Not being sure where I want to start this, I will say that I lost my mom back in April of this year. She was ninety­two. 1, I was not expecting her to 2  and I don't think she was expecting it either. I was very close to my mom, being an only child. We did have3 on the surface，but we still had a close relationship4 those.

    Being newly married less than a year, and having moved a couple of times 5, I have had more changes recently in my life than at any other point of my fifty­four years. Stability is one of the gifts that Mom6me and it had so many7that I wasn't aware of until now. My husband and I have made some 8 to Mom's home and will be moving at the end of next week. It is now our home, but it still has my9 heart in it. It's where I grew up, and there are many 10   that will live there with us. At the same time, I am looking forward to  11 some very happy and memorable ones with my husband.

      Mom12 such a big part in my life. Our lives were 13 woven because she gave me her values which have become deeply 14in the woman I am today. I don't have any children whom I could15 these on to. However, Mother's values affect me every day with the16 I have with others, whether I know them or not.l hope Mom would be  17  of who I am, what I've become because of her, and of 18 I am going to live with my19. She gave me everything I needed to know in life: respect others, and give help to others who 20it most. I love you, Mom, and I will never forget you. ​

    Many years ago, there was an emperor(皇帝). One day he told his horseman that if he could ride on his horse and 1 as much land area as he liked, he would give him the area of land he had covered.2 enough, the horseman quickly jumped onto his horse and 3 as fast as possible to cover as much land area as he could.

    He 4 riding and riding, whipping the horse to go as fast as possible. Even when he was 5or tired, he did not stop 6he wanted to cover as much area as possible. When he at last covered a large amount of land, he was exhausted and was 7. Then he asked himself, “Why did I 8myself so hard to cover so much land area? Now I am dying and I only 9 a very small area to 10myself.”

    The above story is 11 to the journey of our 12. We push ourselves very hard every day to make more 13, to gain power or recognition. We neglect(疏忽，忘记) our 14, time with our family and to appreciate the surrounding 15and the things we love to do. One day 16 we look back, we will 17that we don't really need that much, 18 then we cannot turn back time for what we have 19

    Life is not about making money. Life is definitely(肯定地) not about work! Work is only 20 to keep us living so as to enjoy the beauty and pleasures of life.

    Four days ago, I was taking a taxi. On the way, I just had the 1 stop at a store to buy something. A woman2me to let her hitchhike(免费搭车).

    I 3and picked this woman up. I thought she was too fat; she 4 about 120 kg. But she was very sweet and kind-hearted, so I didn't5.

    She was talking to me6 while going back to her place about how she got everything for her7. So I thought to myself she must have a happy family. But nothing special 8 yet.

    I got to her apartment9she needed help getting all the things she got to her place. I just helped her out and while I was 10the stuff(物品) inside her house, I11 that her husband walked in from the back of the apartment. So she was talking to him in her12 voice.“Honey, I got you this ; Honey, I got you that.” But what I came to notice was that her husband was13. And then I looked close to how they were together and I knew for that moment I was seeing “ TRUE14.”

    They cared for each other so 15 and what they looked like was not 16 at all. I was just deeply 17 by the true love between them.

    Sometimes I think about going back to the apartment to tell them what I 18 in them and to thank them for sharing their 19with me. Even though it is for a few 20 I like the way the blind couple care about each other; it is a very happy and romantic thing.

    When a homeless man named Marcus wandered into Abigail's Cafe asking for spare change, he didn't get turned away. Looking at the man, the owner Abigail asked, "Why don't you have a1？ You know nothing is given to me for free？"Marcus2that he had "a lot of crimes". Because of his3, no one wanted to hire him, so he had made money the only way he knew how："4or asking for money."

    Although the young owner had hit some hard times for her cafe, Abigail was5of hands that day and then decided to6Marcus the task of washing dishes. "His7opened wide and his smile made my8！"She wrote on Facebook.

    "He said he would do9for some food." For the past two weeks, Marcus has been on time every day for his10of working for two hours when he washes dishes. He uses the money he11to buy his own food at the restaurant, 12to take it for free.

    "A lot of people are saying that I've been a blessing for him13, at that point I was the one who needed a blessing," Abigail told CBS News. Her post has earned a lot of attention with plenty of14on the Internet. Because many people have asked15they can help people like Marcus, she16a Go Fund Me page with a modest goal of $1, 000."The hope, "she said, "is to create more hours and opportunities for him17others in the community."

    Abigail said she shared the story, hoping that people might be moved to help a18, too. "Do something nice for whoever may not be familiar to us and don't19them just because they go out there asking for money, for we don't know their real20, " she said in her post. "They deserve another chance."

    When you are five years old, your mother is your everything. She is your1, friend, nurse; the only person you rely on2with your hopes, dreams, and wishes. But for me, this was not the case.

    My mother suffered from 3problems that would keep her in bed for days, leaving me to care for her and look after myself. This situation4me to grow up much faster. While I knew my mother was sick, I felt deep down that we could5it and everything would be okay. 6, in 1997 everything went terribly wrong, and my life changed forever.

    Adoption is a7word to a five-year-old, but when I realized that my own mother had signed me over to8, I felt it was the worst betrayal. I suffered from shock, anger, and confusion as I attempted to adjust to my new family. No longer could I trust anyone since the person I had loved more than all else had9me. Hearing people tell me that she did it in my best interest, I felt it even more10. I could not forgive her and always11 how she could reject me like an old sofa.

    However, the more I got older, the more I began to understand how12 our situation had been. We had been13 on boxes of noodles, and at one point we14 lived in our car. I was once passed from drug-addicted cousins to mentally unstable neighbors as my mother15 to try and save me from what our lives were becoming16 each day passed.

      17 recently have I begun to understand why my mother gave me to strangers.    18, she really did save me. She loved me more than anything, so she wanted me to have a chance in life, 19 she could no longer offer me. I now know my life has been a special 20only because she was selfless enough to give me up. 

    Walking across campus with every pair of eyes on you can be embarrassing, especially when you're 13 years old. I looked around me in 1 of a friendly face, a smile, anything. I was quite disappointed. And I, 2, felt somewhat foolish, walking across campus 3 with a false smile plastered(粘贴)across my face. I was simply 4 to follow the advice my mother had given me years before: when things get 5, smile. No matter where you are, a smile will always be understood. A smile is 6. At that very moment, however, I felt my mother's advice didn't 7.

    When the teacher 8 me to the class as the "American girl," 10 sets of hands immediately shot up. Some students had 9; others wanted to practice their English with me. Because I couldn't speak much Chinese 10, I communicated with them via gestures mixed in with 11 English and Chinese. Although I was 12, I wasn't sure how much of it was 13. It was almost as if they were 14 about me and I was being examined. 15 who could blame them? After all, I was the first American ever to 16 the school.

    Then, from across the room, a Chinese classmate suddenly 17 at me, and my nerves were instantly 18. Though there are cultural and language 19, we were sharing something in common. And as usual, my mother was right. A smile does make a 20.