The first week is always a bit hard in my writing classes. I'm unfamiliar 1 the students, most of them trying to 2 themselves to their new environment. When Jennifer 3 me with a question on the second day, I was 4 for the chance to connect at least one name with a face.

    Her writing wasn't perfect, 5 her effort was. She worked hard and pushed herself to achieve. She was excited to 6, which made me enjoy teaching her. I didn't 7 then how much she would also teach me. One Friday afternoon, Jennifer stopped by after class. She wasn't asking a question 8a paper I'd returned. 9, she said quietly: “I didn't attend classes yesterday. I was at the health center the whole day.” I gave her a sideways look, 10. “It was just a virus (病毒). I'm fine now,” she 11 me. Then she was gone.

    Two nights later, her father called to tell me that Jennifer would be 12a few classes. She had been in hospital with meningitis (脑膜炎). I heard from him again a few days later, and again after that. Her condition grew 13. We made trips to the hospital room. I was 14 frightened when I saw the pale, thin and weak girl who, only ten days earlier, had displayed life and warmth in my classroom.

    A week later, Jennifer herself called me to tell me she was on the road to 15. “I'll be back to school one day,” she said. “I have no 16 that you'll be with us.” I told her, 17 tears. I remembered what her father had said in his first phone call: “school 18 everything to Jenny.”

    Then five weeks later, I walked into my classroom to find Jenny in her seat,   19.   She 20 all of her missed homework, completed with thought and excellence. The strength of her will to overcome shone out of her pale, weak, eighteen-year-old face.

    My fiancé and I were excited about shopping for our first home. But our funds were1and none of the houses in our price range seemed satisfactory.

    One agent2a house in particular. Although her description sounded wonderful, the price was3our range, so we declined. But she kept urging us to have a look4.

    We finally did and it was5at first sight. It was Our Home, small and charming, overlooking a quiet lake. Walking through the rooms and talking with the owners, a nice elderly couple, we felt the warmth and6of the marriage within that home. As perfect as it was, the price remained too high for us. But every day, we would sit by the lake, looking at the house and dreaming of7it would be like to live there.

    Days later, we made a(n)8—far below the asking price. Surprisingly, they didn't9us. They renewed their offer10. It was also much more than we could afford, but far11than the original asking price.

    The next day, we got a12message that another buyer had offered a much higher price. Even so, we decided to talk with the13directly. We made our final offer, which14was thousands of dollars less than the other buyer's bid. We knew it,15we had to try.

     “Sold!” said the owner. Then he16: He'd seen us sitting by the lake all those times; he knew how much we loved the place and that we'd17the years of work they had put into their home; he realized he would take a18by selling it to us, but it was worthwhile; we were the people they wanted to live there. He told us to consider the19in the price “an early wedding present。“

    That's how we found our home and how I learned that when people are20they are not strangers, only friends we haven't yet met.

Miracles（奇迹）come in moments

    The scene of this minor miracle 1 in the living room of my house under an old, broken ceiling fan（吊扇）with a little glass angel hanging from its pull string（挂绳）.

    My youngest son has a severe form of autism（自闭症）. 2 he is in his twenties now he still has the mind of a small 3. He speaks only a few words. He is always 4 in his own world. Most of the time he is happy but there are also times when he can be terribly 5. He will cry for no 6 that I can see. He will even hit himself. It always hurts me to see him suffer this way 7 when there is little I can do to help.

    This morning was particularly trying for him. He 8 on and off for an hour. Finally he 9. I was still feeling stressed, however, and wearily sat down at my computer to see if I could get a little work done.

    As I was turning it 10, though, I heard my son 11 for the first time all day. I turned my head and saw him 12 directly under the glass angel hanging from our ceiling fan. The light from our house lamps seemed to shine and sparkle all around him like a halo（光环）. His eyes sparkled too as the little 13 swung gently above his head. He laughed again and 14 at me.

    At that moment my heart opened. I could see that the miracle was 15 me that my son was more than his autism. I saw the 16 and light of his spirit and knew he was here for a(n) 17. My eyes watered and I feel 18 for this minor miracle and gentle reminder of his love for all of us.

    Miracles are all around us, but we 19 always see them with our eyes. We often have to see them with our 20. Keep your heart open to them then. And let yourself be the miracle you are meant to be!

    When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant1Miller King, who was the best 2at our school.

    Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for 3.

    Just before September, Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm. I went to see him after he came back from 4 He looked very5, but he didn't cry.

    That season, I 6all of Miller's records while he 7 the home games  from the bench. We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player, 8I often had crazy dreams in which it was I who caused Miller's 9.

    One afternoon, I was 10 the field to go home and saw Miller stuck(困住) going over a fence—which wasn't 11 to climb if you had both arms. I'm sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to 12 help from. But even that challenge he accepted. I  13him move slowly over the fence. When we were finally14 on the other side, he said to me, "You know, I didn't tell you this during the season, but you did15. Thank you for filling in for 16 ."

    His words freed me from my bad 17. I thought to myself, how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated, he was18ahead of me. I was right to have 19 him. From that day on, I grew  20 and a little more real.

You Did More Than Carry My books

    Mark was walking home from school one day when he noticed the boy ahead of him had dropped all of the books he was carrying, along with a baseball bat and several other things. Mark 1 down and helped the boy pick up these articles. 2 they were going the same way, he helped to carry some of them for him. As they walked Mark 3 the boy's name was Bill, that he 4 computer games, baseball and history, that he was having a lot of 5 with his other subjects and that he had just broken 6 with his girlfriend.

    They arrived at Bill's home first and Mark was 7 in for a Coke and to watch some television. The afternoon passed 8 with a few laughs and some shared small talk, and then Mark went home. They 9 to see each other around school, had lunch together once or twice, and then both ended up from the same high school. Just three weeks before 10, Bill asked Mark if they 11 talk.

    Bill 12 him of the day years ago when they had first met. "Do you 13 wonder why I was carrying so many things home that day?" asked Bill. "You see, I 14 out my locker because I didn't want to leave a mess(脏乱) 15 anyone else. I had planned to run away and I was going home to 16 my things. But after we spent some time together 17 and laughing, I realized that 18 I had done that, I would have 19 a new friend and missed all the fun we would have together. So you see, Mark, when you picked up my books that day, you did a lot more. You20 my life."

After getting married nine years ago, I moved to an absolutely new town.1as I was, with various new things to explore, I was still lonely. I was desperate to establish2.

This could explain my enthusiastic "Count me in!" when3to participate in a half marathon. Considering my usual 3 miles, I must have been4—13 miles seemed a（n）5task.

However, the initial6gradually wore off. I found comfort in burying myself in training. Though taking it slow, one mile, and then two, I gradually made7. Mile after mile, I managed to step beside my new friends. We talked about our favorite music and8funny stories about our children. At about mile 10, the conversations9. We shared our past and hopes for our future, our fears and regrets. By the time we were running 12-mile legs, I was10that I'd made lifelong friends.

11, the day of the race arrived. At the start line, armed with my friends, I already felt like a champion. My time training had12. I managed to hold a steady pace and kept up with my13. Finally, we crossed the finish line together.

Although it started as a14of building social ties, running not only provided me with friendships, but with a skill that would15me the rest of my life.