I was going through my son Matthew's backpack when I saw an envelope in the bottom of it. Immediately, I knew it was a “thank you” card from one of his 1. Totally not necessary since my Christmas gifts to them are my way of saying, “Thank you”. I2I read it quickly. And then I stopped.

    I 3 the card and read it again. One word caught my attention. “I love working with our Matthew.” One word. Our. That one word 4 the meaning of the sentence for me. If she had written “I love working with Matthew”, I would know that she loves working with my son5 by adding that one word, “our”, it meant “I love working with this boy who 6 here, is accepted here and we all take responsibility for caring for.”

I 7 knew this, of course, seeing a blog I wrote previously, but it's always good to be8. In that blog post I mentioned ten reasons why his 9 is the right place for him. Since that blog we have had his IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting, where I was 10 of that feeling again. In that meeting, someone 11 “Everyone loves Matthew. We all love Matthew”. And it was genuine and12. As we went around the room and the staff 13 us on information about Matthew, it was apparent that it went way beyond sharing what he is doing 14and behaviorally. Each person had a unique little 15 to tell about Matthew. Stories that show that they really know who Matthew is and that they 16 him.

    In fact just today I had written a note in his communication book that it was 17 Matthew to see new snow and not be able to play in it. Later in the day I got an email and a picture of Matthew 18 with snow in a big container inside the school.

As I was reflecting on this, I realized that as a family we are really lucky 19 school isn't the only place where they think of him as “our Matthew”. It 20 to other parts of our lives as well — our friends, our family, our neighborhood, and our church.

    A father and his teenage son were out together at a shopping mall one day. The son wanted to buy a new pair of 1 at the sports store.

    2 they were making their way through the crowded food store, a young woman holding a number of bags 3 and the contents of several of them spilled (洒落) across the floor.

    The son stepped around the woman and continued with the flow only to 4 that his father wasn't next to him. Looking around he 5 his father bending down and helping the woman 6 the spilled items.

    Feeling a bit bad he hadn't thought to stop and help, he simply stood and 7 from the distance. He was 8 when his father handed the woman her things and she simply took them away without 9 him and said “I can do it myself!” When his father returned, the son expressed his 10 at how impolite the woman had been.

    In the sports store the son was so 11 about the incident that he spent most of the time complaining. They soon left without the shoes.

    Later at 12 the son told his mother the story13 her to be just as angry as he was at the woman's14 His mother looked at her husband 15 enjoying his meal and said, “Son, your father left that woman behind hours ago. Why are you 16with her?”

    When we hold onto 17 feelings, all it does is to leave us stuck (陷入) in the past and18 to move forward. One of the best things you can do to stay happy is to 19 to let things go. It is okay to show anger and unhappiness.20 don't let them affect you and how you see the world.

    I've always been a very anxious person—easily worried and stressed. And I've always been losing things.

    I'm not sure what exactly 1 my desire to attempt a more organized lifestyle. I started to attempt to be less 2and more organized. Instead of cleaning my room twice a year, I 3to do it about 4-6 times a year.

    Over a couple of years I started cleaning my room more, and I even 4using a planner on a daily basis: It took years to institute these actions into habits, 5I wasn't aiming for habits. I was simply trying to be a little 6—a little bit at a time.

    After I 7multiple outfits(装束) at home, 8leaving clothes on my bed and shoes on the floor, I put everything away before going out. After cooking and eating, I put everything in the dishwasher or wash it by hand. Each of these tasks only takes a few minutes. And not only does this 9immediate clutter(杂乱), but it's also much 10to deal with one mess at a time rather than leaving it all to turn into a giant mess. Organization creates ease, and ease creates organization, both of which 11to lower levels of stress and anxiety! And spending less time feeling 12means having more time to be happy, productive and present.

    Since I began intentionally being more organized, I find I have more 13to adopt other new habits to maintain(保持) and strengthen a calmer and cleaner lifestyle. Good habits result in more good habits, which help to create a better and happier you.

    If you find yourself worried, stressed or anxious beyond your control, then 14what you can—your 15. Create a comfortable, clean and calm space where you can escape from the outside world, and it doesn't have to be all at once.

    When I was a college student, I did a lot of traveling abroad. That was because a professor1me to do so. She said, "Now it is the time for you to travel around the world,2your knowledge through actual experiences and have fun?" I3her.

    Since I started to work for a4company, however, I have done most of my traveling through the Internet. By using the Internet, I have seen the5of many cities on my computer screen. And I have really made business6, too. With the help of the Internet, I have also got7about food in different countries.

    Therefore, I was beginning to feel that actual trips were8necessary when I happened to read a famous chef's (厨师) comment on the Internet. He said, "It is very difficult to have real Italian food in a foreign country, because we enjoy food and the9around us at the same time. So why don't you fly over to Italy and enjoy real Italian 10? "Those words reminded me of my11advice. As information technology12, you might be able to do without making some real trips. But this also means that you will miss the various13 you can get from traveling.

    Today there are people who14 direct communication with others and spend much of their time on the Internet. It is not surprising to see a group of people15not with each other but into their micro phones. It seems as if such people are16by an invisible wall. They seem to be losing out on a good chance to17and talk with other people. I do not think that they are taking good advantage of information technology. We should use information technology as a tool to make our daily18 more fruitful. However, we should never let it 19our time for face to -face communication. Let's make use of information technology more20, and have great fun in experiencing the actual world.

Two years ago I was a typical girl with a rather plain life. When1to a local voluntary organization called "Peer-to-Peer" by a poster, I had no idea what this group was about.2, to learn more about it, I decided to attend a3, which changed my life.

    Just like the4 suggests, everyone is considered a peer, including regular members and our leaders. This means we can5our leaders by their first names. We can also ask our leaders for help in6life situations, which we know they will never7 ! When it comes to conversations about awkward topics like love, we are8not to be ashamed of ourselves.

This organization's meetings9in our local library. We usually gather and communicate about10topics concerning our society: education, equality and safety... This kind of communication helps us to make the right choice and110ur mind. Sometimes we've gone outside in order to participate in12events. One event we had,13, was "Give a cigarette -Take a candy" intending to14smoking.

    At this organization we are friends with each other and are a15community. I've also gained a lot of16experience by communicating with people and working in the team.

    With time going by, I have found an abundance of other17organizations such as "Give Good" and "Youth Initiative Center". All of them have18me a great chance to develop my own personality and make my life19. I'm sure I'll have a lot of wonderful20about my youth with me getting older

Growing up in a suburban neighborhood in the Northeastern United States, the advent of springtime didn't hold much significance for me. While it did bring a week-long respite from school, the focus was more on the vacation aspect than the season itself.

For the children in my community, spring was largely an overlooked period. The year was divided into two primary seasons: winter, which offered the thrill of ice skating, sledding, and constructing snow forts; and summer, which allowed us to fully enjoy the beach located a short distance from my home. Spring and autumn were merely transitional periods, marking the countdown to the more exciting seasons.

It's true that as I matured, spring began to hold a certain charm for me, as suggested by the poetic line, "In the spring a young man's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love," penned by Alfred Lord Tennyson. However, my fascination was more with the romantic notions associated with the season rather than the season itself.

In essence, spring was not a season I paid much heed to... until my journey to China. After spending roughly three months in Beijing, my first Spring Festival made its presence known in an undeniable way. The sporadic fireworks throughout the day and night were a clear indication, but what truly struck me was the apparent absence of the usual hustle and bustle in the city.

The usual throngs of people, streams of vehicles, and the general city noise seemed to have vanished. This mystery was resolved upon my return to work. My colleagues enlightened me that it is customary for Chinese people to travel, if necessary, to reunite with their families during the Spring Festival. Many residents of Beijing are not originally from the capital.

Furthermore, I was introduced to a fascinating aspect of the Spring Festival that continues to astonish me. Regardless of when the holiday commences, there is an almost instantaneous and perceptible improvement in the weather. Spring truly makes its entrance.

The ancient Chinese ability to devise a system that could consistently and accurately herald the change of seasons, year after year, is beyond my comprehension. Yet, they managed to achieve this remarkable feat.