When I was in Grade 6, I knew a girl. She 1 to point out my shortcomings and always said I was very thin, I wasn't a good student, and so on. I tried not to care what she said. 2 , I became very 3 in the end. I cried and ran to Daddy.

    Daddy asked, “Are the things she says true or not? Lisa, didn't you ever 4 what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's 5 . Go and make a 6 of everything she said and 7 the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”

    To my 8 , I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't 9 (like being very thin), 10 a good number I could and suddenly I11to change. For the first time I got a clear 12 of myself.

    I brought the list back to Daddy. He 13 to take it. “That's just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the 14  about yourself. But you have to learn to 15 . Don't just close your ears in anger, feeling 16 . When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be 17 to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't 18 your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is 19 .”

    In my life, this is the best 20 that Daddy has given me.

    As a child, I started learning to play the piano, my favorite musical 1,but I was forced to give up when I started my middle school 2 I could concentrate more on my studies.

    It's one of my biggest 3to stop practicing the piano when I recall sadly today. During the following years, I kept telling my piano teacher that I would4. However, I didn't keep my promise because I was 5 with my study.6 I lost touch with my teacher. Some years later, my teacher died. I was very sad because I lost such a good teacher. She was a very warm and gentle person. It hurts me to think she may have been 7 that I never returned. I haven't taken lessons since then but to be honest, I 8 to. Sitting at the piano, I couldn't help recalling many9-- times of my practising at home and playing before my teacher and one time my teacher 10 me after I played entire pieces of music wrong in front of her colleagues. I was so11 that I could hardly say anything. But her12 helped me ease my shame. These memories, 13, good or bad, never caused my 14 for playing the piano again.

    This thought then led me to think that15is like music, and that we all try to play different 16 in the instrument of our life. Sometimes the pitch(音高) is 17when we play it well, but sometimes we are out of tone. However, we all continue to create our own 18style of music. No matter what style our music is, it is 19 that we sing the songs of joy, quietness and love. Though I may never make it back to piano lessons, it doesn't20 that I've stopped making music.

    As I sat motionless on the steps of the pool, watching everyone else swim back and forth, I realized that I had spent most of my life watching others enjoy themselves. It was then that I 1a little girl staring at me with a look of confusion. I smiled at her, hoping to 2 the ice by talking to her. Unfortunately, my 3 failed and she just kept on staring. My 4 increased as a little boy swam up to me and said, "I feel sorry for you."

    After the 5 by chance, a thought struck me. I had to change 6 the world viewed me. Because it was children who stared at me the most, I decided to write a children's book that taught them about 7 in a fun way. This is when KatGirl, a super hero in a 8 who helps children that are being bullied, came into my mind.

    I quickly 9 inside my apartment and began creating the story. As I wrote each word, I could 10 my future as a world-famous author and public speaker. My excitement 11 like wildfire. Over the next two years, the story 12 many changes before it saw the world in the spring of 2011. My insistence 13 paid off.

    One day I was invited to speak to the students at a neighboring school. I confidently wheeled into a classroom filled with students who 14 at me just like the little girl in the pool. "How do you feel when you see me?" I asked them. The kids bravely 15, "I feel sorry for you."

    I opened my book and started reading. Immediately I noticed the children's stares turned to 16. "How do you feel when you see me?" I asked again. Without 17 they replied, "You are so cool! Does your 18 fly too?" I just smiled, "No, not yet, but maybe some day." I knew in my heart that this was 19. The past two years had proven to me that with 20 anything is possible.

    A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his sandbox (儿童玩耍的沙场).  In the process of creating roads in the soft sand, he 1 a large rock in the middle of the sandbox.

    The boy 2 around the rock, managing to move it from the sand. With a little bit of 3, he pushed the rock out of the sandbox by using his feet. When the boy got the rock to the edge of the sandbox, 4, he found that he couldn't 5 it up and over the little wall. The rock was too 6 for his small body.

    As he 7 to accept his failure, the little boy dug, pushed and dragged, but every time he thought he had made some 8, the rock rolled and then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy 9 again and again, but his only 10 was to have the rock roll back.

    11 he burst into tears. All the time the boy's father 12 from his living room window as the story continued. At the moment the tears fell, a 13 voice rose above the boy's head. It was the boy's father. 14 but firmly he said, "Son, why didn't you use all the 15 that you had?" Defeated, the boy replied with tears, "But I did, Daddy, I did! I 16 all the strength that I had!" "No, son." 17 the father kindly. "You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't  18 me to help you." With that the father picked up the rock and 19 it from the sandbox.

    Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you discovering that you don't have the strength it takes to lift them? There is one who is always available to us and willing to 20 you with the strength you need.

    It wasn't that I was embarrassed because my husband was out of work. It's just that we were 1 people and didn't share our 2 much with others. So when he lost his job, we just acted like nothing had changed and no one seemed to 3 .

    It didn't take long before my friends found out that my husband 4 a lot more. When asked about it, I told my good friend and neighbour Tammy the 5 and I said we were still looking. She then told me that her husband had also been hunting for 6 all over town because his company was closing down. I was 7 .We constantly did things together, yet I hadn't found any sign of their 8 .

    After knowing what they were 9 , I wanted to help them even though we didn't have much ourselves. So, I became a 10 shopper. I looked for discount offers everywhere, and when I finished my 11 , I would offer to buy things for Tammy at the 12 price. It seems like our money goes even further because we are willing to 13 .

    It goes the other way too. Tammy and her husband have given us enough wood to 14 our house this winter. It has been a huge 15 , reducing our gas bill to almost nothing. There are other 16 of helping each other. I teach Tammy how to make bread; she 17 my kids when I go to job interviews...and the 18 goes on.

    I don't have much to give, but I can give of myself. I can have 19 , love and hope, and the more I give these away, the more I 20 .