Several years ago, our “Mommy and Me” time began. My next-door neighbor and fellow 1, Christie, and I were out in our front yards, watching seven children of about age 6 ride their 2up and down. “I wish I could take one of my children 3alone，”said Christie.

    Then we4a plan: When Christie takes one of her children out, I'll 5 her other three. And when she takes care of two of mine, I'll take 6out.

    The children were very quick to7the idea of “Mommy and Me” time，Christie's daughter, McKenzie, went first. When she returned, the other children showered her with tons of 8. McKenzie was smiling9. Christie looked refreshed and happy. “She's like a 10child when there's no one else around,” Christie shared wife me quickly. With her mother all to herself, McKenzie didn't have to make an effort to gain 11. Just as Christie had noticed changes in McKenzie, I also12something different in each of ray "children during our13times. For example, If am always 14when my daughter, who is15close to me, holds my hand frequently. My stuttering(口吃的）son, Tom, doesn't stutter once during our16since he doesn't have to struggle for a chance to speak. And the other son, Sam, who's always a 17when around other children) shines as a leader during our times together.

    “Mommy and Me”time18us to be simply alone and away with each child — talking, sharing, and laughing, which has been the biggest19. Every child20to be an only child at least once in a while.

    A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt 1. Late in the afternoon she gathered the 2to approach her employer. To her 3, the boss agreed to a raise.

    The woman arrived home that 4 and saw a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festive 5. She wondered if someone from the 6 had told it to him, or... did he just somehow know that she would not get 7?

    She found him in the kitchen and told him the good 8. They hugged and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman 9 a beautifully lettered note. It read, "Congratulations, darling! I knew you'd get the 10! These things will tell you how much I love you."

    Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to 11 up. She noticed that a second card had 12 from his pocket. Picking it off the floor, she read, "Don't 13 not getting the raise! You deserve it 14! These things will tell you how much I love you."

    Someone has said that the 15of love is when you love without measure. What this man feels for his wife is total 16 and love, whether she succeeds or 17. His love celebrates her victories and calms her 18. He stands with her, no matter what 19 throws in their direction.

    Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, "What can you do to 20world peace? Go home and love your family." And love your friends. Love them without measure.

    I recently heard a story about a famous scientist who had made several very important medical breakthroughs（突破）. He was being interviewed by a reporter who asked him1 he thought he was able to be so much more 2 than the average person.

    He responded that it all came from a(n) 3 with his mother that happened when he was about 2. He had been trying to 4 milk from the fridge when he 5 the slippery(光滑的) bottle, its contents running all over the kitchen floor.

    When his mother came in, 6shouting at him or giving him a lecture, she said, “Robert, what a great and wonderful 7 you have “drawn”! I have 8 seen such a huge pool of milk. Well, the damage has already been 9 . Would you like to get down and 10 in the milk for a few minutes before we clean it up？”

    His mother then said, “ You know, what we have here is a 11 experiment in how to effectively carry a big milk bottle with two 12 hands. Let's go out in the back yard and fill the bottle with water and see if you can 13it .” The little boy learned that if he 14 the bottle at the top near the lip with both hands, he could carry it without dropping it. What a wonderful 15 !

    This scientist then said that it was at that moment that he knew he didn't need to be 16 to make mistakes. Instead, he learned that mistakes were just 17 for learning something new, which is, 18, what scientific experiments are all about. Even if the experiment “doesn't 19 ,” we usually learn something 20 from it.

    I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was1and when I was 14 he said, "You're never going to be2but a failure."

    After five years of3jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best4that could have happened to me. I 5I wanted to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to 6that what people said about me was7. Especially her mother, who had said to me, "Let's8it, you've failed at everything you've ever done." So I tried hard with my9and went to college. My first novel10while I was at college.

    After college I taught during the 11in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 12in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of13that job to write full time14I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel 15of myself — here was a working-class boy who'd16school early, now teaching at the university.

    My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I'm rich and17, have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 18what does it mean? I19wish all the people that have put me down had20: "I believe in you. You'll succeed."

I have struggled with feelings of unworthiness since forever. My most painful moments were at parties. My friends made fun of me because I was rhythmically (有节奏地)1 and I couldn't get my2 body to imitate the latest dance moves. I was never chosen to dance. I felt like I didn't3 . 

Around age 12, I decided that the way to4 these feelings of unworthiness was perfection. If I was just perfect then I would fit in. But this strategy didn't5 .My self-esteem (自尊心) was high when I got good grades and felt6 , but crashed when I didn't do well7 , or was left out. 

After several years of spiritual growth, it8 me that for many of us, self-worth is tied to our9 . We experience low self-worth10 we fail or lose approval. So I have begun to cultivate an unconditional self-worth. It's not about doing things perfectly.11 , "Unconditional self-worth" is the12 that you deserve to be alive, to be loved and cared for. 

The13 to unconditional self-worth is not always easy. It takes courage to free yourself from the 14 you've placed on your worth. But this journey is beautiful and worth taking. So I challenge you to embrace yourselves and find your metaphorical (隐喻的) 15 floor and move freely.

"Software developer at Unidays, internatsonal speaker and enthusastie learner" is how Jess White describes herself on her blog. But it is not a path she'd originally planned to follow. After completing her psychology degree. White took a Master's in neuro-science (神经科学), fully expecting an academic carcer. But after her interest was raised by the part of the course that involved coding (编码), she decided to take a Master's course in computer science. She graduated with flying color.

Now 27, White hasn't looked back. She joined Oakbrook Finance in Nottingham as a software developer, and stayed for two years, rounding off her time there by winning Rising Star of the Year at the 2018 Women in IT awards. At Unidays, a business offering discounts to students, she works as a back end developer in the maintenance team, "working on the systems and making them better". It's a job she loves. "It's a challenge every day and you never get bored. There is always something to learn." she says.

White believes that some graduates are put off technology careers because they don't realize the range of jobs available, "A lot of people think tech is programing. But there's also design product management—and everything in life is to do with tech these days. Whether it's buying something with your cards or posting something on social media, you can't really avoid it."

A common misunderstanding, she says, is that IT is all about maths. "I'm terrible at maths and it scared the living daylights out of me when I started this because I thought I wouldn't be able to do it," In practice, it hasn't been a problem, and she has found that there are a lot of creative elements in programing. Her psychology background has proved to be a bonus, enabling her to bring a different perspective to her work, purticularly when she has to cooperate with user experience designers.

As for the future, White wants to learn as much as she can and become very strong in the area.