I sat down at my desk and started writing an emotional letter of gratitude(感激). But1it came to actually placing the letter into the mailbox, I froze. I couldn't do it.

    The2was to an old teacher with whom I kept in3through Facebook comments(评论). For the past couple of weeks, her Facebook page had4me to live my life differently—for example, volunteering more.

    Her5efforts weren't huge—she wasn't building wells in Uganda or6 lepers(麻风病人)in India, but instead she was doing7, local good deeds, such as serving as an elementary school crossing guard. These were things that I could do, too. She made me8I could do the same at home. I felt I should let her9 how her example positively influenced my life. That was10I ended up handwriting the letter. But now here I was, standing before the mailbox,11to place the envelope inside. Why was this so hard to do? I thought I felt strange because it wasn't like she was my best friend. I just knew her.12, after thinking it over, I put the envelope in the mailbox at last.

    Weeks later I received a Facebook message from her. She was13a difficult time and my note meant14to her. She said she had no idea that she was making such a15to others. Not only did this letter make her happier,16her response to it increased my level of happiness as well. I decided to write a gratitude letter of17to someone each month. I've been doing this for two years now and it has changed my life greatly. I'm more likely to18out the goodness in others and I am continuously more thankful for this19life I'm living. Expressing gratitude is a great skill to20. Life is too short not to do it.

    Once a circle lost one of its wedges (楔子). The circle wanted to be 1, so it went around looking for its missing piece. But 2 it was incomplete and therefore could roll only very 3, it admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with worms. It enjoyed the sunshine. It found lots of4 pieces, but none of them fit. So it 5 them all by the side of the road and kept on 6. Then one day the circle found a piece that fit 7. It was so happy. Now it could be whole, with 8 missing. It incorporated (合并) the missing piece into itself and began to 9. Now that it was a perfect 10, it could roll very fast,11 fast to notice flowers or talk to the worms. When it 12 how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly, it13, left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away.

    The 14 of the story is that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are lacking in something. The man who has everything is in some ways a 15 man. He will never know what it feels like to hope, and to nourish (滋养) his soul with the 16 of something better. He will never get the 17 of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted or 18 had. When we19 that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and 20 it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only long for.

Pass Your Love On

    Waiting for the airplane to take off, I was happy to get a seat by myself. Just then, an air hostess approached me and asked, "Would you mind 1 your seat? A couple would like to sit together." The only 2 seat was next to a girl with her arms in casts (石膏绷带)， a black-and-blue face, and a sad expression. "3 am I going to sit there," I thought immediately. But a soft voice spoke, "She needs help." Finally, I 4 to move to that seat.

    The girl was named Kathy. She 5 in a car accident and now was on her way for 6.

    When the snack and juice arrived, it did not take me long to 7 that Kathy would not be able to 8 herself. I considered 9 to feed her but hesitated, as it seemed too 10 to offer a service to a 11. But then I realized that Kathy's need was more 12 than my discomfort. I offered to help her eat, and 13 she was uncomfortable to accept, she 14 as I expected. We became closer and closer in a short period of time. By the end of the five-hour trip, my heart 15, and the 16 was really better spent than if I had just sat by myself.

    I was very glad I had reached 17 my comfort zone to sit next to Kathy and feed her. Love 18 flows beyond human borders and removes the fears that keep us 19. When we 20 to serve another, we grow to live in a larger and more rewarding world.

    There were two hours before the flight landed in Florida. I was going to meet my 1. It was my first time in the United States. Mother had said I was 2 to learn English in Florida, but the main 3 for coming to Florida was to visit my sister, not to learn English.

    The plane 4! I started running when I 5 my sister! "Oh, you little girl!" she said. She changed her style 6 living there for two years. She looked different since she was 7 a sweater and colored jeans. We went back to her apartment. I was very 8, so I fell asleep quickly. Tomorrow would be an exciting day!

    My sister didn't go to work the next day because she had taken the day 9. We went to Disney's Epcot to 10 all the different buildings. Being hungry, we decided to 11. The food was different from what I was used to and there was a lot to 12 from. She showed me her favorite store and we went to buy all the 13 I wanted. I was having the best 14 of my life. It was late when we came home that night; I went 15 to bed.

    Three days flew by. When my sister took me to the 16, she said, "I'm going to miss you." I was so touched 17 she had never told me 18 like that before. On the plane I was looking forward to seeing all my friends, telling them about this 19 vacation and showing them all my new clothes! I was very 20 about this trip!

    MacArthur's love for sailing dates back to when she was just 4 years old, when she first got the opportunity to have a try on a boat. "It kind of 1 me that this boat had everything we needed to take us anywhere in the world. And as a child,that opened up everything and made me feel the greatest sense of 2 ， " she explained.

    This experience 3 a passion within MacArthur that she wanted to sail around the world. Growing up in the countryside, she had no idea how to 4 it. However, she knew that was what she wanted to do at some stage. So she acquired knowledge and 5 for years to seek her dream in sailing. Having merely potatoes and beans every day for eight years, she 6 could afford the right equipment. By reaching such 7 goals and asking technical questions about 8, MacArthur felt as though she was getting 9 to her ambition.

    "The impossible could be possible and 10 high is not necessarily such a crazy thing to do." she said. And it seems that MacArthur's 11 to become a sailor went beyond her expectations. At the age of 24, she started to 12 media attention after winning the second place in the Vendee Globe, a single­handed non­stop yacht (帆船)race that went around the world.

    Four years later, MacArthur chose to sail for 71 days and 14 hours, 13 more than 26_,000 miles. This led to her scoring a new record. 14 this record has since been surpassed (超过), MacArthur is still considered as Britain's most successful offshore racer.

    So when you know where you're going, you can actually get there—even if it seems 15!

    Recently I understood the true meaning of love. The1was Kane, my neighbor Joline's two-year-old son.

    Kane was born with a physical problem on his2. And I witnessed the3that Kane's physical shortcomings had on his family. I also witnessed much more than that. I saw a4family that embraced (拥抱) this special child. A family that wouldn't allow Kane to know he was5. Joline had constructed a small cart just a few inches off the floor for his son to6. Kane used his hands to move about, and the cart7him to "go to" any place just as everyone else was able to do. Kane was not just a member of the family, but the8of the family.

    With a wide smile, it was easy to see that even at the age of two, Kane liked to9with people very much. With wisdom of an individual, this boy even10the most complex of human emotions. Later I came to11that this child was sent to help some of us who weren't just getting what love was all about.

    Kane demanded attention,12not because of his mobility (移动能力) challenges or other apparent shortcomings. In his mind, he had no13or shortcomings. The14was that he received attention because he was alive and real and had so much to offer.

    Kane15me in a deep way. His ability to refuse to be different has16me. Kane was and is17lots of warm and powerful energy to me. From him and his family I learnt the18: love surpasses (超越) all things. I can only imagine that as the parent of a child like Kane one might be filled with19. But I believe that having a child like Kane is actually a(n)20. The parents of such special babies are angels too, just as the babies are.