My mother was a nurse and often took me along to visit the families she was caring for. Among them was a woman who had a 1 disease and was always lying on the bed.

    One afternoon, my mom told me that we needed to 2 the woman at her home to 3 treatment, and we would stop at a store 4 I thought we would stop at a5store, but we pulled up to a6 My mom headed to the make-up7and bought the most expensive bottle of8they offered. She also bought a 9nightdress. When I asked my mom who these things were for, she said they were for her patient. My mom 10explained that although this woman was older and unable to11her bed,  she was still a lady, and she 12dignity and beauty. She 13 to me that when we care for someone, we 14the disability or the illness and we look into the15 of the human so we can connect with them with sympathy. I 16 realized that my mother's 17strengths were caring for the very young and the very old, those who can not 18for themselves and need trustworthy care providers. I knew in 9th grade I would become a 19.

    Today, I work as a clinical psychologist, and I'm: not 20 that I find my practice filled with patients who are very young and very old.

    I was doing a year of voluntary service abroad for people with learning disabilities. It was set in an English 1 ， quite different from my home in Sweden.

    One of my fellow 2 ， a girl from Tanzania, seemed a bit 3 ， so I asked what the problem was. She told me she had a 4 back home who was really 5 with her university studies. It seemed that 6 difficulties would make it impossible for her to complete her course. So this friend of 7 had done something unbelievable: she had sent all her pocket money for the month to Tanzania to 8 her friend! This meant that she didn't have much food to eat and had no money to go anywhere outside the village.

    I was so 9 that she did this for her friend and I felt I had to do something. 10 ， during my next trip to one of the ear by towns I walked into a shop to buy some food for her. I started 11 to the woman working in the shop and 12told her about my friend. The woman looked at me, 13."Does she eat pasta (意大利面)？" she asked."Yes，" I replied. She immediately 14 loading a bag with pasta, cookies, sweets and other things until the bag was full."Give this to her for me. It's my15！" I couldn't believe it but cried with 16.

    Imagine my friend's face when I 17 the gifts on my kitchen table and 18 her from her room to see! I have 19 seen her so happy! She told me that due to the generous help, she could definitely 20 the month.

    Zigfried, a little mouse, blew his breath on the frosty window of the farmhouse and rubbed it to see the outside. Still nobody came. Maybe today, he thought 1 It was only a few days before Christmas and he was watching for a miracle (奇迹).

    This farmhouse had been 2 too long. It needed a family. Zigfried's 3 made a noise. He realized that he hadn't eaten anything since yesterday. He jumped from the windowsill (窗沿), grabbed a 4 from his home, and went next door to Farmer Mike's.

    Farmer Mike's house had been a great place for the little mouse 5the farmer married a wife who had a cat. Zigfried 6when he thought of it. He looked around cautiously as he 7 into the room where grain was stored and was quite 8as he filled his bag with wheat. He was turning to leave when suddenly he 9a hot breath about his ear. His heart beat 10, and without thinking he started to run and luckily 11 the cat's paws (爪子).

    The next afternoon Zigfried heard some good news: a 12family would be moving into the farmhouse soon. Zigfried's granny would arrive on Christmas Eve to 13 with him. He hoped that the family would come before his granny came. Before long, a car came 14 the road leading to the house, with butter sandwiches, cheese and chocolate.

    Zigfried's Christmas miracle did arrive!

    The house came 15 the next few days. Zigfried 16 every single hour of them. 17, the day before Christmas when he was drinking hot chocolate with a 18 smile at the door of his home, he heard the 19 of the children of the family about what they might get for Christmas. What? A cat? The 20froze on his face; his mouth fell wide open. After a long while, he at last found his voice: "Hey! Whose Christmas miracle is this?"

    The accident happened on a Sepember night in 2013. A vehicle struck my car from behind 1 I was driving home. At the hospital. the doctors 2 I was a quadriplegic(四肢瘫痪者) and told me I wasn't going to be able to move anything from my neck 3. I had lost the 4 of almost every muscle and was very weak.

    I realized that my life was 5.My head 6 like a heavy ball and I couldn't hold it up. I was unable to use a phone, and unable to 7 or wash myself. I couldn't grasp anything: a fork or spoon was too 8 to pick up.

    However, I saw a glimpse 9 and was inspired by other patients with 10 like mine in the recovery center. The first year was slow and I didn't see much 11. But I had to learn to be 12 with myself and to enjoy every 13 going forward. I was determined to walk again, so giving up was no longer a(n) 14. I struggled hard on my recovery(康复) and still do to this day. I'm now moving my 15 and arms on my own, doing things like swimming and yoga. All of this is 16 my doctor's wrong, and is turning the page from the impossible to the possible.

    My family, friends and team encourage me to 17 to work harder. I believe that this difficulty is an opportunity to 18 and become stronger. I'm sure my story will inspire others not to 19. If I learned one 20 from my car accident, it's this: Never give up on hope.

    A beautiful September evening, my 11-year-old grandson, Josh, and his team were warming up for their first football game of the season.

    At six, the 1called the captains forward, said something and 2 his whistle. The two teams 3 separately. I was 4 .The other team was,  5, ten inches taller than our players. It didn't take long for their 6 advantage to show. They took a 7-0 lead very 7 .At the half, the score stood at 34 to 6. Josh 8 minimal play time. In the second half, they used Josh more often. The score climbed to 40 to 6.

    Once again, the other team began their 9 down the field. Their quarterback threw the ball. The receiver caught it and 10 the goal. There was only one man in his 11 —Josh. Josh dove and 12 that boy's legs with all his strength. The receiver dragged Josh a couple of yards and 13 fell down.

    On the next play, their quarterback shot through an opening and rushed to the goal, but there was Josh again. Josh took him off his feet and 14 another goal. They scored on the last play, but it wasn't Josh's 15 .The game ended with a score of 48 to 6.

    On the way home. I wanted to 16 Josh, but he turned to me with a 17 smile. “Grandpa, that was a 18game.”

    “But you lost, 48 to 6!”

    “I know, but I did good.”

    The boy understood the 19 better than I did. They didn't win, but he did his best. I was proud of him. More 20, he was proud of himself.

    The Great Depression started in 1929 and lasted until about 1939. During that time, many people lost their1. My parents were2 them. It was 1935 when I was 10 years old. We still 3 on relief (救济).

    A few days before Christmas, I was washing the4 after dinner when I looked out of a kitchen window and saw my father sitting on the stoop (门廊), wearing a(n) 5 face. A mailman saw him and asked him what was wrong.

    I heard my father say that he had 6 his food vouchers (票券) and that the 7 had gone beyond the time limit. He had tried to work as a laborer through the Works Progress Administration, but he  8 because he wasn't a very 9 man. The work was too hard for him. I was 10, having seen newspaper pictures of people being  11 out of the apartments with all their belongings. "How much do you need?" the mailman asked 12. My dad said he needed $33 for the rent. Without thinking twice, the mailman took out $50 from his wallet and 13 it to my father. My dad said, "I don't know when I'll be able to pay you back." The mailman put an arm around my father and 14 him by saying, "Things will not be this way 15.It doesn't matter 16 you will pay me back."

    The mailman 17 me looking through the window and said, "There will be times in the future when someone 18 your help. I hope you and your son 19 today. Help them in your own 20 and tell them what happened today. This will be my payback. Merry Christmas！"