In March 2007,I was recovering from an operation for breast cancer and going through a terrible time. I spent my days at home1everything to myself. Then one of my colleagues suggested2“Why don't you pick a couple of days and go to Ireland and escape?” I3the tip.

    The trip was fun, but when I got on the4to go home ,I wasn't feeling well. My plan was to sleep for the5journey, but the guy next to me looked good-hearted for a conversation6he had kind eyes.

    “I had an operation,” I said7'I had breast cancer.' 'He paused for a moment and said,“ What's wrong with that? Breast cancer is just a small8of you, like going to college or getting married.”

    I could feel my eyes9up with tears.

    “Don't think too much of your problem,” he said. “Instead, think about how many people you could help.”

    I had tears coming down my face, and said, “I can't10I'm crying in front of you, I don't11know you.”

    “Look, you have a12in life,” he said. “You can either13your things deep in your pockets and take them to your grave, or you can help someone.”

    I've always been a very14person, and aside from the few people who needed to know, I'd kept my illness secret. I didn't want to be15by my weakness.

    But this man, whose name was Ken Duane, showed me that my illness gave me16-because it gave me the ability to17someone else's load. I decided at that moment that I was going to try to help others by sharing my story18,in hopes of inspiring those who were in the same or similar situation. Later that year, I talked about my illness and my19with Ken on air.

    I am forever20that I never took a nap on that flight over the Atlantic.

    I'm exhausted after a day's housework. “Sometimes I just want to do something1 than all of this…”, I tell my husband Tony, who sits beside me in2, weighing his words. Finally, he says, “What you're doing feels really small, but it doesn't mean that it is.” His words reminds me of the 3 that had happened on the driveway earlier that morning.

    The kids lined up their scooters (滑板车) for a friendly4. I launched the action with a wave of my hand and stepped back to watch the race. Wheels rolled. Kids cheered 5. But then, a sharp cry ended the 6.

    My 10-year-old daughter fell down on the ground,7 by a group of broken scooter parts. Blood leaked from an obvious cut in her knee, and tears 8 in her blue eyes.

    “What happened?” I asked as I ran to her side.

    “I don't know…” Hannah said as she 9 the scooter. “My scooter was just missing one little piece…”

    She dropped her head in 10. “Something fell off my scooter right before the race began, but it was a small thing, so I didn't think it was 11.”

    As I lifted Hannah to her feet, her little brother began 12 the scattered parts in a bucket.

With a smile, he presented the pieces to his sister and 13, “I guess a small thing was really a big deal after all.”

    “Who dares to 14 the day of small things…” When we prepared to 15 an old house, one small brick matters. Like the children of Judah, we, too, have a choice. We can 16 the significance of our lives by the size of our 17, or we can trust God to use our 18 offerings for his great glory.

    As for me, I think I'll ask God to renew my love for this 19 life that 1 live, because there's a 20scooter in my garage that reminds me of my son's declaration.

    My daughter was reading her English composition aloud. It was titled My Mother. All of a sudden, she 1and walked to the kitchen where I was busy preparing for tea.

    "Mom, what does 'beautiful'2?" she asked,

    "'Beautiful' is someone or something that is very 3to look at," I explained.

    "You mean like all those actresses you see on TV?" she said.

    "That's right," I said, hoping to end the 4.

    "Are you, beautiful?". She asked rather 5.

    What was one to answer? She was 6my looks with those of some film stars and 7 it was I who treated beauty as good 8.

    Suddenly I hit upon an idea to solve her 9. "Why don't you ask Dad?"

    As soon as my 10reached home and had his evening coffee, I saw her11to her dad, "I have a doubt," She said,

    "What is it, my dear?" my husband asked.

    I couldn't 12my curiosity and I listened to the father-daughter 13.

    "Dad, is Mom beautiful?"

    "Of course she is. Don't you think so?"

    Well…She began rather doubtfully.

    "Let me show you our wedding 14. See here. Isn't she the most beautiful person in the world."

    "See your mom was 15when she said beautiful is just looking good. When you 16someone, the person becomes beautiful in your eyes."

    My daughter was 17for a while. Then a smile 18climbed into her face as she 19 "Mom is beautiful…Dad is beautiful because I love you both…"

    I was 20to have found someone who loved me enough to think of me as the most beautiful person in the world.

The Parents' Lifesaving Touch

    On March 25, 2010, Kate and David heard the words every parent feels frightened of: Their newborn wasn't going to make it. Their twins—a girl and a boy—were born two minutes apart and 14 weeks premature(早产的), 1 just over two pounds each. Doctors had tried to save the boy for 20 minutes but saw no 2. His heartbeat was nearly gone, and he'd stopped breathing. The baby had just minutes to 3.

    "I saw him gasp(喘息) weakly, but the doctor said it was no 4," Kate told the Daily Mail five years later. "I know it sounds stupid, 5 if he was still gasping, that was a sign of life. I wasn't going to give up 6."

    In an effort to cherish(珍惜) her last moments with the tiny boy, Kate asked to 7 him. The couple knew this was likely a 8.

    Kate removed the hospital blanket 9 the boy, whom the couple had already 10 Jamie, and ordered David to take his shirt off and 11 her and the boy in bed. The first-time parents wanted their son to be as warm as possible in their arms and hoped the skin-to-skin contact would improve his 12. They also talked to him.

    "We were trying to entice(说服) him to stay," Kate told the Daily Mail. "We explained his name and 13 he had a twin who he had to look out for and how hard we had tried to 14 him."

    Then something completely 15 happened. Jamie started 16 again. Finally, he reached for his father's finger.

    The couple's lost boy had made it.

    "We're the 17 people in the world," David said.

    Eight years later, Jamie and his sister, Emily, are happy and 18. The parents only recently told the kids the story of their 19. "Emily burst into tears," Kate told the Daily Mail. "She was really upset, and she kept hugging Jamie. This whole 20 makes you cherish them more."

Worth the pain in the end

    I used to hate running. It seemed too hard and pushing outside my comfort zone was not something I was raised to do.

    In fact, I wouldn't have become a1if it weren't for my husband Charles. He had been a serious competitive runner for many years. After our marriage, he wouldn't stop talking about how much he missed it.

    "So start running again, why don't you?" I was getting 2 of hearing about it.

    So he picked it up again, and after about a year, I started to join him at the track (跑道). Just a few weeks later, Charles signed us both up for a five-kilometer race. I 3about doing it. It was too soon.

    But on 4 day, there I was.

    The gun went  5. Thousands of runners pushed forward.

    The first kilometer was 6.

    "I don't think I'm going to make it." I was already breathing heavily and painfully aware of the group of runners  7 past me.

    "No, you're doing 8", said Charles. He was trying to encourage me, to get me focused on something other than my  9.

    "I can't, " I said, 10 audibly (听得见地).

    He tried a different way to 11 me. "Just make it to that house and let's see how you feel."

    After another minute I saw the three-kilometer  12. All I could think of was that I was dying and that my husband was torturing (折磨) me.

    Miserable doesn't even begin to describe  13 I felt. And there was so much 14.

    "You'll be fine. You've got less than a kilometer to go."

    I rounded a corner and saw both sides of the street thick with people watching the race, all cheering the runners on. I 15 my legs to keep going.

    Then I looked up and saw the clock. The seconds ticking away (一分一秒地过去) gave me an incentive (助力). I knew that if I finished this race, I would have achieved something. So, I straightened up, and kicked it.

    I had my arms held higher when I passed 16the finish line. A volunteer put a 17 around my neck.

    "You did great! I'm so 18 of you!" Charles was thrilled that I'd 19 it.

    "That was AMAZING! I want to do another race. This running stuff is amazing!" I proudly hugged my medal as we started to walk to the post-race festivities.

    My lungs and my comfort zone both 20.

This is a story that happened 15 years ago, but it has always stayed with me since then.

On the way back from work every evening, there would be a 1 man, standing at the exit of the freeway. He often 2 at every car, smiling. Every time I got close to him, I would hand him some spare coins. He always said to me, "Thank you. I'm blessed!" And I always left with 3 and satisfaction.

It 4 me that even in the unsettled lifestyle i he was so 5. And his reply would remind me / of how 6 I was — a single mother with a lovely child, with a place to call home and with a t job to 7 my kid.

One day, I was informed by my boss that I was 8 due to the terrible economy. A feeling of 9 surrounded me. I was in no mood to do anything. On my way home, I didn't do 10 had always done when I saw the man, who was still 11 others by waving with a smile. I just drove straight ahead.

To my 12, while I was in line at a red light y to leave the ramp (坡道), he stopped at my car with a dollar bill, saying 13, "You look unhappy, but you know all will tum out fine. Give you a dollar today and 14!" Then he left.

That day he taught me a lesson. No matter what material things are taken from you, no one can take away your 15 to be joyful.