I have written a poem called Flying Kites, in which a man 1 his son to fly a kite. After a few minutes, the child2 drops the string and lets the kite soar(高飞). With joy in his eyes, he watches it climb until it disappears 3.The father realizes that 4 he'll have to loosen the string that ties him to his son. And he 5 ,“Will I release the tie as unselfishly as that?”

    Many years later my son, Gary,6 he wouldn't finish his college career. I tried to talk him out of it. But none of my reasoning made any 7 . At the end of the semester Gary moved back home.

    Gary managed to find a job at a nursery and went at it with 8enthusiasm. I,9, was deeply disappointed. What was a college professor's 10  doing at a job that any high school dropout could perform? Then I tried to11 him. “Look,” I said, “In a few years you'll be at your high school reunion with 12 classmates who became doctors, lawyers, and engineers. Do you think you'll be able to 13 that?”

    “Yes, Dad,” he replied without 14. Then he fixed his eyes on mine and said, “But the real question is: Can you?”

    Shame suddenly 15 me. I wasn't thinking about my son; I was thinking about myself and what my friends would think. The problem wasn't Gary's pride; it was mine. All at once I remembered my  16  and the question it asked “ Will I release the 17 as unselfishly as that?”. At that moment I knew I had to let go. Gary was  18 enough to make his own choices.

    Today Gary has a successful career working for the city. I am very 19 of who he has become.20I let go of my pride, I've been able to sit back and enjoy watching him soar.

    Vandna loved sports and did well in her lessons at her high school in California. When a headache disturbed the 15-year-old girl's walk to class, she 1 it.

    “It was 2.” she thought, “Just a headache—harmless”

But when walking to her next class, she was 3 and collapsed to the floor. 4 she could hear other talking, she couldn't speak. She was 5 to the hospital in an ambulance. Tests indicated Vandna had a stroke affecting the right side of her brain, thus affecting the 6 side of her body.

    What was worse, the stroke caused her brain to began to swell, and she needed operation to 7 the pressure the swelling was putting 8 her brain. The doctors 9part of her skull（头骨）to make room for the swelling. 10 the swelling went down（消退）, her skull was placed back again.

    While the doctors predicted that she would never live a normal life, Vandna 11 improved. She was in a rehab center（康复中心）for about 3 months and began to realize how 12 her daily life might be. She had to wear a brace（支架）on her left leg to support her 13. Her left arm 14 lightly, and she often became tired. Though 15 on a campus wasn't easy, she finished high school and 16 a degree in speech therapy at University of Redlands.

    After the stroke, Vandna became 17 with the American Heart Association. She shared her 18 at public events and urged others to stay 19. She said if you 20 a tough time, remember tough times don't last, but tough people do.

    One cold December morning, my dad and I were walking along the road to a store to buy Christmas presents. Suddenly a car ran to us out of 1. Pushed away by my dad, I was 2 while he was unable to escape and injured. My dad 3 unconditional love to me when faced with the accident. Since that day, I have 4 the power of love and the 5it can teach to those who take anything for granted, as I did everything before.

    People wander into our lives for various reasons, but each one has something to 6, even the driver who caused the 7. He helped me a lot. Whether our 8is entirely good or not, there remains something to be gained from every person we 9. I have come to view 10 in this way. Sometimes, when schoolwork gets tough and I lack 11, I remind myself that I am here to make use of every lesson that I have been given. What a 12 it is to be able to acquire knowledge!

    This unconditional love I have for 13allows me to see the world through what some may call rose-colored glasses, which helps me to love and be loved in complete confidence as well. 14, it offers me the power to see things clearly in the15 changing world and 16myself to overcome difficulties in my life. I am 17 to learn, and because of my ability to love, I 18 the challenges that will help me grow. I approach everything with interests, and 19 an opportunity for education on every page of my books, and even with difficulties and 20.

    A little boy invited his mother to attend his school's first teacher-parent meeting. To the little boy's 1 , she said she would go. This 2be the first time that his classmates and teacher3his mother and he felt 4of her appearance. Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar（疤痕）that 5 nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to 6why or how she got the scar.

    At the meeting, the people were7 by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother 8the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed（尴尬）and 9 himself from everyone. He, however,10 a conversation between his mother and his teacher.

    The teacher asked 11,“How did you get the scar on your face?”

The mother replied,“12 my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught fire. Everyone was13 afraid to go in because the fire was14 ，so I went in. As I was running toward his bed, I saw a piece of wood coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked 15 but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us.” She 16 the burned side of her face. “This scar will be 17 , but to this day, I have never18what I did.”

    At this point, the little boy came out running toward his mother with tears in his eyes. He held her in his arms and felt a great19 of the sacrifice（牺牲）that his mother had made for him. He held her hand 20for the rest of the day.

    It was many years ago. I was a college 1 with a degree but no job. My substitute teaching work had dried up and I was getting 2. I had a family to feed and little money left.3, my oldest brother had been able to get me a4 at the local lumber mill where he worked. While I was 5 , my first day there was quite a blow to my ego(自尊).The job  6 barely above minimum wage. The work was hard and back breaking. It was full of 7 , lifting, and carrying heavy wood for eight hours a day. Splinters(木屑)were soon my best pals and every day I went home 8and exhausted.

    When winter arrived my gloves tore and my fingers split and 9 in the cold air. I found myself using more band aids(创可贴)and duct tape than I ever 10 I would just to keep my hands working. The turn over rate at the mill became so 11 that at the end of two years only four other people had 12 there longer than I had. Every morning I would 13myself out of bed and go to work knowing it was going to be another 14 day. I tried my best to keep my  15  up but many times during those years I found myself saying, “Why me, God? Why am I having to 16 this? Why has my life not turned out the 17 I dreamed it would?” I never got an 18 .

    It is only now many years later that I have a hint of 19 I had to go through those tough times. I think that it is the “Why Me?” times of our lives in which we 20 the most.