I truly feel that my mother led me here, to Morzaine, and to my future as happy wife and business woman. When Mum 1 in October 2007, I was a cook. In December that year, while I was working for a wedding, a pearl necklace Mum had left me 2. I was distraught（忧心如焚的）. Some days later, I was 3 that a guy who was working with us that day could probably have made a fortune 4 the necklace he found. 5, he returned it. Hearing how I'd 6 Mum for six months before her death, he said, "Christmas is going to be 7 —why not go out to the Alps for a couple of weeks?"

    I come to Morzaine, a small, friendly village in the Alps and 8 fell in love with it .What was 9 to be a stopgap (权宜之计) trip 10 a new life .I kept travelling between London and here and felt 11 than I had in months. In December 2008, I was 12 as a hotel manager and moved here full time.

    A month later, I met Paul, who was traveling here. We fell in love. In the beginning, I didn't want to discuss marriage, because the sadness of losing Mum still felt 13. Paul understood that and never 14 me. But, by summer, we got married. A year later, we used his savings, and the money from the sale of Mom's house, to build our own 15.

    We want to give our guests a 16 feel, so each room is themed(以……为题) around memories from our lives. There are also styles to remind me of Mom - a tiny chair which 17 be in her bedroom is set in one room.

    We are having a wonderful life and Mum 18 naturally part of it, 19 there's no way we would be here if it wasn't for the 20 she gave me. I know she's here in spirit, keeping an eye on us.

    At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. As was usually the 1, I fully expected one of the women to 2, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite3 and a bit shaken.

    He began by saying, "Dennis, I was quite 4 with you last week when you gave us this 5. I didn't feel that I had anyone to say those words to, and6, who were you to tell me to do something that is 7? But as I began driving home a(n) 8 deep down in my heart started talking to me. It was 9 me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you' to. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a cruel 10 and really never resolved it since that time. We 11 seeing each other unless we totally had to at Christmas or other family 12. But even then, we 13 spoke to each other. So, last Tuesday by the time I got home I had14 myself I was going to tell my father I loved him."

    "It's 15, but just making that decision 16to lift a heavy load off my chest."

    "When I got home, I rushed into the house to tell my wife what I was going to do. She was already in 17, but I woke her up anyway. She catapulted ( 弹 射 ) out and18 me, and for the first time in our married life she saw me cry. We19 half the night drinking coffee and talking. It was20."

    I stopped to watch my little girl busy playing in her room. In one hand was a plastic phone; in the other a toy broom. I listened as she was speaking to her make-believe(假想的) little friend and I'll never forget the words she said, even though it was1.

    She said, “Jane's in the corner because she's not been very 2. She didn't listen to a word I said or do the things she should.” In the corner I saw her baby doll all dressed in lace and pink. It was clear she'd been put to sit 3and think.

    My daughter continued her “4”, as I sat down on the floor. She said, “I'm all5up. I just don't know what to do with her any more. She cries whenever I have to work and wants to play 6, too. She never lets me do the things that I just have to do. She tries to help me with the dishes, but her arms just cannot7. And she doesn't know how to fold towels. I don't have the8to teach. I have a lot of work to do and a big house to keep clean. I don't have the time to sit and play — Do you see what I 9?”

    And that day I thought a lot about making some 10in my life, as I listened to her words that cut me like a knife. I hadn't been paying enough 11to what I hold most dear. I'd been caught up in responsibilities that increased over the years.

But now my 12has changed, because, in my heart, I realize that I've seen the world in a different light13my little darling's eyes. So, let the cobwebs(蜘蛛网) 14the corners and the dust rabbit rule the floor. I'm not going to worry about keeping up with them any more.

    I'm going to fill the house with15of a child and her mother, for we are granted only one childhood, and we will never get another.

    "I have recently completed my college degree." The project we were 1 to do in the last class was called "Smile". The class was asked to go out and smile at three people and record their 2.

    Soon, my husband and I went out to a McDonald's for 3. We were standing in line, waiting to be 4, when everyone around us began to back away. 5 I turned around, I smelled a 6 "dirty body" smell, and there standing behind me were two 7 homeless men.

    As I looked down at the short gentleman, he was "smiling". His blue eyes were 8 of expectation as if in search of acceptance. The second man 9 awkward. I realized the second man was mentally challenged.

    The young lady at the 10 asked him what they wanted. He said," coffee is all, Miss," because that was all they could 11. If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and warm up, they had to buy 12. I realized that he just wanted to be 13. It was too cold outside.

    Then I really felt it—the compulsion(冲动) was so great that I almost reached out and embraced the short man. I noticed all the customers in the restaurant were 14 at me, judging my every action. I smiled and 15 two more breakfast meals for the two men. The short man looked up at me in 16 with tears in his eyes.

    I returned to the 17 on the last evening of class with this story. I turned in "my project" and the teacher read it. Then she said," Can I 18 this?"

    I nodded. She began to read 19 while every student listened attentively.

    In my own way I 20 the people at McDonald's, my teacher, and every student in the classroom. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: UNCONDITIONAL ACCEPTANCE.

    I got to know a homeless man, Leo. I1him two options that I could either give him a2and teach him how to write computer3, or give him $100 in cash. He accepted my4offer, even though he didn't know what coding was. I am a5believer in the power of6. I was home-schooled by my mother, herself a software engineer. By the age of 12 I had7my own business designing websites and had earned $30,000. Writing code is a8and much rewarding skill, so I was sure that if Leo learned how to do it, and that could be a way for him to turn things9.

    I bought Leo a secondhand laptop and three books on Java, the programming language. Leo had used computers10at school but didn't have an email address and didn't know how to do very basic things such as copy and paste(粘贴) text.11he has an incredible memory and can12information almost word for word. Our goal is to13an app. Leo came up with the idea: a car-sharing app that14the amount of CO₂ emissions(排放) you've avoided; he is concerned about the15.

    He is16dedicated(专注的) and works at it for three hours a day: no mean feat(成就), because the information is incredibly dense and it's17to absorb a lot at one time.

    I always thought homeless people were18, but Leo is part of a very supportive community. When our project is over, I hope Leo will be offered a job19. I don't think that's20. As well as being brilliant at coding (he'll have surpassed me in two years), I think he could make a great teacher.

I was getting more excited as we got off the train at beautiful Grand Central Station. After a tour at the Museum of Modern Art, we1 Radio City Music Hall and the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. In one of the 2 in the area, I found a tiny boxed set of Peter Rabbit books, perfect for my 3 . Was there anything like Christmas in New York? Having experienced an exciting and tiring tour, we called a  4   back to Grand Central Station.

On the way home I realized that my handbag was gone—lost or 5  , I had no idea. All the magic of this special day  6  . I glumly(闷闷不乐地) imagined a crowded Department of Motor Vehicles and all the phone calls that I'd have to make to get my  7   cards replaced with new ones. And I'd never 8  all those precious photos to my daughters.

The days slipped by while I got rides to college and  9 going to the DMV( 车 管 所 ) at such a busy time of year. Then I got an unexpected 10 , a box with the return address of Radio City Music Hall.  11  , I opened it and shouted in a joyful  12   .

There was my old handbag, with everything 13  good inside—license, cards and photos—and one thing that hadn't been there  14  , a handwritten note, saying, "I found this handbag lying under the seat of my taxi by  15   . Merry Christmas!"