It began years ago, after Mom had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. As her symptom 1, I often had a hard time figuring out what was real and what wasn't in her2. One day I was helping her find some pants that fitted, and she was 3 them on and looking in the mirror. Suddenly she turned and said,4 to her reflection in the mirror, “Well, I like her. She is always really nice to me.”

    It caught me so off guard. There we were doing 5 things, and suddenly she was talking about her reflection as if it were another person. How should I 6? I looked closely, as if there was going to be someone else in that mirror, saying, “Great. I am so glad she's 7to you.”

    Though still in 8 I knew there was no point bringing someone with Alzheimer's back to 9It wasn't, until later that I could 10 that the lady in the mirror was real to Mom.

    Another time I walked in, finding Mom 11 I was going to leave when Mom woke up. “Hi Mom, it's me, Molly, your daughter.” Since Mom may or may not 12 me when we meet, I always identify myself to her.

    That day she remembered me. She 13 my arm slightly and said, “Hi, honey. Come here, I want you to meet someone 14 she leaves.” And so I was reintroduced to the lady in the mirror. I 15 her as if someone were really there, and that was 16for Mom.

    I am glad she loves her17 because she sees herself as a kind being. This is yet another18 my mother has taught me: We should love ourselves and others with the kind of 19 my mom has for her lady in the mirror, even though she doesn't know she is seeing herself, my beautiful, loving, and 20 Mom.

    That morning, I got on the train as always. I was a publishing director and was reading my newspaper 1But that day, I read it very2 I thought I must be tired. At the office, I sat down, turned on my 3and found I couldn't read the message on the screen.

    Eventually, worried4drove me to hospital. There, confirmation came that I suffered from aphasia(失语症), a condition that5 it's difficult or impossible to receive and produce language.

    I was back at home a week later, and my 6was to get better and return to work in a couple of months. I started 7a speech therapist(治疗专家) three times a week, and was given homework to help8my vocabulary and grammar. After a month, my own speech became 9“Could you pass the salt?” “Shall we go for a walk?” but I couldn't have a conversation. I couldn't read the newspaper.

    For 25 years, I was used to a(n)10day of meetings, and bringing three manuscripts home with me each night. I didn't feel 11to say goodbye to my old self.

    In the darkest months, I devoted myself to 12I would spend hours writing a description of something13like a pencil. I couldn't14novels or newspapers, so I tried reading poetry, and found the shorter lines easier to 15.My speech came back, and I learned how to read again,16much more slowly. I spent more time with my family, and 17myself to slow down.

    Now, 10 years later, my relationship with my 18is deeper than ever. We have 19to be very patient with each other. I'm no longer a high-achieving publisher or someone who 2010 books a week. I'm a family man with aphasia, and if I read 10 books a year, that's good.

    I had just arrived in this Asian country for a one-year teaching position. One day, I took the subway to visit some ancient palaces and temples in the downtown. The following account of what happened to me has taught me much about culture 1.

    Since all the 2 were taken, I stood. Suddenly, I felt someone pulling on my bag.3 I probably was in someone's way, I moved over slightly. 4 in one quick motion(动作), I felt my bag removed from my back, and in a flash it was5. I turned around to see who the thief was. I looked at the people standing behind me, but didn't see my bag or any 6.My heart sank and I began to7.

    I glanced around the car only to find directly across from me was an elderly lady, and sitting on her lap was my 8. I tried to get it back from her lap. But as I began to 9 it up, she quickly grabbed it back and held onto it. I looked around at the people standing beside me, and those sitting beside her, but no one took any 10 of the situation. Trying not to cause a(n)11, I tried to communicate through gestures. I used my hands as best as I could, but she 12 my requests for my bag and pointed to my back. She picked up my bag, showing how 13 it was. I finally began to understand. She was holding my bag to 14 me.

    As the subway 15 the main downtown station and I was getting ready to get off, the woman 16 handed me back my bag. But 17 I had a chance to thank her, she had disappeared into the crowd.

    Sadly, this 18 custom was more surprising to me than pleasing. Everyone back home had heard of being robbed—that was 19 city behavior—but having a stranger hold onto someone's bag out of 20, in a city of twelve million people—that was truly unusual.

    At two, most children are happy to play with stuffed toys. 1, for Freddie Bawden, life on the farm is not child's play but a labour of 2.

    Feddie likes nothing more than 3 his working suit to join his father James and mother Kayleigh as they 4 their animals. He helps feed the pigs, sheep and other animals. 5 his young age, Freddie takes his duties very 6. He also helps make up their feed and gives the animals water before sweeping up and laying down 7 hay.

    Freddie even has two battery-powered 8 of his own for carrying hay. Mr Bawden said, "He's really 9 actually. It's good for him to 10 up around animals. It gets him outside a lot and he absolutely loves it really."

    Like most children, of course Freddie goes to 11 one-and-a-half days a week, but he spends the rest of his time helping his parents, who also 12 a dog training centre on the farm. The youngster helps to 13 the dogs, as well as feed them and sweep the kennels (狗舍). He also likes to join in the special training sessions, 14 toys for the dogs to 15 after. Mr Bawden said some even 16 better to Freddie than they did to their adult owners who may "overthink" things.

    Mr Bawden 17 most two-year-old are more likely to be found watching TV or playing with 18. But he said, "If he wants to come with me, he can. If he doesn't, he doesn't have to. He's really healthy, fit and strong. He eats well and 19 well because he's doing so much. He loves 20 off, and he loves showing other people his pigs and sheep."

    It was Australia Day. We had spent the afternoon 1with friends. When we arrived home, the message bank on my mobile phone was flashing. It was our 2, Annabel, who had just been left at a boarding school over 500 kilometers away. Annabel's 3 voice greeted us: "Hi, Mum and Dad, I've 4 my phone!” After just four days at school her main means of 5 had gone missing at an Australia Day celebration. We realized the chance of finding the phone were 6 for we hadn't installed (安装) the Find My Phone app.

    The next morning, my mobile beeped (发出哔哔声) loudly. When I replayed the 7 a kind voice announced that she had something that 8 my daughter and could I please call her back.

Annabel had 9 my number on the inside of her phone's case —- 10 thinking! "I'll take it to work 11 you see if anyone can pick it up,” she kindly offered after I 12 that my daughter was at boarding school and I lived a six-hour drive away.

After tracking the people I 13 who lived nearby, I was out of luck —- no one was able to 14 the phone.

    Later I decided to ask our angel (天使) to post the 15 to my daughter. But to my 16, this angel, who had already spent a busy day at work, was making a two-hour round trip on a Saturday night, especially to 17 a phone to a complete stranger.

    I gave her 18 and she delivered the phone into the hands of my daughter. The only word of her explanation was: "I've got four 19 of my own. I know how a mother 20."