When I was shopping a few months ago , I saw a man trying to get people to donate(捐赠)to a very well-known charity(慈善团体)for children. I1to him that I can't donate money any more2my bank account(账户)having some problems last year. It was a3time and took months to get back our money.4, I noticed the man was hungry and cold, so I offered him a(n)5 in the nearby restaurant.

    Last week I6home on a really hot day. My husband Stewart was at the table with a person from a Charity having a7. We talked for a while and then I said, “I8you!” and he looked at me in surprise and said, “Oh, you're the lovely lady that9me a big lunch and drinks when I was at  10trying to get people to donate.” We both laughed and we had a little 11.

    He told me that he had let the organizers know about this lovely woman 12him out on a cold day. He said 13was so unexpected. I was so 14to see him again, sitting in my home. My act had really 15him for the kindness of it and I loved the fact that Steward had 16him in out of the heat for a cold drink.

    In our daily life, maybe we 17know how we18people when we do good things. But in fact, 19we do does affect others, for it is a lovely 20. Kindness is so catching (感染力的).

    Last weekend, I was blessed with an opportunity to serve as a volunteer in Maryland. I don't have a car and the closest Amtrak station is about 30 minutes away from the actual site so I wasn't sure1I would get there. I started thinking that maybe it wouldn't be2and after a really long week, I thought that maybe I shouldn't3at all. But I went ahead and posted a request for a4on the ride-share board.

    A few days later, an individual I had never met5that he would be able to pick me up and6me off at the station. He was also planning on serving but said he would wait7my train arrived before driving out there. How kind8this person whom I've never even met, I thought to myself. My heart9, and the stress I had been feeling from my week10away.

    When my new friend drove me to the train station, he11that it was in a deserted kind of area. There was no one12around. It was cold outside, and I still had 30 minutes to wait. So he13his car and said, “We will wait for the train to come together.”

    I couldn't believe his compassion and14. I knew that he had to be at work the next day15me, and that his wife and son were waiting for his return. But he just waited there with me so16, generously serving with his time.

    With five minutes17before the train arrived, he shared with me stories from his childhood. As a young boy, he18sit near the edge of the train tracks, excitedly waiting for the trains to rush by with all their force. That night, before returning home to his family, he waited with me as my train19. It didn't rush by at full force but I left that station20the full force of his compassion and generosity.

    It was a cold and wet night, I had just left a local club to travel home when I lost control of my car. I crashed into a car, then hit a tree. The force was so great that is knocked the parked car several meters forwards. I was knocked out cold. Worse still, I had no idea that a fire had started under the engine of my car. It then set the tree on fire.

    Driving behind me was a young man, who I later found out was called Jared. He saw the accident occur and stopped to help me out of the burning car. He put his own life in danger when he got into the back seat to try to undo my seat belt. This wasn't easy because I'd hit the car on my driver's side and my seat belt was squeezed into the console (操纵台).

    With my seat belt undone, Jared then hit open the driver's window to drag me out as I had still not regained consciousness (意识). He bravely did this while my car and the tree were burning. Woken by the crash, the homeowners came out to investigate. Jared told them to ring emergency services. I was rushed to the Royal Adelaide Hospital in a serious condition. I eventually woke up a day later.

    I owe my life to Jared and I consider him a friend due to the special bound. Jared says that although the events of that night initially shocked him, he never once hesitated to help. In addition, he doesn't believe that he did anything special.

    I was walking down a dimly lit street late one evening when I heard1coming from behind bushes. 2 I slowed down to listen and panicked when I realized that what I was hearing were the sounds of a struggle. Only yards from where I stood, a woman was being attacked. Should I get3? I was frightened for my own safety, and I hated 4for having suddenly decided to take a(n)5 route home that night. "What if I'm hurt too? Shouldn't I just run to the nearest phone and call the police?" Although it felt like a century, my thought process had only 6seconds. But already the cries were growing7I knew I had to act fast. "How could I walk away from this?" I asked myself.

    "No", I finally resolved, I could not turn my 8 on the fate of this unknown woman, 9it means10 my own life. I am not a brave man, nor am I11. I don't know where I found the moral courage and physical strength, but 12I had finally decided to help the girl, I became suddenly changed.

    I ran behind the bushes and13the attacker off the woman. Struggling, we fell to the ground, 14we fought for a few minutes until the man jumped up and escaped.15heavily, I got to my feet and 16 the girl, who was sobbing behind a tree. In the darkness, I could certainly 17 her trembling shock. Not wanting to frighten her any further, I at first spoke to her from a 18. "It's OK," I said soothingly. "The man ran away. You're safe now.''  There was a long pause and then I heard the words, uttered in 19. "Dad, is that you?" And then, from behind the tree, 20 my youngest daughter, Katherine. God has a way of allowing us to be in the right place at the right time.

    My mom is the most positive person I know. She has a/an 1 spirit, sees the good in all people, and always sees 2 in any situation. I grew up in a 3, positive home environment, where there were always family 4 and lots of laughter.

    I have fond memories of my mom taking us to 5 every Saturday morning. While my brother and I would have rather stayed home on our day off from school, she had us 6 her to help people in Roanoke, Virginia who needed groceries (食品杂货) to feed their families. While she did her service role, we helped to prepare bags of food. 7, this got to be something we looked forward to and we always left feeling 8 about what we did.

    My sweet mom 9 made doing housework enjoyable. The best 10 I learned from her that sticks with me today is "O-H-I-O". Growing up, my mom would 11 me a pile of clean clothes and I would 12 set them on the floor, 13 to put them away later. My mom would say, "Kids, you've got to 14: OHIO! That means Only Handle It Once. When I give you clothes, put them away in your 15 as soon as I give them to you so they are only in your hands 16."

    Today, as a forty-two-year-old wife and stepmom, when I pick up my mail or bring clean, 17 clothes to my room, I hear my 18 mom's voice in my head: "Remember, OHIO!" Most of the time, I take those extra two minutes to handle things only once and put them in their 19 place. Who knew that this girl from Virginia would learn such a/an 20 lesson about OHIO that stays with me still today? Thanks, Mom!

    I didn't grow up in a very loving family. In fact, there are few,1, happy memories I have of my childhood2my family members. My3moments were those spent with the few friends I was4to have. My family eventually alienated (排斥) all the neighbors.5, I didn't even have kids to play with and became quite serious just to hide my pain.

    There was another family in town that seemed6to mine. They had a lot of children too. I always wondered what it would be like7my family were more like them. They never knew it, but I watched them and8them. They were kind, genuine and close.

    9later I found myself back in the very same place, in that same small town I had10. This time I was in that town for my mother's funeral. My family gave each other the cold11, as always. I felt upset that neither time nor circumstances could make them act with12toward each other. As I approached the church for the funeral, memories came13back to me. I remembered the warm, kind smiles of that family.

    After the funeral service a meal was provided. When looking for seats with my husband. I heard a14voice I hadn't heard in decades call my name. I15and the father of that family I had admired was there. He was a church volunteer for my mother's funeral lunch. We chatted for a bit. I16my happy child a few meters away to him and it was at that point that I realized I was raising my boy in a way I had seen him bring17his own children so long ago. He wasn't18of it, but my son's life has been greatly19by him.

    So, live your life with love and kindness. You never know who's watching, who you will20and whose life you'll change.