I met Mrs. Neidl in the ninth grade on a stage-design team for a play and she was one of the directors. Almost instantly I loved her. She had an Unpleasant voice and a direct way of speaking,1 she was encouraging and inspiring. For some reason, she was impressed with my work and me.

    Mrs. Neidl would ask me for my 2  . She wanted to know how I thought we should3 things. At first I had no idea how to answer because I knew 4  about stage design! But I slowly began to respond to her 5 . It was cause and effect: She believed I had opinions, so I began to 6  them. She trusted me to complete things, so I completed them perfectly. She loved how 7  I was, so I began to show up to paint more and more. She believed in me, so I began to believe in myself.

    Mrs. Neidl's 8  that year was, "Try it. We can always paint over it 9 !"I began to take10 . I had been so afraid of failing but suddenly there was no failing--only things to be11  upon. I learned to dip my brush into the paint and12  create something.

    The shy, quiet freshman achieved success that year. I was13  in the programs "Student Art Assistant" because of the time and effort I'd put in. It was that year that I14  I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing stage design.

    Being on that stage-design team15  Mrs. Neidl changed me completely. Not only was I stronger and more competent than I had thought, but I also16  a strong interest and a world I hadn't known existed. She taught me not to17  what people think I should do: She taught me to take chances and not be18 . Mrs. Neidl was my comforter when I was upset. Her 19 in me has inspired me to do things that I never imagined20 .

    Jason, our son, was born one month early and so he was weaker than most children. My wife Margaret and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his childhood.

    In his seventh grade, Jason 2up for the school running team, which made me both proud and worried. One afternoon, Jason returned home in tears, covered all over with food. He threw his bag on the floor and shouted: “I'm never going to 3 again!” As we later learned, a few older students made fun of his performance on the playground and then threw 4 at him on the school bus on the way home.

    I called the school leader about what happened on the bus, and Jason never experienced that again. He stayed on the team, even though the trouble 5.

    One day in October, we had a heavy 6.As the other kids exercised in the gym they noticed one runner—Jason—7 around the snow-covered playground.

    A few weeks later, Jason had something to tell us. “Mom, Dad, sit down,” he said. I was ready for the8.

    He told us that each month, students chose an “athlete of the month”. The coach would list the top athletes, and the other students 9 for the winner. Jason's name had never been listed.10 that day, one of the students said: “Sir, I would like to choose Jason for athlete of the month.”

The coach looked surprised.

    “He works 11 than any of us, Sir,” the student continued.

    “Does everyone 12 with this?” the coach asked.

Tears formed in Jason's eyes as he told us what happened next. “Mom ... Dad ...13 in the team put their hands up.''

His mother and I, also in tears, looked on as he14showed his certificate (证书).

    Whenever I am sad, I think of this story. I remind myself that challenges are not overcome (克服) by15 but by patience, determination, and faith.

    Jason is in university these days and often holds the highest mark in his class. He is also training in martial arts. I am completely sure he'll wear a black belt someday, and wear it proudly.

    “Just sign here, sir.” the deliveryman said as he handed Oscar Reyna a package.

    The package consisted of a long, narrow box1wrapped in brown paper. 2 the box, Oscar saw an umbrella inside — a very old one with a beautifully carved handle._3 he had not seen it for more than 20 years, he recognized it 4

    Oscar was 16 when he first saw the5umbrella. He had gone to a concert with his grandparents. As they were leaving, he noticed an umbrella on an empty seat. Impressed by its6 Oscar felt a strong desire to find its7.

    Oscar 8the manager to look in the record of advance ticket sales. Just as he thought, a name matched the seat 9Oscar had found the umbrella. The name was Mrs. Katie O'Brien.

    Oscar talked his grandparents into going by Mrs. O'Rrien's 10 on their way home. He rang the bell, the door opened, and an elderly woman appeared. “May I 11 you? ” she asked. “I'd like to return it if it's yours.” Oscar said, 12 the umbrella as if presenting a13 that had long been wished for. “Why, yes! It's mine.” replied Mrs. O'Brien with a14 smile and shining eyes. “It was given to me by my father years ago. Thank you so much for returning it. May I offer you a reward for your 15?” “No, ma'am,” he said, “my grandmother says that a good deed is its own reward.” “Well, that's 16 what my father used to say. What is your name? Young man?”

    Years later, Oscar was staring at the finely carved handle of the umbrella as he remembered Mrs. O'Brien. It was in perfect condition, considering how17 it was. Why had it arrived here today? As if 18 a note fell from the paper. It read: Mrs. O'Brien wanted you to 19 this umbrella as a present for a kind, 20gesture long ago.

    A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had 1 a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and 2his father could well 3it, he told him that was all he wanted.

    On the morning of his graduation day his father called him into his own study and told him how 4he was to have such a fine son. He handed his son a beautiful gift box.5but slightly disappointed, the young man6 the box and found a lovely book. 7, he raised his voice at his father and said."8all your money you give me a book？"and rushed out of the house, 9the book in the study.

    He did not contact his father for a whole year10 one day he saw in the street an old man who looked like his father. He 11he had to go back home and see his father.

    When he arrived at his father's house, he was told that his father had been in hospital for a week. The moment he was about to 12the hospital, he saw on the desk the 13new book, just as he had left it one 14ago. He opened it and began to15the pages. Suddenly, a car key16from an envelope taped behind the book. It had a tag(标签)with the dealer's name, the 17dealer who had the sports car he had 18.On the tag was the 19of his graduation, and the 20 PAID IN FULL.

    A Florids woman walked into a Publix supermarket last week. She asked a(n)1  ques­tion at the bakery counter, “Are there any first-birthday cakes scheduled for 2 over the weekend?

    Nick DeClemente, who works at the store, was initially 3 by the request. He then asked if the woman had any 4 person in mind. To his surprise, she didn't.

    The woman said, "No, I want to pay for one anonymously (匿名),"

    Minutes later, she started to burst into 5. She then explained to him that her baby was born 6 one year ago and she wanted to 7 his memory by paying for another 1-year-old's birthday cake.

    "I was a little lost for words just because of the deep 8 I developed for her," DeClemente recalled. He 9a pile of cake orders and picked out an order for a birthday cake for a 1-year-old boy named David. The buttercream topped sheet cake, which 10 at least 20 people, cost $32.99. The woman 11 agreed to pay.

    “She told me, “Thank you, and 12 that I let her do this," DeClemente said” "I hope that this lady finds 13 through this gift and that the customer receiving this gift will pay it 14, "“I told her how much it made my 15 especially because I have a little boy on the way and wished her many 16." DeClemente said, explaining he was standing by the stores front door as she was 17.

    The dad-to-be said he never got her name nor did he get a 18 to explain to the customer whose cake was paid for the story behind the 19 gesture — but he hopes their paths 20 again.

Yardley has a long history as a community that cares. For the past four decades, the members of St Andrew's community service center have been selfless,1meals for elderly and shut-in residents in the region every month.

Barbara enjoyed this2twice. "When I broke both my legs, the service center fed my husband and me in such abundance (丰富) that with great gratitude I had to say3," she says. "My husband —4asked me to break my legs every month because he5the food." When he passed away, the cards and calls were "6", Barbaba says. They helped her know she was never7.

A disaster happened, ending their proud 37-year8of making meals together, but it didn't break the spirit of 9far from it. Instead, the volunteers in the service center took to10in their homes, Soon, volunteers were 111000 meals each week. And many ingredients in those meals were12. In spring. St Andrew's provided seeds — tomatoes, beans, basil, and more — to Yardley residents to13at home. The gardeners then brought their vegetables back to the center to14with it.

What a spread of 15! That's what makes Yardley charming!