Another person's enthusiasm was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.

    I was nine years old when she entered our home in rural Virginia. My father1me to her with these words: “I would like you to meet the fellow who is2for being the worst boy in this county and will probably start throwing rocks at you no 3than tomorrow morning.”

    My stepmother walked over to me, 4my head slightly upward, and looked me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are 5. This is not the worst boy at all, 6the smartest one who hasn't yet found an outlet（释放的途径）for his enthusiasm.”

    That statement began a(n)7between us. No one had ever called me smart, My family and neighbors had built me up in my 8as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that.

    She changed many things. She 9my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat, where my father's career could be more 10and my brother and I could be better11.

    When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand12and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her enthusiasm, I13it and I saw it had already improved our lives. I accepted her 14and began to write for local newspapers. I was doing the same kind of15that great day I went to interview Andrew Carnegie and received the task which became my life's work later. I wasn't the 16beneficiary (受益者). My father became the 17man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.

    What power 18has! When that power is released to support the certainty of one's purpose and is 19strengthened by faith, it becomes an irresistible（不可抗拒的）force which poverty and temporary defeat can never 20.

    You can communicate that power to anyone who needs it. This is probably the greatest work you can do with your enthusiasm.

Sleeping in Class

I can still remember it as if it happened yesterday. I was a college freshman and had1most of the night before laughing and talking with friends. Now just 2 my first class of the day my eyelids were feeling 3and my head was drifting down to my desk to make my textbook a 4. A few minutes' nap time before class couldn't5, I thought.

Boom! I lifted my head immediately and my eyes opened wider than saucers. I looked around with my heart 6 quickly trying to find the cause of the 7. My young professor was looking back at me with a 8, boyish smile on his face. He had 9 dropped the pile of textbooks he was carrying onto Ms desk. “Good morning!” he said, still smiling. “I'm glad to see everyone is 10. Now let's get started.”

For the next hour I wasn't sleepy at all. It wasn't from the shock of my professor's textbook11either. It was12from the attractive discussion he led. With knowledge and good humor, he made the material come alive. His insights were full of both wisdom and loving kindness. I13the classroom not only wide awake, but a little 14and a little better as well.

I learned something far more important than 15 in class that day, too. I learned that if you are going to do something in this life, do it well, do it 16, and make it an 17 of your love. What a glorious place this world would be if all of us did our work joyously and well. What a beautiful world we could 18 if every doctor, teacher, musician, cook, waitress, poet, miner, farmer, and laborer made their work an expression of their love. Don't sleepwalk your way through life then. 19! Let your love fill your work and your soul. Life is 20short not to live it well.

    It's a sad and familiar voice that we often hear in big cities: “Can you spare some change?”

    Usually, when faced with that particular 1 I have feelings of guilt if I pass by 2giving a coin or two.

    I had that feeling 3in Venice while on a tour of Italy's famous sites in 2006. I had taken refuge from the 4 in a quiet café. Outside, there was an old woman kneeling on the hard, ancient paving stones,5.

    Steady 6of tourists were walking past her. A young backpacker stood away from the crowd,7 drinking in the scenery, but I noticed the young traveler was also 8the old woman.

    A tourist group walked along the street,9 the woman and walked on.10 group of tourists arrived and walked past the old lady. The backpacker watched 11 everybody else went on their way and focused on the 12 around them. Then, I was preparing to leave when I caught sight of the backpacker stepping forward and 13 some money in the woman's cup. He did this somewhat 14 just before the arrival of another tourist group. As I 15 the leader of the group stopped and put some money in the cup. Having been shown the way, other tourists followed suit and 16 some more coins to the cup.

    His work done, the young man walked over to the old beggar-woman, patted her on the shoulder and said, “I hope that 17 a little.”

    I don't know if the woman understood his English or 18what had just happened, but I did. I placed some money in the woman's cup and continued my travels,19 after witnessing such an 20act of kindness.

    One day, Luke Fortune drove from Oregon to Portland, where he parked his car in a paid garage overnight. The next morning, he 1 the car's window had been broken, along with his 2 for the future: His computer was 3 “Everything important to me was on that computer,” said Fortune. “I felt 4.

    Two days after the 5 another young man called Fortune. Masoud Almazrouei was an exchange student from the United Arab Emirates. He'd been 6by a man who said he had a computer for sale. Only $ 200. Almazrouei 7 a computer, so he bought it, took it home, and turned it on. Within seconds, he saw files and photographs. “I wondered who would8 a computer with all of this on it,” he said. “I 9it could be stolen.”Almazrouei found what appeared to be the owner's phone number and called it10

    “He told me the story and said it was his fault. I thought it was a11 I told him if he really had the 12 he should take it to the police.” Fortune said13a police officer called Fortune to say that a man had dropped the computer off and had said he was14He passed on the man's number. Fortune called and thanked Almazrouei and 15paying him a reward of $ 200—the money he was out. Almazrouei 16.

    When a report about the two young men's story made it to the local papers, Almazrouei received a(n)17 from Wim Wiewel, the president of the university where Almazrouei is studying. Impressed with his student's18Wiewel gave Almazrouei a new computer. “We thought since you 19 the computer, we should give you a computer so that you'll have one,” Wiewel told him. “We're very20you.”

Bradley's Bicycle

    When our son Bradley was ten, the new bicycle he had received earlier that year was missing. Having a bike was a big deal to our children. They spent hours and hours on their bikes, 1 up and down the footpath, and at the front of the house. We also rode as a 2 at holidays, when all the members enjoyed staying together. Bicycling was a great way to get the kids out of the house and into the fresh air 3 spending any money.

    Bradley discovered that his bicycle had been 4 from our backyard when he and his sister went outside for a morning ride. He couldn't 5 that someone would do this. 6, none of the other bicycles were touched and nothing else was missing.

    Bradley painted a sign (告示) on a large piece of cardboard,7 for the bicycle to be returned, and 8 it to the letterbox. The following morning, when I went out to collect the mail, I found a white 9 with the magical words, "Buy yourself a new bike." It took me a little while to 10what it was inside it. It was a $100 banknote.

    We were very 11that someone had the heart to do this. We've never been able to thank the person but we 12 that it may have been one of our wonderful neighbors. Bradley painted a big "Thank you" on the sign and we 13it outside for a couple of weeks afterwards in case it was someone who drove down our street.

    Bradley was able to 14 a new bicycle. As the years went on, bicycles became bigger and more expensive but remained just as 15 for those family bicycle rides. Now the kids have grown up and cars have 16their bicycles. Bradley is twenty-five this year. Sometimes I 17 the days when receiving a bicycle was the best thing in the world to them.

    All these years later we are still grateful to that incredibly kind 18. A young boy's sorrow turned to joy when he got his19. We were a young family with three little children and it meant a lot to us. We still talk about it and, even now, 20who actually gave us the help.

    I feel that l was blessed by an Angel not long ago.1 was out in town with my husband. We live in a 1town. Because of the cold, my2shrunk, causing my anniversary ring to 3. I didn't notice this until we got home. I became 4ill ached all over. I thought my husband was going to have a heart attack.

    Although it is a material item, it is yet very5 He went out and retraced our6to where we came back. I called the stores we were in and no one7it in. I thought it was8 for sure.

    Well, at around midnight last night, our dogs went mad. We have a sunroom9to our home. The door to that is usually10. But that night, we Left it unlocked. My all-terrain motor scooter(小型摩托车)was 11 out there. In its basket was a ring box-- holding my ring! Along with the ring was a diamond circle.

    There was also a 12 that told the story of this stranger13 the ring and recognizing the work, as it is a piece made particularly. The person then went to the jeweler and14 about finding the ring. The jeweler is a friend of mine so she gave her my 15 and the town is so small, we are 16 to find. The stranger who found the ring 17the ribbon(丝线)in the store in order to keep the ring around the finger when it is 18 out. And then also left a gift card for us to take our family out to the movies as a Christmas gift. The note was 19 "Santa's Elf(小精灵)". My friend is keeping her lips 20 about whom it was.