Not being sure where I want to start this, I will say that I lost my mom back in April of this year. She was ninety­two. 1, I was not expecting her to 2  and I don't think she was expecting it either. I was very close to my mom, being an only child. We did have3 on the surface，but we still had a close relationship4 those.

    Being newly married less than a year, and having moved a couple of times 5, I have had more changes recently in my life than at any other point of my fifty­four years. Stability is one of the gifts that Mom6me and it had so many7that I wasn't aware of until now. My husband and I have made some 8 to Mom's home and will be moving at the end of next week. It is now our home, but it still has my9 heart in it. It's where I grew up, and there are many 10   that will live there with us. At the same time, I am looking forward to  11 some very happy and memorable ones with my husband.

      Mom12 such a big part in my life. Our lives were 13 woven because she gave me her values which have become deeply 14in the woman I am today. I don't have any children whom I could15 these on to. However, Mother's values affect me every day with the16 I have with others, whether I know them or not.l hope Mom would be  17  of who I am, what I've become because of her, and of 18 I am going to live with my19. She gave me everything I needed to know in life: respect others, and give help to others who 20it most. I love you, Mom, and I will never forget you. ​

    “The way we choose to respond to others can cause them to feel ashamed 1can allow them to remember our kindness and2our stories with the future generations.” when I read this3 I thought of Doris, a very 4person. All around her room were dolls she had made: they were the most interesting dolls I'd ever seen.

    One day 5I was in her room, she took one of her dolls out of the case to6me, saying it was the7doll she had ever made. The doll was very unusual with fine artistic work. I was amazed that anyone could crate something so 8.

    Doris held the dolls very carefully. Then she slowly9the doll in such a way that I could see a10crack(裂缝)on the skirt. Doris said that on the way to class she bumped(撞击)the side of the skirt. She expressed how she was 11.When it was her turn to show the doll to the teacher, she pointed out the crack. Doris felt12that the doll would be13. Much to her surprise, the teacher told her she was just going to ignore the crack and 14the doll on the other good 15it had. Doris said this remark and16changed her life. She knew17the teacher hadn't overlooked the crack, she18had made the rest of the dolls.

    The teacher could have made Doris feel ashamed about the crack. But because of her19to ignore the crack, Doris was sharing her20to the next generation.

    A mother and daughter living in my community are two of the most unfriendly people I have ever come across in my life. They are totally separated, mixing with 1. As they drive past 2 they keep their eyes looking away and make no sign of acknowledgement. The only fame they have is making a nuisance of themselves to the local police station by 3 music played too loud, dogs barking more than once a day and any other pretty 4 gripe (把柄).

    On moving into this neighborhood, I was 5 of these two but decided I would make up my own mind. This proved quite a 6 to me as more than once either the mother or the daughter would knock on my door and blast (猛烈抨击) me with some 7 or other.

    I 8 answered politely and made sure I 9 as they went past my place and also made the effort now and then to make a kind remark (话语) about their garden or pets.

    Time passed and in October, as part of the kindness rock give (送爱心石活动), Maureen and I 10 to place a kindness rock in their garden. Their 11 remained unchanged, however, and I continued to be as friendly as possible. During the Easter eve, we decided once again to 12 these two unhappy ladies to our list and left a packet of cookies on their 13. Imagine my 14 when two days later they 15 at my gate and jokingly said they are considering hanging their Christmas stocking on their gate, and they 16 me a bunch of flowers!

    So, my fellow gifters, do not 17 gifts of kindness. You may never know just what this 18 to others, nor how many broken or 19 hearted people you may just change with a simple act of 20.

    I did very badly at school. My headmaster thought I was 1and when I was 14, he said, "You're never going to be 2 but a failure."

    After five years of 3 jobs, I fell in love with a very nice middle-class girl. It was the best 4 that could have happened to me. I 5 I wanted to do something positive (积极地) with my life because I wanted to prove to 6 that what people said about me was 7. Especially her mother, who had said to me, "Let's 8 it; you've failed at everything you've ever done." So I tried hard with my 9 and went to college. My first novel 10 while I was at college.

    After college I taught during the 11 in high schools and attended evening classes at London University, where I got a 12 in history. I became a lecturer at a college and was thinking of 13 that job to write full time 14 I was offered a part-time job at Leeds University. I began to feel proud of myself — 15 was a working-class boy who'd 16 school early, now teaching at the university.

    My writing career (职业) took off when I discovered my own style. Now I'm rich and 17, have been on TV, and met lots of film stars. 18 what does it mean? I 19 wish all the people that have put me down had 20: "I believe in you. You'll succeed."

    Canadian students devote much of their spare time to community volunteering. In fact, most schools require their students to1a certain number of community hours during their four years of high school. Students can find volunteer jobs at2places, from the school library to a charity.

    Not long ago, I was a(n)3at a community school as a teacher's assistant (助理). Since the class I was 4 was an elementary class with students aged between 4 and 10, I needed to5the teacher with the class work as well as6the kids. From escorting (护送) them to the bathroom to7their fights, I helped to keep them in order.

    When I started doing this job, I was very8, as I wasn't used to dealing with kids. When I9talked to them, it was like there were tons of butterflies in my stomach. But as time went by, we started to10very well.

    They began to talk about their11with me—what they did at the weekend, what kind of hamburgers they had at McDonald's, and what books they had12.They also told me about their favorite cartoons and13their snacks with me in the classroom.

    Once, the teacher asked the kids to14their best friends. Many of them drew a tall guy, and they said to me as they pointed at the15, "This is you, You are my best friend." After16that, I was so happy—I17thought I'd become so close friends with kids so much18than me.

    19I've already completed my community hours, I still go to the community school every week, mainly for the warm greetings from the kids and the20they bring me.

My writing career began at the age of ten. That year, my mother gave me my first journal to help me deal with the 1 of my grandmother's death. In many ways, my grandmother was the 2 behind my own writing career. 

When she was alive, my grandmother had 3 much emotional pain, but she also knew that writing was her key to 4 . While growing up in Galicia, Poland, during World War I, she 5 both her parents, and then had to care for herself and her eight-year-old sister. She found solace (慰藉) in journal writing. 

Many years after her death, I 6 her journal and read every word. The void(空虚感) she had left in my life became stronger as the years progressed and I had my own health issues to 7 , such as being diagnosed with breast cancer at age 47. My 8 caused me to write down my grandmother's life story, based on the 9 of her journal. Although at times the writing was 10 , it did bring me close to her once again and help me more 11 understand her many hardships. 

Keeping journals has helped me 12 emotionally. Whether you're 13 by change, loss or pain, finding the time to write is 14 to the healing process. So why not 15 your pen and write down whatever comes to your mind?