One month ago, my daughter started kindergarten. As usual, I wished her success. I was telling a lie. What I actually wish for her is 1. I believe in the power of failure.

    Success is 2 in a sense. Success is proving that you can do something that you already know you can do, or doing something correctly the first time, which can 3 be a problematic victory. First-time success is usually a fluke (侥幸). First-time failure, 4, is expected; it is the natural order of things.

    Failure is how we learn. I have been told of an African phrase 5 a good cook as “she who has broken many pots”. If you have spent enough time in the 6 to have broken a lot of pots, probably you know a fair amount about 7. I once had a late dinner with a group of chefs, and they spent time 8 knife wounds and burn scars. They knew how much credibility (可信度) their 9 gave them.

    I earn my 10 by writing a daily newspaper column. Each week I am 11 that one column is going to be the worst column of the week. I don't just set out to write it; I try my best every day. 12, every week, one column is inferior (较差的) to the others, sometimes extremely so.

    I have learned to 13 that column. A successful column usually means that I am treading (踏) on 14 ground, going with tricks that work, or dressing up popular ideas in fancy words. Often in my inferior columns, I am trying to 15 something I've never done before, something that I'm not even sure can be done.

    My daughter is a perfectionist. She will feel her failures, and I will want to 16 her. But I will also, I hope, 17 her of what she learned, and how she can do 18 next time. I probably won't tell her that failure is a good thing, because that's not a(n) 19 you can learn when you're five. I hope I can tell her, though, that it's not the end of the world. Indeed, with luck, it is the 20.

    One weekend, my kids and I were heading into the supermarket. On the way, we 1 a man holding a piece of paper that said, “Lost my job. Family to Feed.”

    At this store, a 2 like this is not normal. My 10-year-old noticed him and made a 3 on how bad it must be to have to stand 4 in the cold wind.

    In the store, I asked each of my kids to pick something they thought our “friend” there would 5. They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17-year-old suggested giving him a6. I thought about it. We were low on cash ourselves, but… well, sometimes giving from our need 7 our abundance (充裕；丰富) is just what we need to do! All the kids declared something they could do away with for the week.

    When we handed him the bag of 8, he lit up and thanked us with 9 eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for 10  his family might need, he burst into tears.

    This has been a wonderful 11 for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can 12 ! Things would have played out so 13 if I had simply said, “No, we really don't have 14 to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in need, it also gave my kids the 15 taste of helping others. It'll go a long way with them.

    Last summer, my parents sold our minivan and bought a Dodge Dart. They thought it was “necessary” to 1 a smaller vehicle.

    This decision affected me greatly because the new car had a manual transmission（手动变速）2I only knew how to drive automatic.

    But this summer was supposed to be3 seeing as it was my first summer with my G2 driver's4 In Ontario, having a G2 means you are able to drive without the supervision（监督）of a 9an)5.

    After the long hours I'd spent learning to drive the car, it felt even 6 to drive it around on my own. I felt a new-found sense of maturity and 7 that I really enjoyed. I would drive everywhere8 when I probably didn't need to.

    So9 when my mom asked me to 10some groceries from the local store I decided to11 instead of walk. While turning into the open spot in the store's parking lot, I somehow scratched the car beside me. When I got out to 12 the damage, a bystander ran up warning me to contact the owner of the car I had scratched, or she would tell her husband, who was “a cop”.

    Shocked and at a loss for words, I managed to find a piece of paper to write my13 number on and put it on the 14 car's window.

    I was really 15when I got home, because not only had I managed to 16 our own new car, I'd also damaged another person's car.

    When the owner called me, she was very aggressive and 17 .Though I hadn't hit her car on purpose, I finally said it would probably be better if she 18back and talked to my parents. When it was all settled, the total19were around $2,000.

    From this matter, I learned that as I got older I would get many new 20 but they will also come with more responsibility.

    Have you ever seen a miracle happen? Two winters ago, I did. It was 1 that day. The road was covered with snow.

    I asked my mom if we could go to our neighbor's hill and take my dog, Buddy. She said, "Sure. 2 don't go any farther than that." After a while, we walked over to another hill by a pond (池塘) not far away. Then suddenly I saw Buddy walk out onto the ice. I was 3 when he walked to the middle of the pond. The 4 was thin there.

    We 5 Buddy, but he didn't listen. Then 6 the ice broke, and my dog 7 into the water. I asked my friend if I should go in and get him out. She said, "NO!" 8, I ran to my house to tell my mom. It was 9 for me to run on the snowy ground. I was tired, but I had to 10 Buddy.

    When my mom heard what 11, she said, "Get in the car." When we got there, she told me to run home 12 and get her phone. But back at the pond, my mom 13 to get Buddy out of the water and fell in.

    14, my friend saw it happen. She ran to a neighbor's house for help. Soon they got my mom out of the water, but Buddy was still 15 for his life. The fire department (部门) put a ladder (梯子) out onto the ice to get him, but it didn't 16. I was back again by then, and someone said I should 17 inside the neighbor's house. It didn't look 18 for Buddy. I went inside and 19 and hoped for a miracle.

    Then, my uncle walked into the house with Buddy in his arms! I was so 20, I hugged Buddy and thanked the firefighters (消防员).

    I've always taught piano lessons in my spare time. Over the years I found that children have 1 musical abilities. Although I've taught some gifted   students, I've also met so-called "musically 2" pupils. One such student is Robby.

    Robby was already 11 years old when his mother sent him for his first 3 lesson. I prefer that students begin at an earlier age. I 4 it to Robby, but he said it had always been his mother's 5 to hear him play the piano. So I took him as a student.

    6 Robby tried very hard, he didn't have the basic sense of music. However, he 7 and he would always say, "My mom's going to hear me play some day." But it seemed 8, and I was disappointed by his slow progress. Then one day Robby didn't come. He 9 me his mother was sick. I was glad that he stopped coming, since he was really a bad 10 for my teaching!

    Several weeks later I was 11 my students for the music show when Robby came and said, "Miss Handorf, I've wanted to play." I don't know what made me 12 him to do that. Maybe it was his 13 that touched me.

The night for the show came. It went well. Then Robby came up on stage. I was 14 when he said he had chosen one of the most difficult pieces of Mozart. But I was not prepared for what I heard next. His fingers were light on the keys. They 15 danced on the keys. He played so well that everyone was 16excitedly.

    In tears I 17 up to stage. "Oh, Robby! How would you do it?" "Well, Miss Handorf, I 18 practicing at home. Remember I told you my mom was sick? In fact she had cancer and passed away this morning. And she was born 19, she could never hear me play the piano, but tonight was the first time she ever heard me. I wanted to make it 20."

    I didn't grow up in a very loving family. In fact, there are few,1, happy memories I have of my childhood2my family members. My3moments were those spent with the few friends I was4to have. My family eventually alienated (排斥) all the neighbors.5, I didn't even have kids to play with and became quite serious just to hide my pain.

    There was another family in town that seemed6to mine. They had a lot of children too. I always wondered what it would be like7my family were more like them. They never knew it, but I watched them and8them. They were kind, genuine and close.

    9later I found myself back in the very same place, in that same small town I had10. This time I was in that town for my mother's funeral. My family gave each other the cold11, as always. I felt upset that neither time nor circumstances could make them act with12toward each other. As I approached the church for the funeral, memories came13back to me. I remembered the warm, kind smiles of that family.

    After the funeral service a meal was provided. When looking for seats with my husband. I heard a14voice I hadn't heard in decades call my name. I15and the father of that family I had admired was there. He was a church volunteer for my mother's funeral lunch. We chatted for a bit. I16my happy child a few meters away to him and it was at that point that I realized I was raising my boy in a way I had seen him bring17his own children so long ago. He wasn't18of it, but my son's life has been greatly19by him.

    So, live your life with love and kindness. You never know who's watching, who you will20and whose life you'll change.