Baby elephant repaying her lifesaver

    There's a saying about elephants that goes, “elephants never forget.” A recent online video holds1to this saying, as a baby elephant saved a man from drowning.

    The five-year-old elephant was named Kham La. The man she “2” is Darrick Thomson, her trainer.

    Darrick3to Kham La while he was in a rushing river of Elephant Nature Park, Thailand. Kham La4to her favorite person and immediately offered her trunk when she got close to Darrick. To further5 him from the rushing water, Kham La blocked it by putting up her left leg. Darrick 6 her trunk when Kham La attempted to bring him to safety.

    7 Darrick wasn't in danger. He pretended to be 8to show people the close band he had formed with Kham La. The close band was formed when Darrick saved Kham La from the9meihods used on baby elephants for tourist attractions.

    “Kham La was in a really10 way when she came to us,” explained Darrick, “She had been tied up and 11 to have cruel training known as 'crushing' to prepare her for work. We12 her and helped her to recover. She became really13 to me. I went in the river to show just how close our14is. If you show warmth and kindness to them, they'll15 you well, too.”

    “Crushing” is a 16 method used on baby elephants. They are beaten 17 they obey their trainers.

    “She's now a(n)18 young elephant. The video shows just how close she is to me and it's an important lesson to be kind to19.This really goes to show that an elephant truly never20!” Darrick added.

    My husband and I changed our front yard with something eatable, adding apples, bananas, oranges, and pomegranates(石榴).

    Every crop brought us1 to neighbors and strangers. The food was a(an) 2to communicate. Kids in the neighborhood (including our son) learned 3and gentle timing. When we had extra, we would 4it. Then, we received a powerful lesson: a gift hidden as a 5. Our first-ever crop of pomegranates had ripened(成熟).6at harvest, they all disappeared in the middle of the night. We were 7 sad and angry. Friends had fun suggesting deterrents(为摄物). One 8 suggested we post a sign to curse (诅咒) those who 9 our fruits.

   And suddenly, the 10 was clear. We did need a sign. But our sign would encourage sharing and community. Last autumn, we had a larger crop of pomegranates. We put11 a sign that read, "If you'd like one, please knock and 12 yourself, and we would be  13 to cut one off the bush for you. Cutting saves the branches and is good for future growth, so we can 14 to share pomegranates with15friends like you. Thanks, the Green Family. "

    Out of eight fruits, one pomegranate was taken, and most of others were16to new friends. This year, we won the Kindness Contest award, 17we planted three trees-a peach, a pear, and a plum. Before they fruit, I'll 18 a big sign to the yard to encourage sharing. Today. I'm happy to be a role model of 19 for my young sons and to have the opportunity to20an eatable front yard for others.

    Last December, just a week before Christmas, I went to a local KMart store to pick up my layaway(预付定金购物). Upon reaching the counter, I 1 the clerk my layaway receipts and told her I was there to pay off the balance and take the  2 home with me. She grabbed my receipts, and kept messing with the computer 3 something was wrong. I felt a little uneasy. I was4 her to tell me my layaway had been misplaced or something of the sort.

5, after about ten minutes, she said. "Oh, that's why I can't find it in our 6. You should have 7a phone call a few days ago that your layaway was paid off by a(n) 8 Santa. "I couldn't believe what I was hearing! This kind of story only happens in the 9. Why was my family 10 to receive such a blessing?

    Immediately I asked the cashier if there was a 11 that I could leave something for the Santa 12 his random act of kindness, but she said that the individual wanted to 13 completely unknown. It definitely 14 my heart. However. I felt 15. I kept thinking that perhaps some family out there was not going to have a Christmas because they really couldn't 16to pick up their layaway.

    I decided to pay it 17, so I used the money I had for the balance on my account to purchase some 18 and on my way out, I gladly 19 them off inside a huge toy donation box. Since I had received such a nice, heart warming gesture from someone, I wanted to keep the 20 going. And it felt nice to receive and to be able to give right back.

    The auction(拍卖)took place on a mild morning. 1 , standing in front of an expectant 2 with a sign with his pig's picture, 15-year-old Wayion Klitzman was sweating.

    Waylon called his pig "Roo". The farm boy hoped the money from Roo's 3 would help with cancer research.

    It started with a 4 .

    In August 2017, Wayion 5 9th grade and in those first weeks of school, Wayion 6his algebra teacher, Kim Katzenmeyer, for support. Their special 7 grew over the last school year. "She saw the 8 in me and we just connected that way," said Wayion.

    Then Katzenmeyer's niece was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer that mostly 9children. After months of watching her niece receive cancer treatments, Katzcnmcyer 10her teaching job to volunteer full time at the cancer research charity, Beat NB.

    Katzenmeyer meant a lot to Wayion and he just wanted to 11 . Then he had an 12to auction his pig to 13 money for the cancer charity. So before the auction day, Wayion sent letters to people explaining his 14 to sell his pig and donate the profits to Beat NB. The letter 15 his beloved teacher whose niece was battling cancer.

    The auction turned out to be particularly 16 . Buyers kept 17 Way Ion's pig so he could sell it over and over. Wayion had thought that, with luck, his pig would bring in 18 over $ 600. In the end, Roo fetched more than $ 10,000 for Beat NB.

    "We give back to the community 19 we can. We are blessed to be able to be doing what we do," said one of the buyers with a 20 of pride.

    Almost everything was fantastic in the nature camp except for a girl, Elizabeth. When I saw her sitting alone in the hot sun at lunch, I asked her to eat with us under a(n) 1 tree. However, Elizabeth refused my kind 2. When we invited her to play volleyball with us, Elizabeth 3 our invitation, too. After a few more 4 refusals like that, I decided to stay away from Elizabeth.

    It 5 that we were going on a nature 6 and that our instructor paired everyone up with a partner. Guess who my partner turned out to be. It was Elizabeth!

    "What do you like to do 7?" I asked, trying to make small 8 as we started out. "I like to 9 in peace and quiet," Elizabeth 10. So we had the quietest and most peaceful hike in the world 11 we saw a bird. "I think his wing is hurt. Poor little bird," Elizabeth said 12. "He might be taking a rest over there." I said. Elizabeth nodded. Then she whispered, "But what if he's in 13, like my granddad?" "Your granddad?" I said. "He 14 and broke his leg the day the camp started. He's 15 in hospital and is in so much pain," Elizabeth explained. I noticed she was 16. "I'm sorry for what I have done. For some reason, whenever I get really sad, I act 17 and want to be alone," she added.

    "I get it," I said. "I don't always know how to 18 it when I'm feeling down, either." "Thanks," she said, wiping off her tears.

    After that, Elizabeth seemed to get along well with us, and I think she actually 19 the last few days of the camp.

    Next time, if someone is unfriendly, give him a second 20. Maybe he's going through a tough time.

    For many, just taking part in a single marathon is the achievement of a lifetime. But for Julie Weiss, it has become a1routine. She has run 12 marathons once a week-for the past year in memory of her dad who2just 35 days after he was3with pancreatic cancer(胰腺癌). When Julie Weiss lost her father in 2010, she was4to find the research for pancreatic cancer is so short of fund. "It made me feel5" she said, "I knew I had to do something."

    So this marathon queen, 6she calls herself, did what she did best; she went running. Having completed 25 marathons during the7two years, Julie now vowed(发誓) to run 12 marathons in 12 weeks in8of her father. After asking people to9money for each marathon, she10a website, marathon goddess, com, to collect money for the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network(PANCAN), a nonprofit organization. Julie began her incredible11with a marathon is Rome and then entered a race every12in some city across North America.13leaving work at 5p.m.on Friday she would be ready to begin the next race, before she14home to California on Sunday. Julie finished her 1,362.4-mile journey in March 2013, 15more than $ 200,000 in the process for PANCAN.

    While running, she stuck to a strict training schedule. "My body's getting used to this. I'm changing my diet, becoming more healthy and learning to run more16" she said. When her muscles began to17, she kept her18in mind. "When you do what you love, for those you love, that is where the19happen. Together we can make a(n)20, and pave the way for a happy, healthy, cancer free life." she said.