“Who can ever have imagined someone like me would make it this far?” asked Chad Wood last week during his high school graduation speech as the best student. Chad offered1to his fellow classmates to never give up—and the words2much more to himself. That's because Chad is deaf, and he told the story of the serious troubles he3to graduate first in his class at Harrison High school in Kennesaw, Georgia.

    Chad didn't start to4until he was 5, according to his mother, Pam Wood. Although her son was5a disadvantage, she was determined not to treat him6. “I've expected him to do everything every other kid does, and I saw no7why he couldn't,” she told ABC News. “And if he8the first time, we just tried again.”

    Chad, 17, worked hard throughout school,9no special treatment but sitting at the front of the class and using a special audio system so he could hear the teacher. All his hard work10. He received full school fare to Vanderbilt University. “Deafness had taught me a lesson to never11,” he said in the speech. “Not when the experts tell you it cannot be done. Not when you have12so far behind that escaping seems the only way 13. Not when achieving your dreams seems an entire14.”

    Chad spoke for about four minutes, after which he received a standing applause from the class and15messages from family, friends and strangers. “They've been sending me messages on Facebook, email, they've been talking to me in person telling me how it had a16on their lives and how they're really17by it,” Chad told ABC News. “It feels18. Seeing that my words19have a power on someone and that they want to work harder because of my words makes me feel20.”

    Dad had a green comb (木梳). He bought it when he married Mum. Every night, he would hand me his 1 and say, “Good girl, help Daddy clean it, OK?”

    I was 2 to do it. At age five, this dull task brought me such 3. I would excitedly turn the tap 4 and brush the comb carefully. Satisfied that I'd done a good job, I would happily return the comb to Dad. He would 5 affectionately (慈爱地) at me and place the comb on his wallet.

    Two years later, Dad started his own 6, which wasn't doing so well. That was when things started to 7. Dad didn't come home as early and as much as he used to. Mum and I became 8 with him for placing our family in trouble. With 9, an uncomfortable silnce grew between us.

    After my graduation, Dad's business was getting back on track. On my 28th birthday, Dad came home 10. As usually I helped him carry his bags into his study. When I turned to leave, he said, “Hey, would you help me 11 my comb?” I looked at him a while, then 12 the comb and headed to the sink(水槽).

    It hit me then: why, as a child, 13 Dad clean his comb was such a pleasure. That routine(习惯) meant Dad was home early to 14 the evening with Mum and me. It 15 a happy and loving family.

    I passed the clean comb back to Dad. He smiled at me and 16placed his comb on his wallet. But this time, I noticed something 17 . Dad had aged. He had wrinkles next to his eyes when he smiled, 18 his smile was still as 19 as before, the smile of a father who just wanted a good 20 for his family.

    I was standing in the checkout line behind a woman who looked to be in her 60s. When it was her turn to pay, the cashier(收银员) 1 her by name and asked her how she was doing. The woman looked down, shook her hand, and said, “Not so good. My husband just lost his job and my 2 son is up to his old tricks again. The truth is, I don't know how I'm going to 3 the holidays. ”Then she gave the cashier food stamps.

    My heart 4. I wanted to help but didn't know how. Should I offer to 5 her groceries or ask for her husband's situation?

    6 I walked into the parking lot, I spotted the woman returning her shopping cart. I remembered something in my purse that I thought might help her. It wasn't a handful of cash or an 7 of a job for her husband, but maybe it would make her life 8.

    My heart beat faster as I 9 the woman. “Excuse me,” I said, my voice trembling a bit. “I couldn't help overhearing what you said to the cashier. It sounds like you're going through a really 10 time right now. I'm so sorry, but I'd like to give you something.”

    I took a small card out of my purse and 11 it to her.

    When the woman read the only two words on the card, she began to cry. And through her 12, she said, “You have no idea how much this 13 to me.”

    I was a little 14 by her reply. Having never done anything like this before, I didn't know what kind of 15 I might receive. All I could think to respond was, “Oh! Would it be OK to give you a 16?

    After we hugged 17, I walked back to my car and began to cry, too.

    The words on the card?

    “You Matter.”

    A few weeks earlier, a colleague gave a similar card as 18 for a project I was working on. When I read the card, I felt a 19 glow(光辉，喜悦)spread inside of me. Deeply touched, I came home and ordered my own box of You Matter cards and started 20 them.

    More than 700 years ago, Scotland was fighting with England. The king of England wanted to 1 Scotland. He had a strong army so it was 2 for the Scots to fight. They lost many times, King Robert of Scotland had to run from the English army.

    One rainy day, King Robert lay in an old house. He thought that he was not good enough to be king. He was so 3 that he didn't even see a spider (蜘蛛) near him. He 4 when he saw the spider climbing. It was trying to climb up its web at the top of the house but it fell down.

    "How sad," thought King Robert. "The spider is like me. It's not 5 enough." He watched while the spider climbed up again. It fell down a second time.

    "Be careful, little spider, or you might die," he said. "Life is so hard. You'll never get back to your web." But the spider 6 again and again. King Robert watched while it 7 climbed back to its web. After an hour, the spider got to the web.

    "You are such a great 8," he said. "If you can keep trying. I can too. I must keep on fighting. I won't let the English win." His 9 grew strong and they 10 the English army. Scotland was free.

    Nobody knows if this is a true story. Many parents tell it to their children because they want them to keep trying.

    Today I went on an outing with my best friend. However, I1her in a very large mall for some four hours. I went2searching all over from one end to the other. Finally, I had to3to my pride and ask for help. I spoke with the kindest4! He promised me that everything would be5, and walked with me one more time all around the mall but6again. I thought it was so strange and wondered how a(n)7woman could lose her best friend in the mall.

    I drove home in8and thought of what a great trouble I had made. Nobody around could9me for such a mistake. I thought about how special my best friend is to me and those who know her.

    When I arrived home, I was10to find my best friend was just there: my Mother! My mother was fine. She11said, "I looked all over for you and for an hour of12, without any luck. Therefore, I13to take the bus home myself, I did not have my cell phone. Why are you crying? " Needless to say, I was so overjoyed to see my mother was in one14.

    Nothing in this world happens without a(n)15. What happened that day lets me realize how much my mother16to me. At the same time, the 17of the security guard, a complete stranger, also18me deeply. This19is a great reminder for me to show kindness to people I see daily. Never20the presence and friendship of them for granted, Value what we have today.

Damarie Thomas, a twelve-year-old Jamaican teen, was concentrating on practising his skills for the upcoming football contest when he felt a hard tackle(抢断球) from behind, which pushed him to the ground. His world changed overnight. Though his injuries did not result in paralysis(瘫痪), they were serious enough to affect his movement. It was the last time that he had played football.

Now Thomas is an adult and he uses a wheelchair to travel distances. Despite a number of difficulties, he perseveres in his attempts to walk. He proudly claims that from being able to move only two steps at a time, he can now do five steps unaided. Limited resources have influenced his treatment, but he is hopeful that he will be able to complete recovery soon. Having an experience like this would have broken many an adult, but not this young man. "It's not what happens but how you come back from it that counts," he said.

After his injury, Thomas did well in his primary school exams and gained a place at one of the top-rated high schools in Jamaica. However, at that time the school was not equipped to accommodate a physically disabled student and he had to accept a transfer to a high school near his home.

It is a blessing that Thomas has now signed up for an information technology course at Abilities Foundation, proudly claiming his improvement by learning coding(编码). The Abilities Foundation aims to equip the disabled with skills through training. The training centre encourages Thomas to chase his dream — he wants to become a successful software engineer, creating innovative technology accessible and beneficial to all, especially people with disabilities.