— Hold on, honey! You will be in a state of enjoyment if you make ______ efforts.

Table Talk

As we got out of the car, our son announced, "Phones stay in the car."

"Why do you always have to tell us that?" complained our fifteen-year-old grandson.

Our son's wife winked at us and then explained, "We have a family1 that no one may bring anything electronic to the table."

We 2 our phones in the car. Even though the restaurant was filled with families, there was little noise. All I heard were a few quiet conversations and the ding of forks on plates. The 3 unnerved me. I looked around. Everyone, even the young kids, was 4 at some kind of screen. 

The silence was broken when the six of us sat down, and started talking. The waitress stood patiently and waited for our orders. When our food came, we continued to chat. 

An elderly couple at the next table were finishing their dinners and conversing quietly. I noticed that they shot us a few glances, and wondered if our constant chatter was annoying them. 

After the dessert, my son signaled the waitress for the check. She hesitated when she brought the black folder to our table. My son opened the black folder — it was5 . "You forgot the check," he told her.

"There isn't one. Someone else6 your bill — and the tip too." she said with a giggle (咯咯笑).

"Why?" asked our son, his wife and myself at once.

"They loved it that no one was connected." she continued. "They loved watching you guys7 . The old lady went on and on about how nice it was to see a family eating and talking instead of looking at ‘electric games'."

For a moment, everyone at our table was at a loss for8 . Then we all started talking at once. My son's voice rose above the others. "Where are they? We want to thank them."

"They left after you ordered dessert," the waitress replied.

We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this goodness and camp up with a 9 . Next time we see a family eating at a restaurant 10 looking at anything electronic, we'll pay it forward, just like what happened to us.

Juleus Ghunta is an award-winning children's author, but growing up, he could barely 1 . Raised by a single mother, who often had to make 2 choices about how to use their limited resources－including a decision to send his oldest sister to school, he had been kept home and had no 3 to books as a child.

When Ghunta finally got the opportunity to attend school, he couldn't 4 words, spell, or read with understanding. The situation was made worse by a series of teachers who made him feel 5 . "They were not very patient, not very kind," he said, "I suffered from a deep sense of loss and shame."

Fortunately, a young teacher decided to start a reading program for 6 students. Ghunta was the first to sign up. "The teacher was 7 kind to me." he said, "She had left me with the gift of literacy, and a deeper appreciation of my value as a human being." Under her patient 8 , Ghunta's reading skills gradually improved, and his sense of inadequacy (不足) began to 9 .

After interacting with the young teacher, Ghunta's life took a new 10 . He graduated from high school with a number of academic awards, and went on to college successfully. Nowadays, he is the author of two children's books about 11 difficult experiences in childhood.

In 2010, Ghunta went back to his old school to 12 his old teacher's name, but in vain. However, he still hopes to 13 her one day, so that he can thank her for seeing his 14 . "I would love for her to see the significant impact she has made on my life, and the ways in which I have carried this 15 of her－the hope, the light, with me－and how it continues to be a source of joy."