A woman in a（n）1suit stepped in．"Hi, Libby．" she said．Wow, what a 2! The first time she came to the cafe two years ago, she had no money to pay. 3many customers, she volunteered to wash dishes and 4. Look at her now: confident and hopeful. Wasn't this what we'd hoped for?

    In 2003, we'd 5this crazy dream: start a restaurant with a donation box instead of a cash register（收款台). Right away we hit hurdles（阻碍) " There is no such thing as a 6 lunch," one potential landlord（房东）sniffed. I met brokers, bankers and suppliers, only to watch them 7, shaking their heads. No bank would lend us the money to open a restaurant with no 8. The only fund we could get was our individual retirement account. 9we rented space from a landlord on Colfax Street．We put flyers (传单) around the neighborhood, asked friends to 10 the word, and held our breath．

    Word traveled fast, 11stories in the papers and on TV. Soon we had more than 50customers a day．A few ate without paying or 12 an hour of work. But most gave what they could, 13it was just a dollar. Those with money gave, and then more．One of our customers left a 14for 500 dollars. Another bought 1000 dollars in gift certificates.  15another donated a truck so we could transport 16from suppliers．

People came here partly for what our cafe17 —SAME: So A11 May Eat, We 18everyone with dignity (尊严). We hoped to develop a sense of community—so that we might19 one another. The woman in business suit was one of them. Our20 to open the cafe was worth it.

    It was a cold autumn morning a few years ago. I was driving along the mountain roads slower than usual trying to take in all the1colors. It was so beautiful. It was a day made for2Yet, part of me still felt3and insignificant in the middle of all of this heaven-sent beauty.

    As I rounded a curve(弯曲处), I4saw an old man hurrying along the side of the road. As soon as he saw me, he raised his thumb, hoping for a5. I braked and pulled over to the side of the road. I6the door and the white haired man got in with a smile. He was hoping to7to the local post office and8have tie to catch a bus. As I drove along, we laughed and talked about what a9day it was. Then just as I 10to drop him off, he turned to me and said “Thanks son. You were heaven-sent.”

    I 11away with a smile on my face and a12in my heart. I wasn't sure 13I had been “heaven-sent” for him but he 14had been “heaven-sent” for me. He had15me that I too was an important part of God's 16and that I should enjoy taking my place in it.

    In God's eyes, none of us is small. None of us is 17  All of us are heaven-sent. We are here to help each other. We are here to18our love and our kindness. We are here to make this world a better 19more beautiful place. May you always 20your place in God's glorious creation.

The family had just moved to Rhode Island, and the young woman was feeling a little depressed on that Sunday in May. After all, it was Mother's Day—and 800 miles1 her from her parents in Ohio.

    She had called them that morning, to wish her a happy Mother's Day and her mother had2how colorful their backyard was3spring had arrived. Later, she told her husband how she4those lilacs (丁香花) in her parents' yard. “I know where we can find some,” he said, “Get the5and come on.” So off they went.

    Some time later, they stopped at a hill and there were lilacs all round. The young woman rushed up to the nearest6and buried her face in the flowers. Carefully, she7some. Finally, they returned to their car for the8home. The woman sat smiling, surrounded by her9.

    When they were near home, she shouted “stop”, got off quickly and10to a nearby nursing home. She went to the end of the porch (门廊), where a(n)11  patient was sitting in her wheelchair, and put the flowers into her lap. The two12, bursting into laughters now and then. Later the young woman turned and ran back to her  13. As the car pulled away, the woman in the wheelchair14with a smile, and held the lilacs15.

    “Mom,” the kids asked, “16did you give her our flowers?” “It is Mother's Day, and she seems so17while I have all of you. And anyone would be18 by flowers.”

    This satisfied the kids, but not the husband. The next day he19some young lilacs around their yard.

    I was the husband. Now, every May, our yard is full of lilacs. Every Mother's Day our kids20purple lilacs. And every year I remember that smile of the lonely old woman.

    I sat down at my desk and started writing a letter of thankfulness, but when it came to actually putting the letter into the mailbox... I 1  I couldn't do it. I suddenly felt a sense of 2 and insecurity (不安).

    The letter was to an old teacher with whom I kept in 3 on Facebook. For months, I read about what she 4 on her Facebook page, which helped me to live my life differently. Her volunteer (志愿者) work wasn't huge. 5, she was doing small, local good deeds. 6, she changed my views on the world and for some reason. I felt I should let her know how her example 7 influenced me.

    I could have easily sent her an email, but that seemed not enough for such an important thank-you. That's why I ended up 8 the letter. But now here I was, standing before the mailbox, unable to put the envelope inside. What was stopping me? It suddenly hit me that I was 9 of being too nice. I guess I felt strange 10 it wasn't like she was my best friend or a relative. Maybe my 11 was too heartfelt. Thinking this over, I put the envelope in the mailbox 12.

    Weeks later I received a message from her. It turned out she was 13 a hard time and my note 14 a lot to her. She said she had no idea she was playing such a big 15 in others' life.

    Not only did this letter make her happier, but her response to it brightened my world and 16 my level of happiness as well. I was so 17 that it had such a great influence on her that I decided to write a(n) 18 letter to someone each month. Now it's easier for me to 19 the goodness in others and be more 20 for this beautiful life I'm living.

    Two-year-old Samantha Savitz has a hearing problem. Living within a community where there are no other 1 people around, her neighbors found a way to make her feel 2 and included.

    Samantha lives in Islington Road in Newton, Massachusetts. She loves to talk to anyone who knows 3 language, but not everyone in the neighborhood knows how to communicate with her.

    "She's easy-going. She wants to talk with anybody." said her father, Raphael.

    "Her whole personality changes when people can 4 with her," said her mother, Glenda. It makes Samantha a little 5 when people can't interact with her.

    6, Samantha wanted to play with her neighbors badly. Whenever they see her on a walk or in her yard，the little girl tries to be 7. But they are frustrated because they don't know how to talk to her.

    "All of us would 8 to talk to her, but we don't know what to say." said one neighbor. "Basic conversation that one would have with a 9 ," said another.

    "Asking her about her day," said a third.

    "And make her feel that she is part of the neighborhood," said another neighbor.

    "Just be her friend," another neighbor added.

    It is clear that the neighbors all 10 to be there for Samantha as her friend. But they would need to 11 American Sign Language. It might be hard to believe for some—that a whole neighborhood would learn ASL just 12 a little 2-year-old girl — but this particular community did just that.

    On their own, Samantha's neighbors gathered and 13 an instructor. Now, they all participate in an American Sign Language class.

    The 14 says that this is a remarkable thing because some parents of deaf children don't even bother to learn sign language. "But here Samantha has a full 15 that are signing in my class and communicating with her, and it is a beautiful story," he said.

    Her parents have no words to express their 16 for what the community did for Samantha. Glenda finds the act "shocking and beautiful", 17 Raphael feels "so fortunate" that their daughter is receiving so much love.

    In fact, the couple is already seeing some 18 in their daughter. During ASL classes, the first thing that Samantha says to her neighbors is "friend". "We are sure that this energetic girl is 19 , now that she has friends around who 20 the same language as her. Thank this neighborhood in Islington Road for showing us the most important part of being a community." The instructor said.

    My husband and I both were working in a lonely village in northern Thailand. There were many 1, particularly around our housing.

    We 2 our house this past June. Shortly after, while we were working at the office, the 3 removed all the surrounding banana trees and the grass in order to raise the ground level — she had 4 on tearing down our house and building a new one after we left.

    She brought in tons of 5. This left our house in a kind of moat(壕沟), and when the heavy rain came, our house 6. This was upsetting, but it turned into something 7, because when the headmaster at my school became 8 of it, he got my eighth-grade class to come to help 9 up.

    The boys dug into the moat to drain the water, and built a path out to the street, 10 the girls mopped up the water inside and spread newspapers to 11 it. Before the problem was truly 12, however, we had another flood. This turned into a 13, with teachers and students again 14, and our host mother bringing lunch for everyone.

    Another time, my husband suddenly got very 15. It was going to take the 16 two hours to reach our house, 17 my co-teacher arranged for a truck from the government office to take us to meet it--this truly helped greatly by 18 two hours off the ride.

    There were many other 19 of care and kindness. This community is dear to our hearts, and there is no way we can ever 20 them. I plan to try my best to pay it forward by looking for people in need of help.