Last fall, before Thanksgiving, I was making my way in my car out of the shopping center parking lot. I was bored in the car. I 1a woman heavily loaded with 2 and her two boys, one carrying a pumpkin and the other another bag.

    They were headed, I 3, to the bus stop across the major road. 4it was too far to walk with all those 5 to any of the nearby bus stops, on a random impulse（冲动），I rolled down my window and asked if they were indeed headed to the 6. “Yes,” the mother 7. I asked, “Would you like a 8? “Oh, yes!” was their 9 reaction.

    I was also delighted，and，after driving out of the way of other 10, I stopped and the boys piled into the back seat . The mother started to push 11 beside them. I 12 her by saying, “Oh, you come on up here 13 me. I'm not a taxi driver!” So off we went.

    Right away, I decided to take them a mile and a half to their home, since I had 14 and they had bags. All the way, I had just a fine time listening and talking with all of them. It felt so good to be able to do this little 15 and showed that with such a small 16I could make a big difference to a tired mother. I'm not sure 17 got the most out of it.

    18, this was special for me 19, as a disabled person, I often receive help and now I know how especially good it feels to be 20.

    It was already half past seven and I was running late again for the dinner appointment with my wife, Eleanor. We had 1 to meet at the restaurant at seven o'clock. I felt a little uneasy, but to my2 ， I had a good excuse: A business meeting had 3and I'd wasted no time getting to the dinner.

    When I arrived at the4 ，1 apologized and told Eleanor I didn't mean to be late. She screamed, "You never mean to." Well, I 5tell she was angry. "I'm sorry but it was not6," I said. Then I told her about the business meeting.7, my explanation seemed to make things worse, which started to drive 8 mad as well.

    Several weeks later, when I9 the situation to my friend Ken Hardy, he smiled, "You10a classic mistake. You're stuck 11your own way of thinking. You didn't 12 to be late. But that's not the point. What is13in your communication is how your lateness affected Eleanor." He pointed out that I focused on the intention14Eleanor focused on the result. Thus, 15 of us felt misunderstood and crazy.

    Thinking more about Ken's words, I 16 recognized the root cause of such disagreement. It's the result of the action that really 17.I should have started the conversation by expressing18 my actions affected Eleanor and 19the discussions about my intention for later, much later and even never.

    Later on, after talking to Eleanor and really20her experience of the results of my lateness, I've managed to be on time a lot more frequently.

    I was invited to attend a presentation at the Kentucky School. That evening I found gratitude（感恩）had amazing 1to change our attitude and our life.

    The young musician Mr. Patrick was 2 onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His 3 danced across the keys as he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was wonderful. But what shocked me most was his 4 smile.

    Patrick was born with no eyes and an illness in the legs, which 5 him disabled for life. However, as a child, he was6 with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first 7, he discovered the piano. When his mom hit any note on the piano, and within one or two 8, he'd get it. By his second birthday, he was playing "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". His father was extremely 9. "We might not play baseball, but we can play music together."

    When Patrick was at the University of Louisville, his father 10 classes with him. He was also a part of the 214-member marching band! He was a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father did it together. His father 11 the night shift（夜班）in order to accompany his daytime band practice. Patrick says, "My dad's my 12."

    But even more than his 13 musical talent, it was Patrick's "attitude of gratitude" that 14 my soul. On stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about how 15 he was to his great father. When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd rose to their feet and 16 for over five minutes.

    We all face misfortune in our lives. 17, it's not the hardship but how we 18 to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During 19 times, do we spend too much time feeling 20 for ourselves, or can we, with gratitude, learn how to dance in the rain?

    As she waited at the edge of the ice for her music to start, Peggy took a quick look at her father standing nearby with a group of parents and teachers. He smiled at her. Then she 1 out at the audience, 2 to see her mother. These two, Alvert and Doris Flemint, had 3 all the way from California more than 2,000 miles away, to see their 4 compete in this sports meet in Cleveland, Ohio.

    The music 5 and Peggy moved onto the ice, letting the music 6 her along into her turns, and she began skating with much 7 in herself. The cold fear she always had in the 8 seconds before skating onto the ice was 9. She was feeling the movement of the 10 and letting it carry her. She skated easily, 11 did some jumps, a final turn and her performance was 12.

    The crowd loved it and cheered 13 she skated off the ice. "Nice job," said one of the other 14. It was the remark that 15 came after a free-skating performance. But what should the 16 say? Standing beside her father, Peggy 17 for the scoring to be finished. On all sides were other young skaters, some waiting 18 alone, others with a parent. Shortly before 10 o'clock the results were 19. The new United States Women's Figure Skating Champion was Peggy Fleming of Passdena, 20.

Culture and tradition are the soul of a country. When a country 1 them, it is difficult for it to make 2 . Chinese culture can be seen everywhere in China. 3 , I did not really understand it in the beginning. Then I realized I had to 4 something in order to understand it.

Last winter I decided to stay at our university to 5 all the activities organized for foreign students to celebrate the Spring Festival.

The 6 began a month ago with the decorating of our rooms with Spring Festival couplets (对联) and New Year paintings. On February 10, we 7 an activity to write Spring Festival couplets. When I saw the brush, I became 8 . Why is there such a pen? How do we use it?

After understanding the tools, we started our creative 9 . I tried to hold the brush and start writing 10 , but the tip of the pen was too 11 and I couldn't grasp it at all. I was 12 , but I didn't give up. After several 13 , I wrote a line of words. At this time, I found that my sleeves were dirtied with ink as I was too 14 practicing. Even so, I was very happy, because I felt that I had learned the essence (精髓) of writing calligraphy.

Through this activity, I came to 15 the amazing Chinese culture more.

One sunny afternoon in the park, I witnessed a remarkable scene. An elderly gentleman was standing by the side of a path, looking confused and lost. Just at that moment, a kind- hearted young girl approached him. She asked him gently what was wrong and listened patiently as he struggled to explain.

Without hesitation, the girl took his hand and slowly guided him along the path, chatting with him to ease his anxiety. They walked together until they reached the place the old man was supposed to be. The old man smiled with thankfulness and relief.

After helping the old man, the girl didn't just leave. She spent some more time with him, sharing some interesting stories and making him laugh. The old man's eyes sparkled with joy, and it was clear that this interaction had brightened his day. The girl's kindness seemed to have an effect, as other people in the park also noticed and were inspired by her actions.

I continued to observe as the girl then decided to stay with the old man for a while longer. They sat on a bench together, and the girl began to tell him about her own life, her dreams, and her adventures. The old man listened attentively, nodding and smiling from time to time. It was a beautiful sight to behold, this unlikely pair sharing such a genuine and heartwarming connection.

This encounter made me reflect on the importance of kindness in our society. In a world that can often seem cold and hurried, acts like the girl's are like the tower of light, showing us the way to a more empathetic（同情的）and caring existence. It also made me think about how we all have the potential to make a difference in someone else's life, no matter how small the act may be.

Now, whenever I recall this scene, it warms my heart and reminds me to be more willing to offer a helping hand, to spread kindness wherever I go, and to believe in the goodness that lies within each of us.