Around twenty years ago I was living in York. 1 I had a lot of experience and a Master's degree,I could not find 2 work.

    I was 3 a school bus to make ends meet and 4 with a friend of mine, for I had lost my flat. I had 5 five interviews(面试) with a company and one day between bus runs they called to say I did not 6 the job. “Why has my life become so  7？”I thought painfully.

    As I pulled the bus over to  8  a little girl, she handed me an earring  9 I should keep it  10  somebody claimed (认领) it. The earring was painted black and said “BE HAPPY”.

    At first I got angry. Then it  11 me—I had been giving all of my 12  to what was going wrong with my 13  rather than what was right！I decided then and there to make a 14 of fifty things I was happy with. Later, I decided to15 more things to the list.That night there was a phone call for  16  from a lady who was a director at a large  17.She asked me if I would  18  a one­day lecture on stress(压力) management to 200 medical workers. I said yes.

    My 19  there went very well, and before long I got a well­paid job.To this day I know it was because I changed my way of  20  that I completely changed my life.

    At the age of 53, Dr. Holden, a college president, decided to escape from university life for some time. “After being the president for too long,” he later explained, “you begin to 1 yourself and assume you have the power that you don't.” He especially wanted to learn about people who do 2 work. “I wanted to relearn things I'd forgotten.”

    Dr. Holden started his leave on a farm, 3 thirteen hours a day. After that, he planted trees in Atlanta, washed dishes in a restaurant and during the last ten days 4 a garbage collector. This unusual leave was conducted 5. Holden only telephoned his family once a week, informing them that he was healthy.

    He did have trouble seeking 6, though. He had been on the job washing dishes at the restaurant exactly one hour7 the boss came over and said, “I'm afraid you won't do. It's not your work. Sorry”. Then he 8 him two dollars. That was the first time in more than thirty years as a job 9 that Holden had heard such words. It helped him understand how a man of his age might feel when he suddenly 10 he had lost his job.

    Holden had some things to say. “A lot of my co-workers would complain when the work was too heavy,” he said, “but they'd complain 11 when there was nothing to do.” He found pride and satisfaction came 12 in the form of praise from co-workers. While pay 13, what brought the greatest satisfaction was knowing that your effort had been noticed.

    Dr. Holden returned to his post after two months of working with his hands, 14 that every young person should be required to spend at least half a year in the world of 15 before starting university studies.

    I'm exhausted after a day's housework. “Sometimes I just want to do something1 than all of this…”, I tell my husband Tony, who sits beside me in2, weighing his words. Finally, he says, “What you're doing feels really small, but it doesn't mean that it is.” His words reminds me of the 3 that had happened on the driveway earlier that morning.

    The kids lined up their scooters (滑板车) for a friendly4. I launched the action with a wave of my hand and stepped back to watch the race. Wheels rolled. Kids cheered 5. But then, a sharp cry ended the 6.

    My 10-year-old daughter fell down on the ground,7 by a group of broken scooter parts. Blood leaked from an obvious cut in her knee, and tears 8 in her blue eyes.

    “What happened?” I asked as I ran to her side.

    “I don't know…” Hannah said as she 9 the scooter. “My scooter was just missing one little piece…”

    She dropped her head in 10. “Something fell off my scooter right before the race began, but it was a small thing, so I didn't think it was 11.”

    As I lifted Hannah to her feet, her little brother began 12 the scattered parts in a bucket.

With a smile, he presented the pieces to his sister and 13, “I guess a small thing was really a big deal after all.”

    “Who dares to 14 the day of small things…” When we prepared to 15 an old house, one small brick matters. Like the children of Judah, we, too, have a choice. We can 16 the significance of our lives by the size of our 17, or we can trust God to use our 18 offerings for his great glory.

    As for me, I think I'll ask God to renew my love for this 19 life that 1 live, because there's a 20scooter in my garage that reminds me of my son's declaration.

    Jerry was the kind of guy you love to hate. He was always in a good mood and always had something 1to say. When one asked Jerry 2he was so happy every day, he replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, Jerry, you have two3today. You can choose to be in a good mood or in a bad mood. I choose to be in a4mood. Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation will be5 . The bottom line: It's your choice 6you live life." Several years later, Jerry was held up(持械抢劫) by three armed robbers and shot. 7 , Jerry was found relatively quickly and rushed to the local aid center. After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive 8, Jerry was released from the hospital with pieces of the bullets(子弹) still in his body. When someone asked him what had gone through his mind as the9took place, Jerry replied, "as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live, 10 I could choose to die. I chose to live." "Then, what happened next?" "Well, there was a nurse11 questions at me", said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic（过敏的）to 12 . 'Yes', I replied. The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ' Bullets !' Over their laughter, I told them, 'I am choosing to live.13on me as if I am alive, not dead'. " Jerry lived, 14 the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. Attitude,15, is everything.

    We have all heard how time is more valuable than money, but is it 1 to have too much?

    I 2 back in high school I spent most of my day at school since I also 3 a team sport. By the time I got home, I only had a few hours to do my homework, so I had to do it 4.

    When I got into college, things 5. I suddenly found myself out of class before noon time. Because of all this 6 time, there was no sense of 7 to do my school work immediately. I was performing this action of waiting until it later became 8. Once that happened, I just kept 9 my studying further and further back in my day. Then I got to the point where I was 10 really late at night to get my work done.

    One day I 11 a former classmate of mine who was 12 a lot of money running a sideline (副业). Since his regular job was 13. I asked him why he just didn't do his sideline full-time. He said without the job, he would 14 have too much time and would just do what I did back in 15. He said that if he 16 the job, he would lose his 17 to work and succeed.

    So, try 18 up your time with other work. This is why there is a 19 that if you want something done, ask a 20 person to do it.

All kinds of people come in to have their shoes shined. Most folks are friendly. But this man was different.

"How much do you make a week, boy?" he asked me. I felt he was 1 at me. He kept giving a sharp 2 around every now and then. All the time I kept 3 where I'd seen his face. Suddenly I knew. I'd seen his 4 in the post office many times. He was the big robber 5 by the police in three states!

"You know," he was saying, "it's imagination that people lack. You'll never get anywhere as a 6 boy."

I kept brushing away on his shoes as 7 as I could. The sooner I finished, the better. He said, "When I was sixteen, I had 8 $2,500 of my own."

That reminded me of something. Was it $2,500 or $5,000 or $7, 500? I wasn't 9. I knew a big reward was 10 for him.

But what could I do about it? 11 him with a can of shoe polish? A man of his 12 could grind (碾碎) me into the floor. If only someone would come in!

He kept talking away. "Along with 13, it takes courage. The courage to take a chance. Start something on a shoestring."

Suddenly I saw Officer Dailey 14 across the street. Then, real fast, I began tightening the man's shoestrings.

The policeman was at the window when I cried out, "Officer Dailey, 15！ This man's a robber."

"16, " the man shouted angrily. He started to jump off the stand. But he didn't go the way he 17. He fell flat on his face and knocked himself out cold.

"That was pretty 18 of you, " the officer said. "You'll get a reward of $7,500 for him."

"Well, it really wasn't my 19, " I said. "It was his. He told me if you had courage and imagination you could start something big on a 20."