I lost my elderly mother a few weeks ago. Actually, my mother had fallen over during the night and had not been able to 1 again. She had woken up the neighbors by banging on the wall. The 2 called an ambulance, which took her 3 to the hospital.

    My mother has 4thought that hospitals are a real horror. She believes that doctors and hospitals give you 5 diseases. My father went to hospital a year ago, and after a few weeks, he 6. The fact that he was also in the final 7 of lung cancer was certainly related, but by my mother's logic, my father's death was 8 with the hospital.

    When a neighbor 9 me up and told me that my mother had been taken off in an ambulance, the first thing I did was similar, which was to ring Queen Elizabeth Hospital. The paramedics(护理人员) had told my neighbor that my mother would 10 be taken there, 11 I was told that no one by that name had been 12, so they gave me the numbers of two other West Midland hospitals. Both of them also 13 that they were holding my mother . I rang the 14 and asked them to find her, but the nice officer said he could only do that if she had been reported as a(n) 15 person.

    It took six calls to 16 my mother. She had been in Queen Elizabeth Hospital all along, but because their computer system hadn't been updated overnight, there was no record of her 17. My mother had spent more than a 18 in the hospital when it turned out there was nothing 19 with her. I managed to get her out within 10 days, but only by agreeing that in the future, she would live downstairs. In return, the hospital said they would 20 for a social worker to visit the house three or four rimes a day.

    Luckily, my mother is safe. Thank all the people who have given their help to us.

    My kids and I were heading into the supermarket over the weekend. On the way, we spotted a man holding a piece of paper that said, “1 my job. Family to Feed.” 

    At this store, a 2 like this is not normal. My 10­year­old noticed him and made a 3on how bad it must be to have to stand 4 in the cold wind. 

    In the store, I asked each of my kids to5 something they thought our “friend” there would6.They got apples, a sandwich and a bottle of juice. Then my 17­year­old suggested giving him a 7.I thought about it. We were 8 on cash ourselves, but...well, sometimes 9from our need instead of our abundance is 10 what we need to do! All the kids 11something they could do away with for the week. 

    When we handed him the bag of 12 ， he lit up and thanked us with 13eyes. When I handed him the gift card, saying he could use it for 14his family might need, he burst into tears. 

    This has been a wonderful 15 for our family. For days the kids have been looking for others we can 16！Things would have played out so 17 if I had simply said, “No, we really don't have 18 to give more.” Stepping out not only helped a brother in 19 ， it also gave my kids the20 taste of helping others. It'll go a long way with them. 

    All of us can give others a hand as long as we are willing to do so. Actually, there are some people doing kind things all the time. Spreading kindness, one good deed at a time, is Karla Gibson's mission. "I wish everyone could join me, 1 there are so many bad things going on in the world; I mean every day," said Karla.

    Karla had the2 and sense of duty in December of 2013. The single mother of three said she tended to feel down around the holidays, so she 3 to do something to cheer others up. She started a Facebook page and 4 her good deeds each day, from feeding the homeless to giving Easter gifts to prisoners. She hoped to 5 others.

    "We have to do something. Our 6 can make a difference in someone's day. You 7 know when someone might be having their worst day, and then something like buying them a coffee can change their whole attitude," Karla 8.

    Karla's greatest 9 had to do with coffee. On September 27^th, Karla's birthday, she went to her local Starbucks and gave the 10 $127 to pay for other people's drinks. She sat at the end of the drive-thru(汽车餐厅)holding a 11 reading "Have a great day." She ended up 12 about 23 customers. "It was really fun. It was 13one of the best birthdays ever," she said. Her kindness that day didn't go 14. One couple was so grateful that they surprised her with flowers and balloons to show their 15.

    Karla's acts of kindness have become a 16affair. Her two sons are always 17 others. "Sometimes I'll ask Kyle, 'So, did you do anything extra nice today?' and he would say 'Somebody 18 something in the hallway and I picked it up' or 'I held the door for someone', that kind of thing," said Karla.

    It's because of Mom that the boys think it's 19 to give a hand to others. "I think it's a great idea of hers. It's always nice to help someone out especially when they are going through 20 things," said Karla's 15-year-old son Chad.

    The back door of the ambulance (救护车) was suddenly shut and the driver ran to the front, jumped into his seat, and started the engine. Inside were the 1parents, Mr. and Mrs. Green, the mother holding their baby daughter Ally. The little girl had 2 food stuck in her throat(喉咙) and could hardly breathe.

    The driver, Mr. White, 3 his siren (报警器) and flashing light, and started speeding towards the nearest hospital, fighting against 4. The cars ahead of him pulled out of the way as he drove through the 5. From the back of the 6the parents were shouting at him to 7, since Ally had almost 8 breathing. In front of him he saw some traffic lights, with the red "STOP" light shining. Mr. White knew that he had no time to 9, so he drove straight past the traffic lights, looking 10 his left and right as he did so.

    Coming towards him from his right was a taxi. The driver had the windows 11, since the car was air-conditioned(空调开放的), and he was playing his radio. He did not 12the ambulance. The lights were green, so he drove straight 13 into the path of the ambulance.  Mr. White tried to stop his ambulance but it was too late. It hit the taxi. Everybody was shaken but no one was hurt. Mr. White looked to see 14Ally was. He was astonished to see relief (宽慰) instead of 15on the faces of the parents.

    "Look!" cried Mrs. Green. "She is 16 again."

    "It must have been the 17" said her husband. "It 18 the food out of her throat." The baby's color was turning to normal(正常的), and she was crying in a loud but healthy 19 . They were all joyful, and quite forgot about the accident, the taxi, and the lines of 20all around them.

    One evening, Catherine was at home as usual. As her1swung between what she was going to do with her life and their dinner plans for the evening, she was unexpectedly2by an urgent call from her sister “Get over here! Turn on NBC and check these guys out. They are just like you…” One Facebook message and a phone interview later, Catherine3herself on a bus with 8 strangers in the middle of the sweltering desert heat of Utah, picking up trash and4awareness about zero-waste and climate change.

    With a deep5of the environment and a desire to make a6, Catherine, Davey, and a group of self7“environmental pick-up artists” went on a coast to coast road side trash pick-up. As they walked, sometimes only80.9 miles in an entire day, they 9 and steadily made their way across the United States for three years, picking up a total of 201,678 pounds of trash.

    Catherine and Davey10with us wonderful stories of hope and inspiration that fueled their11to continue their journey. After spending weeks silently12how she would have enough13to fly home for their two-week spring break, Catherine found a blank, unidentified envelope14with $850 cash in the desert. Just enough to get her home and back. After their bus15outside of Denver, they unexpectedly got16and arrived in Yosemite National Park three weeks later, just in time for the “Yosemite Facelift” where17from all over the state came together with a18of cleaning up trash all over the park.

    Being at the right place at the right time became almost normal, and they realized that much of what they 19was more than just a coincidence. Together, their team learned to simply 20themselves to their task, and surrender to the journey.

    When my sister Diane began playing the violin, she was seven. How did she sound? Terrible. But she didn't 1. At twelve, she asked our parents if she could 2 a full-time music school. They said no. Actually, everyone agreed that my sister 3 talent.

    I was better at my 4. My teacher had told my parents that I had great 5. So my parents found the best piano teacher in the area to 6  me. But the only time he was 7 was Saturday afternoons at 3 pm. Back then, I was 8 by the British TV show "The Avengers", which was 9 every Saturday at 3 pm. I let nothing take up my "The Avengers" hour. So I 10 this amazing opportunity. Today, I don't even have a 11 in my house.

    My sister became an engineer, but she 12 stopped making music. When she was in her 40s, she changed her 13. She went back to college, got a(n) 14 in music education, and became a music teacher. She starts kids out on their first instrument and gives them all the encouragement and support she never 15.

    Recently, she and a pianist pal put on a recital. A big crowd of friends and family 16 for her. As she played, I looked around at the 17. Everyone was 18 enjoying the music. It occurred to me that I was the only person who remembered that 7-year-old kid making those perfectly 19 sounds and knew how far she had come, despite 20.

    Talent is important. But enthusiasm is even more important.