I have always believed that “Any man can be a father, but it 1 someone special to be a dad.” This is true. Since the2 of my son, Joshua, things have changed a lot in my life, but the3 have been good! My wife and I have been through many4 moments which have made both of us stronger.

    My son was born 5 a serious breathing problem and he couldn't keep his medicine down. He was put on several different medications, 6he did not get any better. My wife and I were both told many times by people that Joshua 7he was born early; he had not8 much weight since he was born.

    As time progressed his regular doctor advised my wife and me 9 Dr. Eid, a specialist in Louisville. He was 10by my son's condition and so we were sent to Louisville's Children's Hospital. Joshua 11many different checkups. The 12spent there was very demanding for my wife and me. But we did make it13. Our son Joshua was diagnosed (诊断) with asthma (哮喘), and with acid reflux syndrome (酸回流综合症). After the treatment, his14 began to improve slowly.

    Joshua is 1 year and 1 month old now and his progress has been15 he is up to 27 pounds now. I keep telling my wife that if he keeps16 like this he might become a football 17someday. There is a 18 that has helped me get through these troublesome times, “Problems will either 19you or break you.” When you think the20hours are upon you, remember the dawn is just in sight.

    One day when I was 13, my family was working in the fields to clear away old brush when somehow the electric fence sparked(冒火星) and1a fire. We didn't see the fire2it had blocked the way to the only gate. I3to jump over the fence to safety but the fire was all around us. I could only watch in4as the flames continued to rise. Little did I know that my father had once been a(an)5and knew what to do.6with only a pump sprayer, buckets, and his boots, he7down to the nearby pond, filled the buckets and the sprayer, and began spraying the8while my older brother threw water with the buckets. Soon the wind9 however, and with the Fire Department too far away to arrive in time, my father began to stomp(踩灭) out the flames as he moved to the10 so that my family was able to move inch by inch toward the gate.11he arrived at the gate, he jumped into the truck, rolled up the windows, and drove12the fire. Then the fire was put out, and my mother was looking at my father with her13eyes.

    After that, my father began telling us about his days as a firelighter, and my brother and I became14 asking him what other jobs he had done before he15 Well, it turned out that he had done just about16except brain surgery!

    He had been in the military as a carpenter, carpet layer, and electrician, and had built B2 bombers before being poisoned in an accident that had17him to retire. My father has a blood disorder as a result of that18 but that hasn't stopped him from being a full-time electrician.

    To all those people whose fathers have worked in the military and in other dangerous jobs, be19of them, and remember that some day their20might save your life.

    I went with some colleagues from my office for a dinner in a very popular local restaurant. It was1business time and the restaurant was packed. We2found a table in a corner for three of us.

    As soon as we sat down, we heard a crash when a cleaning boy3the floor with all the plates he was carrying. There was_4and no one was saying or doing anything.

    In a flash I remembered my5many years ago. Once. I passed out in the airport because I had rushed there on my own on a(n)6_stomach I was7and taken care of by two strangers. Now this was my chance to8it forward.

    I ran to the young man's side immediately, turned him on his back and screamed for someone to9a hot drink. Soon people started asking if I was a doctor. I said I was not,10I was skillful at blacking out (晕厥).

    The kid soon opened his eyes,11what had happened. I12him by saying it was OK and I had had a13 experience. He had not eaten anything. I held the14_drink to his mouth till he finished it and sat with him till he felt OK. By then the15had arrived. I asked her to give the kid something to eat. I offered to pay.

    The manager was kind enough to refuse the16and agreed to make sure the kid ate before he went home. By the time all this was17_, it was getting late for my colleagues. Since we hadn't18anything yet, they decided to go home.

    I slowly walked home, not hungry any more, feeling19for the opportunity I pay forward the20I had received many years ago.

    Cleverness is a gift while kindness is a choice. Gifts are easy – they're given after all. Choice can be 1.”

    I got the idea to start Amazon 16 years ago. I came across the fact 2 the Internet usage was growing at 2,300 percent per year. I'd never seen or heard of anything that grew 3 fast, and the idea of building an online 4 with millions of titles was very exciting to me. I had just turned 30 years old, and I 5 for a year. I told my wife MacKenzie that I wanted to 6 my job and go to do this crazy thing that probably wouldn't work since most start-ups don't, and I wasn't sure 7 to expect. MacKenzie told me I 8go for it. As a young boy, I'd been a garage inventor. I'd always wanted to be a(an) 9, and she wanted me to follow my passion.

    I was working at a financial firm in New York City with a bunch of very 10 people, and I had a brilliant boss that I much admired. I went to my boss and told him I wanted to start a company selling books 11. He took me on a long walk in Central Park,12 carefully to me, and finally said, “That sounds like a really good idea, 13 it would be an even better idea for someone who didn't already have a good job.” That logic 14 to me, and he convinced me to think about it for 48 hours 15 making a final decision. Seen in that light, it really was a(an) difficult 16, but finally, I decided I had to give it a shot. I didn't think I'd regret trying and failing. And I suspected I would always be haunted （纠缠）by a decision to not17at all.

    After much consideration, I took the less 18 path to follow my 19, and I'm proud of that choice. For all of us, in the end, we are our 20.

    Last year, I was assigned to work at an office near my mother's house.1, I stayed with her for a month. During that time, I helped her out with the housework and contributed to the2.

    After a week, I started3the groceries were running out pretty quickly.4, I began observing my mother's daily routine for two weeks. To my5, I found she would pack a paper bag full of canned goods and6every morning at about nine. She took the food to the slums(贫民窟)and distributed it to street7.

    I asked around and8my mum was popular in the area. The kids looked up to her as if she were their own mother. Then it hit me－why didn't she want to tell me about what she'd been doing? Was she9that I would stop buying the groceries if I knew the truth?

    When she got home, I told her about my discovery and10she could react, I gave her a big hug and told her she didn't need to keep it a11from me. She told me that12of the children lived with an old lady in a makeshift home while others13on the streets. For years, my mum had been helping out by14whatever food she could15.I was so moved by how16she was. She used what was17for her to help others in need. And I was so18of her.

    I19to buy groceries for my mum. But now, I always add a(n)20bag for her other children.

It was my last class before summer break, and I was finishing up the first year of a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program in poetry. Unsure if I deserved a 1 in the program, I worried I wasn't as2 as my peers. When the professor asked about our summer 3 , I panicked. I didn't want to appear idle (闲散的)，so without much 4 , I burst out "gardening". Surprisingly, my professor nodded and mentioned Emily Dickinson loved gardening. Emily Dickinson, a great American poet, studied plants as a 5 . But I was in my twenties and had no gardening 6 .

A few days later, I 7 some seedlings in a store. I thought I should get some. At least I could say I had 8 gardening. Wait, was that a jalapeno (墨西哥辣椒)? I 9 it up.

Over the summer, the plant grew, not big but 10 . I was proud. Maybe I didn't have 11 . But then I had to move out of my apartment for some reason. I 12 with my friends. It was December when I found my new apartment, and my jalapeno was suffering: its 13 had fallen off. I set it next to a window by the kitchen sink, and 14 for the best.

I 15 to work hard in school. Then spring came. My plant grew with new leaves. And it flowered when I 16 my graduate paper, a book of 17 , in May.

I was washing dishes one day when my professor called. "Your poems are strong..." he said. I'd done it! I went back to the dishes, but suddenly I found the flowers 18 my jalapeno were gone. Had I done something 19 ?  I looked closer. Where a flower had been, a tiny green fruit 20 through.