I am anything but an athletic person. So when my boyfriend suggested that I should run the London marathon, I laughed. He laughed too. 1 he laughed too long and too loud. That made me think. I 2 that he didn't believe that I could do it. That made me angry, but 3; I had to show him that I could.

    On the day of the race, I 4 up with about 30,000 other runners. The faster runners were at the 5, while slower runners like me were 6 further back. In that way, the professional(职业的) runners and club runners were not 7 down by the amateurs(业余爱好者).

    At first, there were so many 8 close together that we were almost falling 9 each other. We could 10 run very slowly but that was a good thing because it meant that we didn't rush off too quickly. Gradually the runners 11 out and there was more space. There were thousands of people watching us along the route and they 12 and clapped everyone, even the slowest runner. It was wonderful.

    For the first10km I felt very happy and my legs felt very 13. However, at 15km, I got a pain in my 14 and running became difficult, but I kept going and the pain disappeared. At the 30km 15, I felt extremely tired, and wanted to stop, but I kept on going. I 16 another 3 km and then I began to feel better again.

    When I finished 35 km, I knew I was going to get to the end of the course. 17, that confidence made me feel lighter and faster and it seemed as if my legs 18 over the last few kilometers. Finally I came round the last 19 and saw the finishing line. I finished the race in just under four hours. The winner had completed the race in 2 hours and 10 minutes, but I didn't  20! I had run 42km and completed my first marathon!

    A few years after Mom died, Dad handed me a plastic bag. That evening, I 1 the bag to find dozens of shells, each one2 in white tissue paper（纸巾）and having Mom's handwriting.

    The shells were pretty 3, but to Mom, they were evidence of her endlessly magical life and 4 me of the seashore trip with her. She was 61 when she 5 these shells, and already showing 6 of the lung disease. We knew something was 7 and Mom needed an adventure. She suggested a dinner and a movie. But two friends and I had bigger 8.

    Mom had been to the ocean only twice, but she 9 the seashore. Her kitchen was decorated（装饰） with souvenirs from those two trips. I told Mom that we would 10 for Jersey Shore. Mom was so 11 that she screamed and Amber, her dog was 12 to jump onto the floor.

    One of my favorite 13 on the road was a discussion about movies. Mom often got the titles wrong. “Ohhhh,” she said, “what was that movie about a teacher at the boys' school?” Before anyone could 14, she shouted, “The Dead Man's Poet!” I looked back and saw a back seat full of 15. “Mom,” I said. “You mean Dead poets Society?” “That's it!” Mom yelled. 16 filled the car.

    Once we got to Stone Harbor, she began to 17 the trip, greeting strangers and spending hours gathering shells. The morning we left, I found her photographing every inch of her bedroom. “I don't ever want to 18 this,” she said.

    For a long time, Mom's shells stayed 19 in a drawer. Last month, I 20 them again while searching for something else. I put them in a visible place as a reminder from a mother who never lost her sense of wonder.

    I was 18 years old when Tim and I began to date.1 and quiet. I'd met his parents once before but hadn't ventured to say more than “Hello”. This particular evening we were taking them out to dinner for their anniversary and I wanted to make a good 2on them.

    Tim and his parents had arrived to pick me up. I 3 out of my home as soon as possible. My good impression began with “on time ”. I sat in the backseat 4 watching his father's eyes glancing into the rearview mirror to 5 me.

    They had already decided on their favorite 6 and that was fine with me, the 7 lighting would hide the rising flush(红晕) in my cheeks, and if anyone noticed, I could 8 it on the peppers. With9 table manners I managed to survive halfway through dinner.10 in the midst of conversation I 11 for my iced tea, raised the glass to my 12and very quickly discovered I had picked up the13glass.

    I quickly 14 the glass and set it back but it was too15 I had burnt my eyebrows, and curl over my forehead! I looked up slowly,16no one had seen me, but each face stared at me in 17 silence. Excusing myself, I ran to the restroom. Soon afterwards, Tim's mother arrived. “Everything will be just fine,” she said 18.

    Tim and I eventually got 19. We had a small ceremony afterwards held at the restaurant where this 20 occurred. This time, however, I didn't drink any candles.

    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?

    When I was a little girl, there was the magic of Mercurochrome (红药水). It was good for cuts, scratches (抓痕), or other1. My brother and I tested and2the powers of Mercurochrome many years ago.

    It was summer and hot. Mama was not feeling well and had become3tired. She told us that she was going to4on her bed. Only a few minutes had passed when Ronnie5a scratch on his knee that needed immediate6. We tiptoed(踮脚走) into Mama's room and asked her if we could put Mercurochrome on Ronnie's scratch.7on her back, Mama had fallen into a deep sleep and made no answer.

    We stole into the bathroom, took the Mercurochrome and8Ronnie's knee. Undoubtedly, he immediately began to feel better.9, we tiptoed into Mama's room to show her that we had taken care of our scratches without10her. But she was in sound sleep. Then we whispered that11Mama didn't feel well, perhaps Mercurochrome would make her feel12.

    Twenty minutes13, we painted every scratch and every freckle(雀斑)of Mama's skin. She had Mercurochrome14her legs, arms and face. At Ronnie's encouraging, we15tried to paint her fingernails and toenails.

    When Mama screamed in16 ， we knew that she was awake. With all the17, it didn't seem at first that she was feeling better,18she burst into laughter as she stared at her image in the mirror.

    We laughed a lot the next few days. If anyone had asked us, we would have19that Mama had been cured by the20of Mercurochrome.

Omar Vazquez grew up in poverty on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula. He watched his single mother struggle to put food on the table, and today the memory inspires him to help those in need. When an invasive (入侵的) seaweed called sargassum showed up on Mexico's Caribbean beaches, Omar looked past the matter of it all and saw an opportunity to help others.

Sargassum is not dangerous, but it has an unpleasant smell and can become so thick that it keeps people from entering the water. Mexico has experienced record-setting amounts of the seaweed in recent years, and it has made its way to Florida's beaches as well. Experts say there could be as much as 100 tons of sargassum blocking Mexican shorelines in 2023.

With tourism dollars at risk, officials and locals alike were eager to remove the seaweed, but only Omar saw its true potential. The professional gardener organized a beach cleanup that provided jobs for about 300 local families, but he knew there was more to do. Since people's attitude towards the seaweed reminded him of his own life experiences, he decided to become an agent (推动者) for change.

When sargassum started arriving, everyone was complaining. "I wanted to make something good out of something everyone saw as bad," Omar explained.

In 2018, Omar found a way to turn sargassum into building blocks that he calls Sargablock. He creates these blocks by mixing 40% sargassum with other materials like clay, then putting them in a block-forming machine and baking them in the sun for days. The end result is an organic, sustainable, and ecologically friendly building material that experts say could last for 120 years.

To date, Omar's company, Bluegreen Mexico, has used 700 tons of sargassum to build low-income housing for those in need. Omar said he would take on more projects, and donate more houses to single mothers like his own mom.