I was invited to attend a presentation at the Kentucky School. That evening I found gratitude had amazing1 to change our attitude and our life.

    The young musician Mr. Patrick was 2onto the stage in his wheelchair and began to play the piano. His fingers danced across the keys3 he made beautiful music. He then began to sing as he played, and it was wonderful. But what shocked me most was his4smile.

    Patrick was born with no eyes and an illness in the legs, which5him lame for life. However, as a child, he was6with artificial eyes and placed in a wheelchair. Before his first birthday, he discovered the piano. When his mom hit any7on the piano, and within one or two tries, he′d8 By his second birthday, he was playing “ Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”. His father was9 “We might not play baseball, but we can play music together.”

    When Patrick was at the University of Louisville, his father attended 10with him. He was also a part of the 214-member marching band！He was a blind, wheelchair-bound trumpet player; and he and his father did it together. His father11the night shift（夜班）in order to accompany his daytime band practice. Patrick says, “My dad′s my12”

    But even 13his unbelievable musical talent, it was Patrick′s “attitude of gratitude” that14my soul. On the stage, between songs, he talked to the audience about his life and about 15blessed he was with a great father. When his performance was over, Patrick and his father were on the stage together. The crowd 16 to their feet and cheered for over five minutes.

    We all face misfortune in our lives.17it′s not the hardship but how we18to it that will determine the joy and happiness in our lives. During19times, do we spend too much time feeling sorry for ourselves,20can we, with gratitude, learn how to dance in the rain？

    Jay Ruckelshaus won a full scholarship to Duke University. Then, just weeks before he was 1 to arrive on campus, he broke his neck in an accident.

    At the Shepherd Center, Jay had eight hours of exercise a day,2 his muscles and working on his 3. “Before, was 4 setting goals and achieving them. But this was not what you could achieve.”

    5the breakthrough came: He was able to 6 on his own, eat, and use an iPad. “The iPad was great, ”he said, “That gave me 7 to the world.” To stretch his mind further, he 8 for courses online.

    Most people, he said,9 he would change his plans to study after his accident. But throughout his 10 his place at Duke University was what kept him going. For Jay, there was never any 11 he would go to Duke. “There was also no doubt from the university, which was wonderful, and wouldn't have been the 12 at some other schools.

    Finally getting into Duke a year later than planned,13being in a wheelchair, he was 14 to have a fun college life. He needed 15, but soon made great friends. In 16 studying for a degree and sitting co-editing a journal, he was able to hang out with friends.

    Also, he thought of other wheelchair users and decided to help them. “I 17I was having an amazing time and meeting amazing people,” he said. The feeling was almost 18. Therefore, he started a charity called Ramp Less Traveled to spread the 19 that college is 20 for students with spinal cord (脊髓) injuries.

    My mother has always been involved in early­childhood education. She often set the scene for children to 1  the joy of physical activity, getting them excited and 2 to learn.

    Mum was so proud of me after I 3 the triathlon（三项全能运动）at the 2000 Olympics, but before the dust4, she grabbed me, saying: “Now this is your 5. Use it.” She wasn't speaking from an economic point of view but talking about the 6 of my being a role model, encouraging kids to 7 their dreams.

    Since the Olympics, I have 8more than 100 schools. I talk to the kids 9“living a life less ordinary ”, a concept passed on to me by my parents—the idea of 10 being average. I tell them that what you believe, you will 11.

    As I was a kid, my mother came to every 12—not to pressure me but to 13 me. One of my favorite sports­related memories was when I was 14 in the Canadian Triathlon Championships. As I ran by a big truck, I saw my mother 15 on top of one of its huge wheels, cheering for me. I find it sad when people say their parents have never seen them 16.

    When I was at the University, I completed only one semester and then decided to17 so I could race professionally full­time. Mum was the first person I called. It was a 18  moment. I wasn't sure how she would react.

    “Mum, I have this opportunity, and I think I'm going to take it. What do you think？”

    She was as 19 as ever. It turned out to be a good20. Supporting your children, trusting their decisions, giving well­thought­out advice—those are definitely important qualities.

    "Somebody just died," my daughter Kathy begins. "Somebody was just born," I answer, smiling. "Somebody is 1," she replies.

    "Somebody is laughing,"

    This is our game. It's our secret way of being 2at the complexity (复杂性) of the world.

    I was 3our game yesterday as Molly, my 15-year-old pet dog, lay beside me. Molly was 4a companion. She was part of me. But she was 5.

    Molly was given to me as a puppy and has been my side ever since. But she started to walk slowly and then6when I took her out the other day.

    "She is ready to go," I told my husband.

    One day, I wandered down the stream to think. 7I looked around, I thought that the 8of a forest is not all about the green leaves or colorful plants. It is the decay(腐烂) that makes the color 9.

    The10between me and Kathy rang in my mind. "Something is decaying," I thought, "Something is 11."

    We chose to keep Molly at home, to spare her the anxiety of one 12trip to the vet. Our task was to keep her company and make sure she was 13.

    I want to be 14her side. I took hold of Molly and placed my fingers over her beating heart. I kept them there, 15her pulse, until it stopped. I didn't beg her to 16. But that doesn't mean I didn't cry. The girls hugged me, more frightened by my 17than by the loss of the dog.

    "Mommy! Say you'll be happy again," Kathy cried.

"Remember the game?" I whispered 18, "Where sometimes somebody is happy and 19is sad?" She nodded.

    For now, I'm just somebody sad. Somebody who cries. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after, I'll be somebody who20.

A chance encounter left both inspired about the country

    Anthony Maggert knew just about everything about Colin Powell. He'd read all of his books. He'd watched him on television, awed by the1 he showed even in the hardest times. And then, he got into the military, 2 23 years in Afghanistan, where he lost one3. It had been Powell whom he'd thought of 4. He was an ideal to strive toward.

    On Tuesday, Maggert was driving on the Capital Beltway. When he noticed a tall man5down beside his car, trying to fix a flat front tire, Maggert immediately thought he 6him.

    But no, it couldn't be. Out here? Thinking he'd help the trapped driver7way, he8his car, and with an artificial leg, walked toward the man. That was when he realised that he'd been9. A few miles away, in Washington, the government had shut down, two sides shouting at each other.  But out here, the matter at hand was 10, a flat tire. The two of them11about Afghanistan while fixing the tire.

    "Such a gentleman,"Maggert said of the former U. S. secretary of state, now 81, 12whom he again saw that effortless calm. "I hope when I'm that13, I'm as energetic as he is." All that day, Maggert thought about what happened.

    Later that day, Maggert wrote him a14:"General Powell,I hope I never forget today because I'll never forget reading your books," he said.  "You were always a(n)15, a leader and statesman. You were the giant whose shoulders we stood upon to carry the torch to16the way and now it is tomorrow's generation that must do the same. "

    Powell then17in kind: "Thanks, Anthony," he wrote in a public Facebook post. "You touched my soul and18me about why this country is so great. Let's stop19at each other. Let's just take care of each other. You made my 20."

No one is born a winner. People make themselves into winners by their own 1 .  

I learned this lesson from a(n) 2 many years ago. I took the head coaching job at a school in Baxley, Georgia. It was a small school with a weak football programme.  

 It was a tradition for the school's old team to play against the new team at the end of spring practice. The old team had no coach, and they didn't even practice to 3 the game. Being the coach of the new team, I was excited because I knew we were going to win, but to my disappointment, we were defeated. I couldn't 4 I had got into such a situation. Thinking hard about it, I came to 5 that my team might not be the number one team in Georgia, but they were depending on me. I had to change my 6 about their ability and potential.  

I started doing anything I could to help them build a little 7 . Most importantly, I began to treat them like 8 . That summer, when the other teams enjoyed their vacations, we met every day and 9

passing and kicking the football.  

Six months after suffering our 10 on the spring practice field, we won our first game and our second, and continued to improve. Finally, we faced the number one team in the state. I felt that it would be a

11 for us even if we lost the game. But that wasn't what happened. My boys beat the best team in Georgia, giving me one of the greatest

12 of my life! 

From the experience I learned a lot about how the attitude of the leader can 13 the members of a team. Instead of seeing my boys as losers, I pushed and 14 them. I helped them to see themselves15 , and they built themselves into winners.  

Winners are made, not born.