe 18 people to keep away from us. And we spend a lot of time thinking that if only we looked differently, or dressed differently, people would like us better. But you see, people will only judge you by your looks or your clothes if you are judging yourself by these same19 standards. Put your imperfections out of your mind and concentrate on what you value 20 yourself, and your beauty will shine through.

    Five years ago I was working in an office. My life was all about dealing with complaints, meeting deadlines and writing reports. I wasn't completely bored 1it didn't excite me. One 2I went out to buy a sandwich. It was sunny and I wasn't 3at work, so I decided to 4 it in the park. I could see a group of people 5a TV programme nearby. They seemed to be arguing about something and everybody looked very6 .

Suddenly I realized everyone was 7me. And then two of them started walking over—towards me! They 8that they were making a short film and one of their actors hadn't 9 . He only had one line in the story, they said. Would I mind 10 the line?

    I could tell they were desperate and although I'd never done any acting in my life, for some reason I  11.

    An hour later we finished. It was really an amazing experience. The people were very 12 and paid me for my time. However, 13 I was leaving, the director of the film came over and 14 me his card. He thought I'd been brilliant and was naturally talented as a(n)15 I laughed but16 to call him some time.

    Well, I did call him. I went for an audition(试演)for another short film with the director. And I got the 17 . Two years later I 18  my office job and I'm now working almost full-time as an actor. I love the work and I'm going back to college next year to study 19 . My life is now completely20, all because of that lunch in the park.

    I grew up on a big farm in the small rural community of Catevisa, Missouri, as the sixth of seven children. My parents, Archie and Altha, often 1 during meals how everything on the table came from the 2.

    Besides running the farm, Dad was also a 3. In the fall of 1970, he was working on a house when the ladder broke 4. His back was fractured in two places and 5needed rescue.

    He stayed in the hospital for three weeks, 6 his back to align (校准) correctly so the bones would 7 perfectly.

    On Thanksgiving, Dad was still in the hospital. We always killed pigs the day after the holiday so that we had enough pork 8 for the next year, and that year my uncle 9 with a couple of cousins to help my three older brothers prepare our year's supply.

    After Dad returned home, he was in a back brace, saddened for 10 to work. Worse still, the doctor told us his chance of complete recovery was 11. I was too young to realize our family had no money coming 12 as Christmas approached.

    One night we heard a car coming up the long driveway and we kids were 13 about who was visiting. Peggy Phelan, my neighbor, was at the door, holding an envelope 14 with money which, according to her account, she had 15 in the community. And she was there to 16 it!

Dad tried to 17 but Peggy would have none of it. I can still hear her saying, "Archie, whenever someone's baler (压捆机) is broken, you help them to bale their hay. Every time someone passes away, Altha is cooking. It's our18."

    That evening, I understood what being a good neighbor was, and that 19 my parents were good neighbors, their 20 would be paid back.

    When I was a kid, my mum liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night 1 when she had made dinner after a long, hard day at 2.

    On that evening so long ago, my mum 3 a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember 4 to see if anyone noticed! 5 all my dad did was reach for his toast, 6 at my mum and ask me how my day was at school… I don't remember what I told him that night, but I do remember 7 him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

    When I got up from the table that evening, I remembered hearing my mum 8 to my dad for burning the toast. And I'II never 9 what he said: "Honey, I love 10 toast."

    Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really 11 his toast burned. He 12 me in his arms and said, "Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she's really 13. And besides, a burned toast never 14 anyone!"

    15 is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I'm not the best at anything, 16 I forget holidays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I've 17 over the years is that learning to accept each other's 18 — and 19 to celebrate each other's differences — is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and 20 relationship where a burned toast isn't a deal-breaker!

    It had been a long drive to the Veteran's hospital. My brother and I had gone to1my Dad who had been2days earlier, weak, sick and confused. The3had diagnosed him with pneumonia(肺炎) and found cancer cells in his brain. My Dad looked so4lying there in bed. It wasn't just the5that was getting to him. It was also being so6his family and friends.

    As I sat by his7, a little woman with a big smile8into his room. She was at least 80 years old but seemed to have the9of someone 60 years younger. She was a volunteer10handmade get-well cards from the local elementary school. Gently, she took my Dad's hand and thanked him for his service to our country. It was the first time since he had gotten11that I saw my Dad smile. I12her into the hallway as she left and13her for lifting my Dad's14. "I am just sharing a little15, sweetie," she said with a smile as she walked into the next16room to share a little more.

    That 80-year-old angel reminded me again of what is17in this life: sharing our love. When we share our love, we create18not only in the hearts of those19us, but in our own hearts as well. When we share our love, we find ourselves doing what we were always20to do. When we share our love, we make our souls lighter, our lives brighter and the world better.

    One day, I drove into a service station to get some gas. It was a beautiful day and I was feeling 1 . As I paid for the gas, the attendant said, "How do you feel?" That seemed like a 2 question, but I felt fine and told him so. "You don't look 3." he replied and continued to tell me my skin appeared 4.

    By the time I left, I was a little 5 . About a block away, I 6 to the side of the road to look at my face 7 the mirror. Was everything all right? Had I picked up 8 rare disease? By the time I got home, I was beginning to feel a slight 9 somewhere in my body.

    The next time I went into that gas station, I 10 what had happened: The place had recently been painted a bright yellow, and the light reflecting off the walls made everyone inside 11 as though they were sick! That was the truth. 12 , I let that short conversation change my attitude for an entire day. His 13 observation affected the way I felt and acted.

    This experience made me think a lot. It is the same with life, in which attitude 14. The way we look at life determines how we feel and how we 15. If we expect something to turn out 16 , it probably will. But the 17 also works in reverse. If we expect good things to happen, they 18 do. An optimistic attitude, I believe, is not a luxury but a(an) 19. So after that, I chose to highlight the 20 throughout the rest of my life.