The moment I stepped off the plane after a writer's conference, my youngest son Jeremy greeted me and cried out, “Poster paper, Mama! I need poster paper. We're having a1at school.”

    Being a housewife and writer, I felt like no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't keep up with the needs of my 2. Back at home, Jeremy kept reminding me of the poster paper, but I just couldn't 3a minute for it. Gradually though, he began to speak more 4, almost 5he were talking to himself. “Maybe he'll just forget it, ”I thought hopefully. So I put Jeremy's request at the6of my long list of things to do.

    My third day home I managed to take fifteen minutes to type an article when a small 7fell across my paper. I knew who it would be before I8. Jeremy stood quietly watching me.“Oh, Lord, please don't let him say it again.” I knew what he wanted but I needed to9. I smiled10at Jeremy and kept typing. He11for a few more minutes,  then turned and walked away. I almost didn't hear his12. “Competition is over tomorrow, anyway.” The small figure walking out of my room, a silent voice spoke urgently to my heart, “Get him that paper—now!”

     “Let's go to get the paper, Jeremy.” He stopped, 13and looked at me in 14“You're going to the store just for me?” I15. Suddenly, a look of16shot across his face, erasing the disbelief. I don't think I'll ever17that moment. Later that day, he worked silently on the18all afternoon. And a few weeks later, a large yellow envelope came. Inside it was the Certificate of Award. So19was I that I didn't turned away from his20to get him some poster paper.

    Hitting heavily on the keys in frustration, I turned away from the piano, trying to fight the tears that were already welling up in my eyes. After an hour of 1 I still couldn't get the rhythm quite right on a Mozart piece that I had to 2 to my piano teacher the following day. It was frustrating to have spent such a( n)3 time on a piano song and still be unable to play the piece correctly. To me, the piece had at first seemed easy. But, no matter how4 I tried, I just couldn't seem to play it the way that it was 5 to be played.

    I decided to take a 6.For the most part, after a little bit of work, I could 7 learn the song rather quickly. However, it was always that one song, which might have appeared simple but was8 that always annoyed me. These types of songs always made me 9myself whether I could be a pianist.

    After having dinner, I decided to come back to the piano. Placing my10on the keys, I chose to play the piece slowly and carefully, paying attention to hitting the correct notes11 trying to play the piece quickly. Using this new method of practicing, I12 a great deal of patience, something that I often had13 with. Instead of thinking how hard the rhythm was, I thought about how I could 14myself, little by little. Finally, I could slowly see myself getting better.

    15 I didn't even get the rhythm right until a week later. I also16 an important lesson—sometimes, baby steps are the best way to 17a goal. I'm an impatient person who likes to think that I can get18 by leaps and bounds. But, in the case of piano, I couldn't move forward and improve19 I slowed down, believed in myself, and took it one step 20.

    Seven years ago, our daughter, Alle Shea, was born. All of our family were excited with the new arrival. After she was given to me by a nurse from the delivery room, I 1 her cautiously, wondering how 2 life was.

    However, our joy 3 for just several seconds. We noticed that she was crying weakly and refused to 4. We went to have the doctor check on her health. After the 5 , the doctor told us our daughter was 6 with the rare bone disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta （成骨不全症）. At birth Alle Shea's skull looked like a(n) 7 egg on the x-rays.

    Watching my daughter 8 was the greatest pain. After being terribly tortured （折磨）for a long time, my wife and I 9 take our five-week-old daughter off life support, by far the most 10 decision of our life. The day Alle was leaving us, we were able to take her outside on the hospital deck and hold her in our arms until she 11 .

    We had two 12 that day: we could have let the sadness overtake us, or we could turn it into a 13 Since that day, my wife and I have worked 14 volunteering our time hosting special events, and talking to others about OI. We even 15 hospitals to join us - and this is the battle we are still 16 . Over the seven years, we have 17 thousands of hours. In February of 2015 we18.

    OI Care for You program. Ever since, we have been sending stuffed animals to children with OI. Each present brings them a smile and 19 . Many OI families thank us for doing what we do and giving them another way to show 20 for a family member with OI.

    "Smile!" I shouted, flashing a bright yellow poster at a crowd of people in Seattle.

    We were 3,000 miles away from home on a Random Acts of Kindness road trip. Our1was to try out our new "Smile!" signs and see how much kindness and joy we could2

    We weren't sure how people would3our signs. It's so easy to walk past a busy crowd, lost in your own world,4to make eye contact with strangers and feeling5while surrounded by hundreds of people. I6raised up a sign and shouted, "Hi there!" to a young couple. They looked over,7, then read my sign and broke into smiles. They even nudged (轻推) a person beside them, gesturing to our sign so their friend could8, too.

    This might9, I thought.

    Before long, our signs were10. Tourists wanted photos with us. Strangers stopped to ask us about our11and we told them the story of our Acts of Kindness road trip. The famous fish vendors (小贩) changed their12from "FISH! FRESH FISH"' to "HEY! SMILE, EVERYONE."

    Sometimes I'd see a(n)13face and feel nervous to show my sign, but I tried not to judge. I'd14be rewarded with a big grin (咧嘴笑),as suddenly a frowning elderly woman turned into my15old grandmother.

    Some people16if they could have a "Smile!" sign to take with them. One bus driver put a sign in his window; a bicyclist that17one of our signs emailed us several years later to say he still uses it whenever he races.

    The signs are more than a(n)18to smile — they're an excuse to connect with19and to remember we're not alone. This world is full of20people we just don't know yet.

Two men were sitting together in a plane. They were on a long journey. One of the men was a businessman. The other was a farmer. They sat without talking for a while, then the farmer said, "Let's do something to pass the time."

"What do you want to do?" the businessman asked. "We can ask each other riddles(谜语）." The farmer said, "You start." "Let's make the rules first," the businessman said. "That's not fair. You are a businessman with much knowledge. You know more things than I do. I am just a farmer."

"That's true." The businessman said. "What do you want we should do?" "If you don't know the answer to a riddle, you pay me $100. And if I don't know the answer, I'll pay you $50." The farmer said. The businessman thought about this, then he said, "OK. That's fair. Who will go first?"

"I will," The farmer said. "Here is my riddle. What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies?" The business man repeated the riddle, "What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies? Mm, that's a good one. I'm afraid I don't know the answer." He gave the farmer $100, then said, "Tell me the answer. What has three legs when it walks, but only two legs when it flies?" "I don't know." The farmer said and gave him $50.

Ausie Perine is not a typical superhero. Well, maybe he looks the part, with his signature cape (斗篷) flapping against his blue shirt. But two things set this caped fighter apart: His enemy is not an imaginary one from a comic book but hunger and homelessness. Also, he's only four years old.

Our hero's story started in the family living room. Ausie and his father, TJ Perine, were watching a program on Animal Planet about a mother tiger leaving her cubs. "I told him that the cubs would be homeless," TJ says. "Ausie didn't know what homelessness meant, but he was sad and wanted to know more."

Seeing this as a teachable moment, TJ took Ausie to a local shelter, where they saw some homeless men. "Dad, they look sad," Ausie said. "Can we take them some food and smiles?" That day, Ausie used his allowance to buy each man a sandwich. When they returned the next week, Ausie again dipped into his piggy bank to buy sandwiches, which he handed out along with his new catchphrase, "Don't forget love!"

Days later, word of Ausie's acts of kindness spread through social media. A local food chain jumped aboard, agreeing to donate $10,000 toward the cause. Soon, donations poured in continuously. Thanks to the collective support, now he can feed about 800 people at once.

But Ausie isn't just filling bellies. He's improving the lives of those he meets. In the shelter, Ausie talked to a man named Raymont with respect, which touched him deeply. He shared with TJ just how grateful he was to be treated so considerately by a young stranger. With the help of TJ, Raymont obtained a driver's license, with which he found a job. All that was made possible because a little boy took the time to care.

Ausie's passion has now become his family's calling. They established the Show Love Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to offering medical and mental health care as preventive steps against homelessness. Young Ausie continues to give out food, smiles, and his inspirational message of love. "It makes me feel like I'm saving the day."