When I was in Grade 6, I knew a girl. She 1 to point out my shortcomings and always said I was very thin, I wasn't a good student, and so on. I tried not to care what she said. 2 , I became very 3 in the end. I cried and ran to Daddy.

    Daddy asked, “Are the things she says true or not? Lisa, didn't you ever 4 what you're really like? Well, you now have that girl's 5 . Go and make a 6 of everything she said and 7 the points that are true. Pay no attention to the other things she said.”

    To my 8 , I discovered that about half the things were true. Some of them I couldn't 9 (like being very thin), 10 a good number I could and suddenly I11to change. For the first time I got a clear 12 of myself.

    I brought the list back to Daddy. He 13 to take it. “That's just for you,” he said. “You know better than anyone else the 14  about yourself. But you have to learn to 15 . Don't just close your ears in anger, feeling 16 . When something said about you is true, you'll find it will be 17 to you. Our world is full of people who think they know your duty. Don't 18 your ears. Listen to them all, but hear the truth and do what you think is 19 .”

    In my life, this is the best 20 that Daddy has given me.

Little Bit

    "Meow, meow, meow," is what I heard as I walked through the alley. I approached the noise and observed a tail sticking out from under a piece of wood Under the wood was a 1 black and white cat I picked him up and 2 he must be freezing to death 3 home with the cat held in my jacket.

    My new best friend, who soon became known as Little Bit, received his name because he was almost4when I held him in my hands. He stood about five inches tall. Little Bit's small size had a great advantage—he 5 perfectly in the pocket of my jacket, which made 6 him everywhere very easy.  Any time I was home, he wouldn't leave my 7 He was always  8 to me. When I fell asleep at night,he would always rolling up around my head to ensure that I was warm.

    Unfortunately, I grew up. My teenage life 9 my relationship with Little Bit. I lived at such a fast10 that I stopped making time for him. My free time was spent with my friends instead. I would come in the house on my phone and not 11 him at all. His meows became an annoyance to me, but it wasn't his fault that he wanted my 12 back.

    Time had caused a13 to Little Bit. His body began shocking down and by the time I  realized 14 was wrong with him, he had already lost his balance. He lay there and looked at me, and 15 this day I still remember the 16 look in his bright green eyes. I took him to the vet (兽医 ), but there was nothing he could do The last time I17 him he wasn't he same tiny cat I had found ten years before. Little Bit filled my arms and he was put to sleep that day.

    Little Bit's 18 made me realize how much he meant to me.He was always there for me when I needed him. I 19 our last years together and I feel sorry for not always being there for him.I will always20 the special memories we made.

    Five years ago I was working in an office. My life was all about dealing with complaints, meeting deadlines and writing reports. I wasn't completely bored 1it didn't excite me. One 2I went out to buy a sandwich. It was sunny and I wasn't 3at work, so I decided to 4 it in the park. I could see a group of people 5a TV programme nearby. They seemed to be arguing about something and everybody looked very6 .

Suddenly I realized everyone was 7me. And then two of them started walking over—towards me! They 8that they were making a short film and one of their actors hadn't 9 . He only had one line in the story, they said. Would I mind 10 the line?

    I could tell they were desperate and although I'd never done any acting in my life, for some reason I  11.

    An hour later we finished. It was really an amazing experience. The people were very 12 and paid me for my time. However, 13 I was leaving, the director of the film came over and 14 me his card. He thought I'd been brilliant and was naturally talented as a(n)15 I laughed but16 to call him some time.

    Well, I did call him. I went for an audition(试演)for another short film with the director. And I got the 17 . Two years later I 18  my office job and I'm now working almost full-time as an actor. I love the work and I'm going back to college next year to study 19 . My life is now completely20, all because of that lunch in the park.

    Last summer, my parents sold our minivan and bought a Dodge Dart. They thought it was “necessary” to 1 a smaller vehicle.

    This decision affected me greatly because the new car had a manual transmission（手动变速）2I only knew how to drive automatic.

    But this summer was supposed to be3 seeing as it was my first summer with my G2 driver's4 In Ontario, having a G2 means you are able to drive without the supervision（监督）of a 9an)5.

    After the long hours I'd spent learning to drive the car, it felt even 6 to drive it around on my own. I felt a new-found sense of maturity and 7 that I really enjoyed. I would drive everywhere8 when I probably didn't need to.

    So9 when my mom asked me to 10some groceries from the local store I decided to11 instead of walk. While turning into the open spot in the store's parking lot, I somehow scratched the car beside me. When I got out to 12 the damage, a bystander ran up warning me to contact the owner of the car I had scratched, or she would tell her husband, who was “a cop”.

    Shocked and at a loss for words, I managed to find a piece of paper to write my13 number on and put it on the 14 car's window.

    I was really 15when I got home, because not only had I managed to 16 our own new car, I'd also damaged another person's car.

    When the owner called me, she was very aggressive and 17 .Though I hadn't hit her car on purpose, I finally said it would probably be better if she 18back and talked to my parents. When it was all settled, the total19were around $2,000.

    From this matter, I learned that as I got older I would get many new 20 but they will also come with more responsibility.

    I always long for romantic moments, like a little girl longing for candies.However, my husband is my complete1His inability to bring romantic moments into our life has made me get tired of our2One day, I finally told him that I wanted a divorce.

    "Why?" he asked,3.

    "I am tired; there are no4for everything in the world!" I answered.

    He kept5, seeming to be in deep thought, with a lighted cigarette in his hands. Finally he asked," What can I do to change your6?"

    Looking deep into his eyes I slowly answered," Let's say, I want a flower on a mountain cliff and picking the flower will cause your7Will you do it for me?"

    He answered," I will give you my answer tomorrow."

    I8the next morning, finding a piece of paper on the dining table, which read:" My dear, I would not pick that flower for you, but please allow me to9."

    My feeling of disappointment only10, but I continued reading:

    "You always leave the11keys behind, so I have to save my legs to12home to open the door for you. You always like to stay indoors and I13that you will feel too lonely, so I have to save my mouth to tell you jokes and stories. You always stare14the computer and that will do nothing15for your eyes, so I have to save my eyes so that when we grow16, I can help to clip your nails. Thus, my dear,17I am sure that there is someone who loves you more than I do, I could not pick that flower yet, and die."

    My tears fell on the18and I continued reading:

    "Now that you have finished reading my answer, if you are19, please open the front door for I am standing outside20your favorite bread and fresh milk."

    Love, not words, wins arguments.

Rolland and Adeline are proud parents to nine beautiful children. Their youngest two, daughter Lanto, and son, Rindra, were both born with cleft lip（唇裂） conditions. In Madagascar, many families have never seen a cleft lip before, so it's a condition often greeted with fear and misfortune in some rural communities.

However, the news of Lanto and Rindra's cleft lip wasn't much of a shock for Rolland and Adeline because Rolland's cousin—a man in his fifties—had lived his entire adult life with an untreated cleft lip. Although seeing a relative with a cleft lip meant the family weren't fearful of the condition, they knew the negative impact an untreated cleft lip can have on a person's health and life. As any loving parents would, Rolland and Adeline wanted a better future for their children.

Rolland heard an advertisement on the radio about an Operation Smile surgical programme in Antsirabe, Madagascar. Finding out that Rindra and Lanto could have the cleft lip surgery they needed, for free, was a dream for the family. Unlike here in the UK, health services aren't free in many parts of the world, and the costs of treatment—or even travelling to reach medical facilities—are out of reach for most families.

When Rolland and his children arrived at the patient village, they were surprised to see so many other families in the same position. After a thorough medical evaluation by medical volunteers, Lanto was found to be fit enough for surgery, and later got the new smile her parents had dreamed of for her. But, for younger brother Rindra, the journey to a new smile would take a little longer.

Operation Smile has provided hundreds of thousands of safe surgeries for children withc left lip conditions worldwide. For more information about our work or to find out how you can help, visitwww.operationsmile.org .