I was 15, She looked like she was over 70. But on that day, I think she 1 me more than anyone else.

    Walking into church that Sunday was 2. I had 3 let anyone see me cry. But I 4 I would cry that day. My grandfather was suddenly ill. The doctors said he might not live much longer. Everyone else in my family was crying. I felt 5 inside, too.

    I went to the 6 that day to pray. There, I 7 a lady sitting at the end of my row. She was smiling. I closed my eyes and8 for my grandfather to get better. Soon, tears came to my eyes. I tried to hold them back so that others wouldn't 9 I brought my head up and opened my eyes. I saw a hand in front of me handing me a10

    The old lady was sitting next to me,11 She didn't say a word. She just gave me a tissue (纸巾) and a smile. I12 to thank her, but only13 came out. Then she took my hand, I looked into her 14 They were clear and blue, and they made me feel 15 Her smile said to me: I am with you. Everything will be 16, I closed my eyes again. When I opened them, she was gone. I never saw her again.

    My grandfather died the next week. We all cried a lot more,17 when I thought of that old lady's warm smile，I felt a little 18.

    How did she know how I was19? I 20 I could see her again, to say thank you.

    On January 13^th when I was cleaning the attic(阁楼) I saw a large box. It was 1 with a red pen--ROY. I chocked with2just looking at it. I had put the box up here in 1985 after my son, Roy, was 3in a hunting accident.

    After the funeral, I walked through the house, and 4various items, which I then placed in a box. It was too 5 to look at all the reminders of my son throughout the house, so I put them away for a(n)6 date. Now, over thirty years later, I thought perhaps I could view the items7.

    In the box I8 a folded piece of paper lying there. It was a hand- drawn 9 on notebook paper. Inside the heart were written the 10'Mom, I will love you until the cows come home-- and forever. Happy Valentine's Day.' Roy meant it as a 11 because we milked cows for a living. It was his way of telling me he 12 me.

    Roy made the 13 on Valentine's day 1985. I recall 14 it to the refrigerator, and it was15there the day he died on November 30, 1985. I put my head on my knees and 16. I cried for all I had17and all the years of life Roy had never known. I cried because there were so many things left undone and unsaid, but 18 I cried because I missed Roy so terribly much.

    Later, I began to 19 finding this Valentine a month before Valentine's day 2017. It's like Roy was20 me a Valentine wish of love all over again.

    I walked into a bank in town a couple of days ago and waited in the queue. I was the second1and I couldn't help overhearing the2in front of me. The bank clerk must have been having a(an)3 day and after asking how the4was and so on, he began to complain about our government, 5them for not doing enough to6the coast from storms and floods as this had been much on the news at the time.

    He was in7spirits and you could tell that he was really8about a lot of things going on in the world.

    My heart went out to him. I was 9 next and all I could do was10. 1didn't have any words. Afterwards, it 11to me something that had been running under my own thoughts.

    So I left the bank, found a12and on it I wrote: Sometimes the bad parts of the world seem so13. There are so many sad things going on in the news. They make it hard to see 14going on around us. But that doesn't15life right now can't be beautiful. All you have to do is open your eyes. It's in the gaps(缝隙) that beauty is16.

    I17the postcard back into the bank, wandered around and18 it on a table, 19that the bank clerk would find it. Whether he did or not, I never found out, but it20would do someone some good, which I'm certain of.

    When my son Gene was about 12 years old, I started helping him learn to work. I 1 twenty chickens and asked him to 2 them. I told him that they would be his own chickens and we would 3 the eggs from him. However, he would have to buy chicken 4 with the money he made from the eggs. Whatever money was 5 would be his to keep. Gene was 6, thinking he would make his first 7 .

    After several weeks' successful work, I began to 8 that egg production was going down. I 9 nothing about it. Then one night, Gene told me he didn't have 10 money to buy the feed. He said the chickens had never 11 a meal and he could not figure out why some of them had stopped 12 eggs.

    Then I asked him if he had 13 the amount of feed he had given the chickens. He was 14. It was like he did not think anyone would ever 15 what he had done. After a long 16, he said yes. He thought he would make more money if he gave them 17 food. I asked him, “Did you fool the chickens?”

    I was just astonished at the question in my own 18. I was dumbfounded at the 19 of it. Yes, you can fool everyone else, but you can't “fool the chickens”, because 20, you will find out, as the saying goes,“ What goes around comes around.”

    After 21 years of marriage, Bill Henrichs and Mary Ziegler concluded that they were no longer a good match. The couple politely divorced in 1995 and went their 1 ways, but they continued to see each other when meeting their 2at their school and sporting events. In February 2018, 3 , she and Henrichs learned they were a match in a different way.

    Henrichs's kidneys(肾)were 4, and he was in need of a 5.After nearly 40 family members and friends were tested as possible 6 , the result surprised all—only one person 7 to be a perfect match—Ziegler.

    So on Oct.16 more than four decades after they said "I do, "she and Henrichs, 62 , were 8into an operating room, and one of Ziegler's healthy kidneys was 9 and given to her ex-husband. The surgery went well, and the transplant is 10 well and continuing to improve as Mr. Henrichs 11 from the surgery. Henrichs was beyond grateful for his ex-wife's sympathy and 12 , but he was also worried in the hours before the 13 .

    Just three weeks after the transplant, she was back to work and doing yoga—a quick turnaround considering that the 14 kidney donor needs a healing period of six to eight 15."This entire experience has brought us all 16."She and Henrichs hope that by sharing their story, other 17 will realize that divorce is not always a reason to 18ties.

    "Divorce is divorce, but there's no reason to 19 , "Henrichs said."There are lots of reasons why it's 20 to get along." He pauses and laughs." Someday, you just might need a kidney."

    Bullied(霸凌), bothered and mad, I became a troublemaker in school. In the tenth grade year, it came to a head. I 1 friends with a rough kid who well could have 2 the end of my future. A big fight was planned for that Friday night. My friend said, "Rudy, we're tough. Let's go." I 3agreed. I had a big head. It was a 4 to show off. I would 5those who had made me so mad.

    I waited until the family was 6asleep. Quietly, I 7 out of bed, pulled on my clothes, and tiptoed(踮着脚走) to the back door. I was careful not to make a sound. However, Dad knew something was up. He 8 me off at the door.

    With his hand on my shoulder, he 9 that we talk. I admitted where I was 10. The kids we would fight against had 11 us.

    It was our 12 to teach them a lesson. That's when Dad13 my future, and maybe my life. He replied, "You are no man when a 14fight is your way. You become a man by knowing when to walk away. Learn it now and remember."

    I'm 15 that Dad stayed up to catch me that night. Bad 16 came the next day. Several were badly hurt in the fight. With a 17to the head, my friend was now dead.

    It could have been me, or I might have been 18 and taken away. Either 19, that would have caused my end: Dad, you were the best: You taught me to stop the foolish 20and to know when to walk away: