I remember quite well a day 17 years ago. That day, our twin sons, Chad and Brad, 1 their car and left home to attend college. I realized that our 2 would soon become a "table for two". 3 , the boys would come home on the weekends, but 4 , I knew our family life would never be exactly the same again.

    The boys walked around each room to 5 they hadn't forgotten anything they needed. I packed a cooler with 6 and their favorite cold snacks. I found a box and filled it with essential 7 items. I thought they might go to bed hungry that night. I 8 my wallet and placed the little bit of 9 I had in their hands.

    We all walked 10. Chad and Brad gave me big 11 and quickly got into their car. I 12 as they drove away. When their car was 13, I sat down on the driveway and cried 14 than I had cried in a long time. My husband Roy tried to 15 me, but I could see grief in his eyes, as well.

    There are many parents who would 16 this period. Bittersweet feelings will be 17 while I cannot explain them adequately. I can still remember 18 I felt when we began that new chapter in our lives.

    19 time going by, however, Roy and I are now accustomed to our table for two and we enjoy our lives together. I have to admit I still miss our children and the old 20 we had together.

    My mom died when I was two years old. She died in an accident when 1to visit her parents. I was in the backseat, and I wasn't 2.I don't remember anything about her.  The only few things I know are from the 3my dad tells me. I 4 with only my dad and myself. I love my dad, but sometimes it was 5, like being in elementary school when Mothers'day was coming, kids would decorate cards, and so on. To make it6, there was  “tea party with mom ” day for 2^nd and 3^rd grade when kids and their7would come during the school day and have8 and snacks. Except that my dad would let me9 those days, we would do something 10together like going to Disneyland. I never exactly felt 11 even though I didn't have a mom.

    My dad worked very hard. My mom died right as he 12from Harvard law, and he tried to be both a good13 and a great dad ,but also he tried to play both14 as dad and mom . I remember all the other girls in my 2^nd grade class had hair braided (辫子), and I15 that too. So my dad would braid my hair every morning before 16. It makes me smile just to17it.

    I think about not having mother occasionally, and18 it does bother me ,like the 19that on Mothers' day my dad and I visit my moms' grave , and bring her20 yellow roses .

    Maybe I don't have exactly what I want, but I have what I need .

A Welcome Gift

    Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them 1 side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud 2 filled the room and made them feel very happy.

    The next morning, 3, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a 4 under their door during the night. One of their neighbor had written to complain(抱怨) about the sound of the piano. Dario's mother asked the building superintendent(管理员) if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all 5 people and he couldn't imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested that they write a letter to their 6 and apologize for their playing.

    “Maybe we could go and 7 everyone in person.” his mother said. “What if we invited them to come here for a 8 instead? Dario asked. They both loved the 9. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts 10 their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers(彩带) and party lights.

    Finally, the day of the party 11. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. Some even brought desserts to 12. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, 13 Dario's mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.

    “I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I 14 that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don't think I disliked the playing.”

    Dario's mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we 15 you an apology.” she said. “I didn't 16 how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.

    “You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not such 17 music.”

    “These songs are beautiful music.” Dario's mother said. “We will be 18 to play them in the evening.”

    “And we won't play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to 19 the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother's face. It gave him a feeling of 20 and made him feel that they were home at last.

    Shayla Mitchell, 16, was diagnosed with the terminal stage of cancer. As a father, Mitchell always stayed home to care for her. He said the 1left them financially worse off. Then a group called Growing Hope 2 in with $1,800 to help with his living costs.

    3, he wanted to pay them back. In his 4, he had been a 5. So at age 40, Mitchell took up the6again, participating in two fights in Fairfax. Mitchell was7out in the first and second rounds, but he still8to raise $ 20,000 that he gave to Growing Hope. During this time, he 9 his daughter. "I fell into a dark bottom," Mitchell said, and for six months, he did little but 10.

One day, Mitchell11 upon a Mark Twain quote— "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born, and the day you 12why." "After I read that quote, I was going to spend the rest of my life helping kids with 13and their families." he said.

    Mitchell thought of creating a foundation, though boxing did not seem 14anymore for fund-raising due to his age. Then he found that 15 could be a source to raise money. In the Corps Marathon, he cut a striking figure on the course.16by this success, he set his sights higher. He 17each of the miles of the race to a different child with cancer, and he carried their 18with him. Years after his daughter's death, Mitchell now 19up in the morning knowing his 20.

    Many people spend their New Year's Eve getting dressed up and dancing their way to midnight. My brother and I decided to do things a bit 1.

    We each filled a backpack with clothes, shoes and other things and headed out to the 2. The first person we saw was a 15-16-year-old boy picking up 3 plastic bottles on the train platform (站台). We called him over and started up a(n) 4. We had a look at his 5 and noticed he had 6 fingernails (手指甲). We explained that it was 7 to keep short nails and then we 8 cutting them for him. When we were 9, we offered him some chocolate candies, which made him look at us 10. We talked to him some more and began 11 some of the chocolate ourselves. Finally, he 12 took the chocolate himself and then began telling us his 13.

    His name was Raju. After his mother died, his father remarried. Unable to 14 his stepmother (继母), Raju ran away from 15 and has been living on the streets for 3 years, collecting and 16 empty plastic bottles.

    When we met Raju, he wasn't wearing any 17. One quick look into our backpacks and we 18 what we were looking for-a pair of Nike shoes. When we dressed him in them-Raju's eyes were full of 19. "These shoes are so great. Nothing will hurt my 20.Thank you so much!" Touched by our actions, he joined us as we walked around and looked for those in need.

    My husband and I both were working in a lonely village in northern Thailand. There were many 1, particularly around our housing.

    We 2 our house this past June. Shortly after, while we were working at the office, the 3 removed all the surrounding banana trees and the grass in order to raise the ground level — she had 4 on tearing down our house and building a new one after we left.

    She brought in tons of 5. This left our house in a kind of moat(壕沟), and when the heavy rain came, our house 6. This was upsetting, but it turned into something 7, because when the headmaster at my school became 8 of it, he got my eighth-grade class to come to help 9 up.

    The boys dug into the moat to drain the water, and built a path out to the street, 10 the girls mopped up the water inside and spread newspapers to 11 it. Before the problem was truly 12, however, we had another flood. This turned into a 13, with teachers and students again 14, and our host mother bringing lunch for everyone.

    Another time, my husband suddenly got very 15. It was going to take the 16 two hours to reach our house, 17 my co-teacher arranged for a truck from the government office to take us to meet it--this truly helped greatly by 18 two hours off the ride.

    There were many other 19 of care and kindness. This community is dear to our hearts, and there is no way we can ever 20 them. I plan to try my best to pay it forward by looking for people in need of help.