Jason, our son, was born one month early and so he was weaker than most children. My wife Margaret and I often comforted him as he faced many 1 in his childhood.

    In his seventh grade, Jason 2up for the school running team, which made me both proud and worried. One afternoon, Jason returned home in tears, covered all over with food. He threw his bag on the floor and shouted: “I'm never going to 3 again!” As we later learned, a few older students made fun of his performance on the playground and then threw 4 at him on the school bus on the way home.

    I called the school leader about what happened on the bus, and Jason never experienced that again. He stayed on the team, even though the trouble 5.

    One day in October, we had a heavy 6.As the other kids exercised in the gym they noticed one runner—Jason—7 around the snow-covered playground.

    A few weeks later, Jason had something to tell us. “Mom, Dad, sit down,” he said. I was ready for the8.

    He told us that each month, students chose an “athlete of the month”. The coach would list the top athletes, and the other students 9 for the winner. Jason's name had never been listed.10 that day, one of the students said: “Sir, I would like to choose Jason for athlete of the month.”

The coach looked surprised.

    “He works 11 than any of us, Sir,” the student continued.

    “Does everyone 12 with this?” the coach asked.

Tears formed in Jason's eyes as he told us what happened next. “Mom ... Dad ...13 in the team put their hands up.''

His mother and I, also in tears, looked on as he14showed his certificate (证书).

    Whenever I am sad, I think of this story. I remind myself that challenges are not overcome (克服) by15 but by patience, determination, and faith.

    Jason is in university these days and often holds the highest mark in his class. He is also training in martial arts. I am completely sure he'll wear a black belt someday, and wear it proudly.

    It had been a tiring journey. I 1the hotel at about ten o'clock that night. There were many other tourists waiting to 2in. I approached the reception desk and3my room number and the 4 to it. To my disappointment, I found that there had been a5in communication and my reservation(预定)for a room had not been 6. The receptionist(接待员)was very polite and helpful. She told me that the hotel was fully7for the night and suggested that I live in another hotel which is further down the hill. Faced with hardly any choice, I 8her suggestion.

    The hotel was rather strange and warm. The owner was Percy Williams who doubled up9a receptionist and a waiter. He greeted me10and showed me my room. By then I was so tired that I jumped into bed and11a deep sleep.

    The next morning, I woke up feeling very much 12. I realized that I was13with a blanket and my clothes were14put in the closet. “Mr. Williams is indeed a nice man,” I thought to myself. I decided that I would15on in this hotel for the rest of my holidays.

    I met Mr. Williams on my way out and thanked him for his16. Mr. Williams was surprised. “I didn't do anything 17show you to your room last night, Miss 18must be my wife who did that.”

    “Please give my thanks to your wife then,” I said as I moved to leave. Mr. Williams' next few words made me19 

    “I'm afraid I can't, Miss. You see, my wife has been dead for 20.”

    How much do you laugh and smile during the day? Do you take your life and your illness or injury so 1 that there is no room for joy to fill you? Want a totally free, simple way to lift your 2 and improve your health with no medicine needed? Then laughing and smiling is 3 to you.

    So laugh your way to happiness.4 it takes to put a smile on your face is what you should be doing. Research shows that laughing can increase the immune system,5 the body to stay disease free and fight colds and the flu.

    If you are facing an illness, having a positive life opinion and a 6 of humor will keep your body open to healing. If you are healthy, laughing will help to make sure you stay that way, and can 7 enjoyment to your work and home life and 8 your daily stress.

    Certainly, it can be 9 to keep a positive opinion of life all the time. Simply taking the time to 10 on the positive and treat for the good things 11 in your life can help 12, but if you are struggling with negative emotions that you just can't seem to 13, there are tools that can help.

    There are so many things out there to smile about and 14 you have to do is find 15. Practice looking for the bright 16 of every situation. Avoid the negative: don't 17 yourself with your own problems—or 18 others for their “shortcomings”. And don't pay no attention to the joy in everyday things. Create your own “Laugh for Health”19 - anything to add to your collection and to give you fresh materials that 20 to you.

    At the far end of Islington Road in Newton, Massachusetts, lives a little girl near and dear to the neighborhood. Two-year-old Samantha Savitz is 1, but she loves to talk to anyone who knows sign language. And her whole personality changes when it's someone who can 2 with her.

    Her desire for communication has been 3 obvious to everyone in the neighborhood. Whenever Sam tries to be neighborly, they 4 themselves lost for words. So they need to 5 more than a basic conversation with the child in the community.

    Unfortunately, this isn't something you can 6 with ease. You'd need the whole community to learn sign language 7 for a little 2-year-old girl. You can't 8 neighbors to do that. You can only appreciate them when they do.

    On their own, Sam's neighbors got together, 9 an instructor, and are now fully 10 an American Sign Language class. Even the parents of deaf children don't 11 to learn sign language. Now Sam has a whole 12 to communicate with her.

    And this level of inclusion will almost certainly guarantee a happier, more 13 Sam. Her parents says there aren't words in any language to express their 14. In fact, they're already seeing a 15 in their daughter. "The first thing she says to us is 'friend'", said her mother, "I think your heart would 16 just as mine did."

    Sometimes it feels like America is losing its 17 of community — but then you hear about a place like this where it takes a whole village to 18 a child. Now the village is alive and is here to 19 us that what makes a "good neighborhood" is nothing more than good 20.

    How did you do it, Dad? How have you managed not to take a drink for almost 20 years? It took me almost 20 years to have the 1 to even ask my father this very personal question. When Dad first 2 drinking, the whole family was on pins and needles every time he got into a 3 that, in the past, would have started him 4 again. For a few years we were 5 to bring it up for fear that the drinking would begin again.

    "I had this little poem that I would recite to myself at least four to five times a day," was Dad's 6 to my 18-year-old unasked question. "The words were a constant 7 to me that things were 8 so hard that I could not deal with them," Dad said. Then he 9 the poem with me. The poem's 10, yet profound words immediately became 11 of my daily routine as well.

    About a month after this 12 with my father, I received a gift in the mail from a friend of mine. It was a book of daily sayings of wisdom with one 13 for each day of the year.

    It has been my 14 that when you get something with days of the year on it, you naturally turn to the page that lists your own 15.

    I 16 opened the book to November 10 to see 17 words of wisdom this book had in store for me. I was 18 when I looked at the page, and then tears of disbelief and appreciation 19 down my face. There, on my birthday, was the exact same poem that had 20 my father for all these years! It is called the Serenity (平静) Prayer.

    God grant me

    the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;

    the courage to change the things I can;

    and the wisdom to know the difference.

    "Do I really want to go through with this?" Have you ever asked yourself that 1 ? Sometimes in life, there are moments when you 2 if you will be able to handle the responsibilities ahead of you. For me, these 3 come daily, whether it's taking a test or working. But one Saturday afternoon, my family and I were 4 around when my dad pulled into a small mall. Little did I realize, we were going to a 5 store where a new member would be 6 to our family.

    As my 7 parked our car, I figured we would just take a 8 look and then leave. After a while, my dad called us over. He was standing next to my mom, looking at several 9 . I began to think, "Are we 10 a cat"? My dad asked, "So guys, you like any of these?" My brother said "Yes!" before I could even open my 11 .

    When I pictured feeding the cat, cleaning it and giving it water, all of these responsibilities felt  12 to me. Would I be able to handle it? 13 , I would have to live a more adult-like  14 if I got a cat. Later on, after 15 that we should get a cat, I thought about this new phase of my life. I realized that the 16 I make can affect my future.

    Looking back, I find that I have been able to 17 the responsibility of owning a cat. Some tasks may be 18 , but that doesn't 19 they can't be accomplished. You simply20 to do your best in order to push past them.