My dad has been driving a truck for almost his entire life. He's usually 1 all the weekdays and comes home only at weekends. Sometimes he stays2 for two weeks at a time. 3 I don't get to see him as often as I wish, we remain very 4.

    My dad is the type of person who doesn't let you 5 up anything that you start. When I was eleven, my father bought me a piano. At first I was so 6 about it that I would spend hours and hours learning how to play. Then it got 7. I was so tired of it that I asked if I could stop. Much as I tried, he 8 me to go on. Now I have been playing for almost five years. I love it and I' m glad I 9 my dad's advice.

    My dad is 10 talented, for he has been playing the guitar for over 20 years. Under his influence, I also like 11 now. Sometimes my dad can be my biggest 12. He makes me smile even when I lose in a talent show 13 sometimes he can be my biggest critic(批评家). He14 ignores the small mistakes I make. He encourages me never to lose 15 because he thinks that all my efforts will 16 one day.

    My dad is generous. Every Thursday night, he 17 to read to the children at a children's club. When he reads, their 18 light up with curiosity about what will happen next. I feel 19of having a person in my family who cares enough to volunteer to 20.

    I love dad with all my heart. He's a hero in my heart and the most wonderful person in the world.

    To celebrate the end of our exams, my friends and I went to a fast food restaurant. We1hamburgers and Coca Cola at the counter. When our2came, I started walking towards an empty table. By bad luck, my purse strap (带子) got3on a chair and the tray (托盘) that I was holding slipped4my hands and went flying in the air. The tray, and its contents,5on a man who was just about to6a bite of his sandwich. I stared, greatly7,as the drinks soaked (浸湿) his white shirt.

Then I8my eyes and prepared myself for his burst of9.Instead, he said “It's OK” to10me before he disappeared into the washroom.

    Still shaky and unsure11to do next, my friends and I went to a table and sat there, trying our best to look12.A moment later, the man came out of the washroom and13our table, my heart almost stopped

14.I thought he was going to ask for my father's15and call him.

    To my surprise, he merely smiled at us, handed us some cash and said,“16yourself new hamburgers. ”He then walked17without even finishing his food.

    He could have made what was already an uncomfortable situation worse,18he chose a different way and gave us a reason to believe that there is still19in this world. I will never20his actions.

    At a gathering, we were all telling stories of our most embarrassing moments. It came around to Frank.

    Frank began to tell us of his childhood. "I1in San Pedro. My Dad was a fisherman, and he loved the sea. He had his own boat, but it was2making a living on the sea. He worked hard and would stay out until he caught enough to3 the family."

    He looked at us and said, "I 4you could have met my Dad. He was a big man, and he was strong from pulling the nets and fighting the seas for the 5. When you got close to him, he6like the ocean. He would wear his old coat and his overalls. No matter how much my mother7them, they would still smell of the sea and of fish."

    Frank's voice dropped a bit. "When the weather was bad he would 8me to school. He had this old truck that was older than he was. 9he would drive toward the school, I would shrink down into the seat hoping to disappear. He would10 right in front of the school gate, and it seemed like everybody11 be standing around and watching. Then he would12over and give me a big kiss on the cheek and tell me to be a good boy. It was so13for me. I was twelve years old, and my Dad would lean over and kiss me goodbye!"

    He14and then went on, "I remember the day when I said 'No' "

    It was the first time I had ever talked to him that15, and he had this surprised look on his face. I said, "Dad, I'm too16for a goodbye kiss. "

    My Dad looked at me for the longest time, and his eyes started to tear up. I had never seen him17.

    He turned and looked out the windshield(挡风玻璃). "You're right, " he said. "You are a big boy....a man. I won't kiss you anymore. "

    Frank got a sad look on his face, and the tears began to18in his eyes, as he spoke. "It wasn't long after that when my Dad went to sea and never came back." Tears were running down Frank's cheeks. He spoke again. "Guys, you don't know what I would19to have my Dad give me just one more kiss on the cheek....to feel his rough old face....to smell the ocean on him....to feel his arm around my neck. I wish I had been a man then. If I had been a20, I would never have told my Dad I was too old for a goodbye kiss."

    You may be surprised to see “making sure children never suffer” as a mistake.  The following 1may help you understand how rescuing children from all suffering2weakness.

    A little boy felt sorry for a butterfly3 to emerge from its chrysalis(蛹). He decided to4the butterfly. So he peeled (剥开) the chrysalis open for the butterfly. The little boy was so5to watch the butterfly spread its wings and fly off into the sky.  Then he was horrified6he watched the butterfly fall to the ground and die because it did not have the muscle7to keep flying. In fact, the butterfly's struggle to8the chrysalis helps the butterfly become stronger.

Like the little boy, 9too often want to protect their children from struggle in the10of love. They don't realize that their children need to struggle, to experience11. To deal with disappointment, and to solve their own problems. Only in this way can children12their emotional strength, become 13and develop the skills necessary for the even bigger struggles they will meet throughout their lives. Children experiencing sufferings can14the ups and downs of life.

    However, it isn't helpful either in this case when parents15lectures(训斥), blame and shame to what the child is experiencing. Mothers 16to say, “Stop crying and acting like a spoiled boy. You can't always get what you want.” These17words should be avoided.

    Instead, parents can offer loving support. You can say, “Don't lose18. Be brave! You will succeed if you try again. ” Then comes the tough part-no19and no lectures. Simply allow him to discover that he can get over his disappointment and20what he can do to get what he wants in the future.

    Our apartment has been hit by a "hurricane". Every bit of furniture is 1 with paper chains, scissors, tape and modeling clay. 2, I'm so exhausted tonight, recovering from a surgery.

    The phone rings—for the sixth time in less than an hour. We know it is my mother, again. A stroke claimed her brain, but not her life. She is troubled by a severe mental 3— She has no idea that she has 4 the things she is about to say a million times. Nor can she recall I had a 5.

    Each time she calls, I play a game with 6 called "How Good a Person Can I Be?" I've won five rounds of the game tonight; I am due for a 7 this time.

    "Mom!" I 8. "You are not being removed from your home! And we visited two days ago!" Silence. Then:

    "I was only calling to say hi." My mother continues, "Why are you yelling?"

    I sink into the couch, aware that my daughter is 9. She hears me scold my mother and lose my 10. I have not only failed at being a good person; I have failed at being a good 11 to my daughter.

    "Can I talk to Grandma Ellie?" My five-year-old 12 the phone. 13, I hand it over.

    Then, I hear my mother 14 through the receiver. "Sweetheart! How are you? Did you go to school today?"

    What magic is this? All she says is "Hi, Grandma," Out of the phone comes a waterfall of good 15. My mother tells her how much she loves her and how lovely her voice sounds.

    I am not tired or angry; I am 16 inside, watching my kindergartner 17 her fragile grandmother with such skillfulness. I'm fascinated by their 18.

    The mess in our apartment still 19 around me. I listen to my daughter whispering to her grandmother, caring for her with extreme 20.

    Growing up in Kenya was amazing because I learned so much, though the poverty and lack of resources were sometimes frustrating. I knew I didn't have much, but I was 1.

    There was only one thing I wasn't happy with: 2. I wanted to go to high school and university. I had the drive, the will and the grades, 3 I didn't have the resources. Even 4 things like food, water and shelter weren't readily available. Young people in poverty have little or no 5 to high schools and universities. Where I lived, it was challenging 6 someone helped. When I left primary school, I was in the same 7 as many other poor disadvantaged youth. 8, during that year, a charitable high school for girls, Starehe Girls Centre, was 9 and I received a scholarship. Today, I am 10 record as being the first student to be enrolled in this school.

    In 2006, my school 11 The Global Give Back Circle, a not-for-profit organization for 12 disadvantaged girls to complete their education and gain 13 skills. After graduating from high school, I was given access to a nine-month IT course. 14, its give-back attitude had taught us to not only care about ourselves but other people. With this in mind, 10 of us created a website called "Hey Sister, Get Clued-Up". Through this educational website, aimed at networking 10,000 African 15 worldwide, all Sisters commit to sending information to their villages. This can be to 16 financial freedom, advance information  17  to health issues and provide knowledge about social networking behavior.

    "Hey Sister, Get Clued-Up" is only 18  to those girls who can access the Internet, which highlights the huge challenge in 19 the divide between the haves and have-nots. But our plan is that these girls will  20 what they learn to other girls through the "power of their voice".