The Power of a Note

          On my first job as sports editor for the Montpelier(Ohio) Leader Enterprise, I didn't get a lot of fan mail, 1a letter that was dropped on my desk one morning seemed 2  to me.

         When I opened it, I read: “A nice piece of writing on the Tigers. Please3 the good work.” It was 4  by Don Wolfe, the sports editor. Because I was a teenager (being paid for 15 cents a column inch ), his words couldn't have been more 5 . I kept the letter in my desk drawer 6  it got rag-eared. Whenever I  7whether I had the ability to be a writer, I would reread Don's note and feel 8  again.

        Later, when I got to know him, I learned that Don made a 9  of writing a quick, encouraging word to people in10  . “When I made others feel good about 11  ,” he told me, “I feel good too.”

    Not 12  , he had a body of friends as big as nearby Lake Erie. When he died last year at 75, the paper was 13  with calls and letters from people who had been recipients of his 14  words.

  15 the years, I've tried to copy the example of Don and other friends16  care enough to write uplifting comments, because I think they are on to something important. In a world too often cold and unresponsive, such 17 bring warmth and reassurance. We all need a push from time to time, and a few lines of 18  have been known to turn around a day, even a life.

        Be 19  with your praise. Superlatives like “greatest” “smartest” “prettiest” make us all feel good. Even if your praise is a little ahead of reality, remember that expectations are often the20  of dreams fulfilled.

    One afternoon，my son Adam asked me，“Are all people the same even if they are different in color？”

    I thought for a minute，and then I said，“I'll explain，1you can just wait until we make a quick 2 at the grocery store. I have something3 to show you.”

    At the grocery store， we 4 some apples—red，green and yellow ones. Back home. I told Adam，“It's time to 5 your question.” I put one apple of each 6on the table. Then I looked at Adam， who had a7 look on his face.

    “People are like apples. They come in all8colors，shapes and sizes. On the 9 ， some of the apples may not 10 look as delicious as the others.” As I was talking，Adam was 11 each one carefully.

    Then， I took each of the apples and peeled(削皮)them，12them back on the table，but13 a different place.

    “Okay， Adam， tell me which is which.”

    He said， “I 14 tell. They all look the same now.” “Take a bite of 15. See if that helps you 16which one is which.”

    He took17 ， and then a huge smile came across his face. “People are 18 like apples！ They are all different， but once you19 the outside， they're pretty much the same on the inside.”

    He totally 20it. I didn't need to say or do anything else.

    One day while I was on the road, 1 a corner with flowers and a flag where somebody special got  2 .

    The next day when I passed this accident site again, I simply had to stop an  3 a prayer and since I had some flowers in my car, I put them down next to all the other flower 4 . 5 I went back in my car I asked myself: “Why am I stopping here? I do not even know this person?”

That night I had a very 6 dream. All of a sudden this young handsome man 7 to me and said: “Hello! I am Rocky—please tell my mom that I am OK and that I 8 her” and then he disappeared.

    When I woke up, I could not get this young man and his  9 out of my mind. I do not know Rocky and neither do I know his dear mom—so how in the world may I  10 his message to his mother? I asked God to help me.

    About two weeks later I went to  11 up my car at a nearby gas station. When I paid for my gasoline, I  12 the lady's necklace which was 13 like a star. When she took my money, she said that the  14 of her son are in there.

    I will never  15 this moment when everything became still and so  16 . I put my hand on hers and asked her: “What is your son's name?” and when she said “Rocky”, our eyes connected  17 and were filled with tears. I was  18 and not able to respond.

    I drove home sobbing. What I did should  19 the young man's dream into reality. I then wrote a note for Rocky's mom, telling her that her 20 'baby boy' visited me in my dreams and the he wanted me to tell her that he is OK and that he loves her.

    Once a gentleman was traveling on a train. He felt 1and got off at a station in search of water. When he reached the water tap (水龙头), the2started. He ran back but3it.

    It was getting4and he decided to spend the night at the station. The next morning he asked the ticket office about the next train and was told it would be on the next5. So he decided to find a place for a day's6 . He went to the nearby hotel to ask for a room but found 7.

    At last he8a small house. He asked the9 whether he could stay in his house for a day. The owner immediately10 then served him food and gave him a room to stay.11he did not ask anything in return.

    At seven, the gentleman heard a 12at the door. The owner opened the door. The gentleman saw a man dressed in 13 clothes enter the house and14the owner to pay his debts (债务).

    The gentleman came to know that the owner was in need of15. The next morning he left a pack in the drawer of the room and16. When the owner found the pack, he saw that there was a17written to him, which read: “You 18 me but did not expect anything from me. Yesterday evening I heard the19 between you and the stranger and20that you were in need of money. This is what you need.”

    A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had loved a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well 1 it, he told him that was all he wanted.

    As 2 drew near, the young man expected 3 that his father had bought the car. Finally, on the morning of the special day, his father called him into his study. His father told him how 4 he was to have such a fine son, and how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped (包装好的) gift box. Curious, but a little bit5, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound (皮边的) Bible (圣经).

    Angrily, he raised his 6 to his father and said, “Is a Bible 7 you can give me with all your money?” He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.

    Many years 8 and the young man was very successful in business, but 9 his father was very old, he thought perhaps he 10 go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. 11 he could make the arrangements , he received a telegram which 12 him of his father's death, and all the possessions (财产) left to him.

    13 arriving at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to 14 through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had 15 it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to 16. As he was reading, a car 17 dropped from the back of the Bible.

    How many times do we 18 blessings (祝福) because they are not wrapped as we expected? Do not spoil (搞糟) what you have by desiring (渴求) what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once 19 the things you hoped for. What may appear as bad fortune (运气) may 20 be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

    As is known to all, most stories of kindness do not begin with formerly drug-addicted celebrity (名人) bad boys. 1 does.

    When this 2 took place, I was accompanying my grandmother at a huge garden party. 3, Robert Downey Jr., in a nice cream-colored suit, came in. I pointed out this big movie star to grandma 4, but she was far more interested in piling her paper plate with cheese. As my 80-year-old grandmother rose for the 5 after the party, she fell into a wheelchair ramp (踏板) nearby. The sharp ramp 6 her leg open and it was bleeding.

    I should have quickly taken control of the 7 —but due to my blood faint, I didn't. Luckily, Robert Downey Jr. 8

    He called an ambulance immediately, and asked someone to 9 a blanket. He took off his suit and 10 his suit around her leg. The cream color turned dark red. Robert surely knew how to speak to her, 11, distract her. He stayed with my grandmother until the ambulance came, 12 her hand and telling her she was breaking his 13 by leaving so early. I hurried into the ambulance without a word, feeling too shy to thank him.

    Some 15 years after that garden party, and five years since he'd been set free from prison for possession of drugs in his car, I came across Robert in a fancy restaurant. I was 14 to respect people's privacy and never 15 someone having a meal. But on this clay, I decided to 16 the code.

    “I don't have any 17 if you remember this. "and I told him the story. “I just wanted to tell you that it was simply the kindest act I've ever 18.”

    It's never too 19 to express our appreciation for kindness which lies in everyone, even a celebrity bad boy. 20, appreciation itself is a sort of kindness.