Running for a Dream

     I will never forget that November day. It was hotter than normal. This was the 1my father and I had waited so long for, because we had been working towards this race for three years. Dozens of familiar faces from church and school flashed across my view. They had come 2 me. I saw worry and 3 on my father's face. Then the race began!

        For the first two and a half miles, I felt 4. I had never before been so ready for something. The weeks leading up to the race were filled with controlled5 and a strict diet. My friends hadn't seen me in weeks, but they understood the6  required to make my dream a reality. As in all of my races, I didn't7 out in the front, I loved the pleasure of passing people as my strength overtook their premature speed.

       Then without warning, my strength began to decrease. Neck and neck with one of my greatest competitors, I 8 see the finish line. I had begun the final dash into 9 when my knees became weak and my legs gave way. Nothing I could do would make them 10 weight.

       I watched as runners rushed by me. 11 I knew my dreams of victory were destroyed, I had to finish the race. However, my legs hurt badly. With all of the 12 left in me, I got on my hands and knees and crawled (爬), inch by inch, across the finish line. Voices, both 13 and familiar, cheered me on. They gave me the courage to keep 14 until the very end.

        The doctors were there in seconds, but my eyes searched the crowd for him. There was only one person I wanted to 15to. I whispered, “I'm so sorry, Dad, I'm so sorry I16 you.” He looked at me, saying, “You could never disappoint me. Sometimes these things just 17 ． All that matters is that you did your best.”

      “But we worked so 18 ． What about our dream?” He reached over for my hand and said, “Don't you know that you are my dream and it has come true?”

       It wasn't long before my running shoes were back on, marking a 19 path for my journey, I learned that all of the miles, the tears, the sweat, and the pain my dad and I experienced together were not for a 20. What I realized, though, was that to him, I was the greatest prize he had ever won.

    It has always been my dream to attend college. When I was younger, I would watch TV shows with college students having lots of 1.It looked like a great experience－going to parties,2with

    friends and letting the good times 3 When I entered high school, however, I started learning the real4 of college－to get a good education and a well-paid job. Therefore, with a passion for success in life, I expressed my 5about attending university to my parents. They were6I'd chosen the path, but were disappointed because they couldn't 7the cost. Upset and stressed, I started looking for 8to pay myself.

    My search for money began online. I went to every free scholarship search engine and spent up to five hours each day looking for scholarships I 9for. It was hard, but I knew it would10When I'd found almost all the scholarships I could apply for, I11them by deadline, which  gave me a way to prioritize my schedule. After12 everything, it was time to fill out the applications. Despite the amounts, ranging from＄100 to ＄40,000, I took each scholarship13because together they would fund my goal. With this in my mind, the hardest part began: writing the essays. To 14my writing, I asked friends, relatives and teachers to15over my work. Now I've won16scholarships and can attend college for free.

    The scholarship search truly made me a17person. I learned the importance of setting a(n)18 and accomplishing it.19 I did have to read several rejection letters, those made me stronger. I'm thrilled I had the opportunity to learn more about my20to succeed no matter what difficulties got in my way.

    In my living room, there is a plaque(匾) that advises me to “Bloom(开花) where you are planted.” It1me of Dorothy. I got to know Dorothy in the early 1980s，when I was teaching Early Childhood Development through a program with Union College in Barbourville, Kentucky. The job responsibilities required occasional visits to the2of each teacher in the program. Dorothy 3 in my memory as one who “bloomed” in her remote area.

    Dorothy taught in a school in Harlan County, Kentucky, Appalachian Mountain area. To get to her school from the town of Harlan, I followed a road 4around the mountain. In the eight-mile journey, I crossed the same railroad track five times, giving the possibility of getting5by the same train five times. Rather than feeling6by this drive through the mountains, I found it depressing. The7level was shocking and the small shabby houses gave me the greatest feeling of 8.

    From the moment of my arrival at the little school, all gloom(忧郁)9. Upon arriving at Dorothy's classroom, I was 10 with smiling faces and treated like a queen. The children had been prepared to show me their latest projects. Dorothy told me with a big smile that they were11poke greens salad and cornbread for “dinner” (lunch). In case you don't 12 , poke greens are a weed type plant that grows wild, especially on poor ground.

    Dorothy never13reports of exciting activities of her students. Her 14 never cooled down. When it came time to15for the testing and interviewing required to receive her Child Development Associate Certification, Dorothy was16. She came to the assessment(评价) and17in all areas. Afterward, she18me to the one-and-only steak house in the area to19her victory, as if she had received her Ph.D. degree. After the meal, she placed a little box containing an old pen in my hand. She said it was a family heirloom (传家宝), but to me it is a treasured symbol of appreciation and pride that cannot be 20 with things.

    A woman couldn't find her wallet at Gilleece's bar. She didn't 1 about her $1500 in cash as her wedding ring was in side.

    Gilleece disliked the 2that a theft could have occurred. So he was 3 to help. He spent hours 4footage(影像)from security cameras and he saw a boy put something into his pocket and walk off. Gilleece 5a clip(片段)on the bar's Facebook page. "I didn't want to 6 him," he said." I just asked if anybody knew the guy was. "Within hours, Gilleece got a text from 17-year-old Rivens Prather. who admitted doing it because he was7 He said he opened the wallet and saw the ring, thinking it was fake, so he took the money and threw the wallet 8 the docks(码头)into the ocean. Gilleece told the teen to meet him at the docks where Cilleece, a father of two, saw him for what he was: more of a kid than a(n)9

    But the 10 were high. The police were already on the 11; Prather could be facing theft charges. I had to help him 12,"says Gilleece. He 13 two local divers to search the waters.14, a detective was waiting there. A crowd had 15 to watch the two divers search in the icy water. Hours passed, with no 16 of the ring. And then a diver17, ring in hand. Cheers erupted from the crowd. When Gilleece called the wallet's owner, she burst into tears.

    It wasn't 18 for Gilleece. He'd been troubled about Prather sleeping in the cold woods, hungry. Gilleece took Prather into his home and helped him find a 19.

    "Most people would have thought I was a thief while he chose to help me, "Prather said." I feel 20every day."

    It's only after three weeks into a new job that I made a serious mistake. My boss called it “extremely embarrassing” in a company-wide e-mail, which he wrote because he felt he needed to explain that what I did was something 1 in the company should ever do.

    I wish I could give a good excuse for what I did. At the very least, I wish I could 2 it somehow — 3 it on youth, inexperience or ignorance. Unfortunately, I'm 4, experienced and I know better.

    5I work with some very kind people. For the past couple of days many of them have taken time to6by my desk and offer comfort, encouragement and support. Some have shared with me similar7they have made. Evidently I'm not the only “8” person here.

    One of the exchanges I had this week was with Lois, the much-honored, much-respected professional who9 the desk right next to mine. Lois was completely10about her work, and to be honest I was a little11about how she would12to such an extremely embarrassing incident.

    As I expected, Lois mentioned the13when she saw me the next day. She mentioned it directly, 14 with empathetic(感同身受的) consideration. She listened to my15. Just as I was ready to express my regrets, she brought my self-pity to a(n)16.

    “It happened”, she said, “There's nothing you can do to 17that. It happened. But it's over now. It's 18. It's in the past. You need to let it go, and move on.” And with that she returned her 19 to her work, as if to say, “We're done here.” I beat myself up for weeks. At such times I need to remember those 20words: It's over. It's done. Let it go. And mostly, move on.

    My father was born in a small town in the US. He wasn't sure what he wanted from1, but something told him to 2 and begin a new adventure.

    He began that adventure traveling to cities in the US before going on to Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines. He took my mother and us three daughters with him and went wherever the road 3 him.

    It's easy to feel 4 when you're on the road. We made lots of new friends on our trip — most of them are mechanics, since we often 5 hours in repair shops. But that was a way much 6 than sitting by the roadside while waiting for the engine to 7 when it was 40℃ outside.

    Getting along well sometimes seemed 8. There were always a lot of 9, especially among us back-seat passengers about who had to 10 in the middle. But even if it was hard, we learned a lot about 11. When we were traveling in the Philippines, we drove to Quezon City one day. It should have been an hour's drive but was nearly three thanks to bad roads and 12 traffic. "Did you put our suitcases in the car?" my father asked my mother as we arrived there. From the back seat, we saw her 13 turn toward my father. "No," she said. "I thought you did." That was how a seven-hour car trip turned into a 16-hour one, which was mostly spent in 14.

    On occasions like that, we had to learn to let go of our anger because we were 15 in a rolling box with the same people for the rest of the 16. Even if I sometimes felt like opening the car door and 17 one of my sisters out, I kept my feelings to myself.

    This is why road trips were like 18 universities to us. We 19 our PHDs(博士学位) in how to get along with other people just by traveling in our old car.

    If we were 20 given a second chance at life, we would do it all over again. Only this time would I put the suitcases in the car myself.