She’d been a stray(走失的) cat in the warehouse where I worked and was different from other cats we owned. Minx was happy as long as we were around—she would even go sailing with us. If she accidentally scratched us when playing, she would lick(舔) us as if to apologize.

   There was an old stray cat in our neighborhood and Minx always left some of her dinner for him. Her best friend was a cocker spaniel, and she would wait for the dog each day outside our front gate. When the owner walked the dog, he would wait while they rolled around, played a bit and cleaned each other. At night, she was always happy to wait for her dinner as long as we gave her a touch and a hug.

   As Minx’s delivery due date drew closer she began looking for places to give birth. I cleaned out the bottom of my cupboard, put some rags down and showed her the little bed for her. After a short inspection, Minx purred, rubbed my leg and continued on her way. I thought there would be little chance of its being suitable but I always left the door slightly open like in case.

   One night soon afterwards, my husband and I had been out late and were chatting in the kitchen when she came in, meowed and ran out again. We thought it strange, but kept talking. Once more she came in, meowed and left. After a third time, we realized she wanted us to follow her. She led us to my cupboard where, with a lot of loud purring, she presented two tiny new kittens. She brought the pair out of the wardrobe and placed them at our feet. She was a very good mother.

Cacao, a 16-year-old dog, from Milan, Italy, has become a local celebrity (名人) after he appeared in local papers for his regular habit of taking the bus to his favorite place in the city.

Almost every day for the last few years, Cacao leaves his home and heads for the bus stop on Arrgone Bouleverd. There he sits alongside the other human passengers, waiting for bus 54.

But Cacao will only board the bus if it’s driven by the driver he’s known since he first started his secret trips. After he makes sure he’s got the right driver, Cacao gets on the bus and waits quietly until he reaches his favorite destination — a public park close to Lambrate Station, in north-eastern Milan.

While he is there, he likes to wander around the gardens, walking up and down in the public space for a few hours, enjoying the afternoon sunshine. When he’s tired, he walks back to the station and takes the same bus home.

Cacao’s owner, Nicoletta, a local bar owner adopted Cacao after she saw him wandering the streets. He was a quick learner, however, and in just six months of living with her, Nicoletta had taught him to cross the street on a green light and know to walk only on the pavement. She had so much confidence in his skills that she allowed him to walk around the neighborhood while she was at work.

When Nicoletta first heard about her dog’s unusual habit, she couldn’t believe it. One of her regular customers in the bar said that she had seen Cacao take the bus. Nicoletta then decided to follow her dog, seeing him get on the bus at the station close to her home. She believes he must have memorized the route that they take every Saturday on the way to the markets.

Thankfully, she did not stop Cacao from enjoying his routine, and the driver carried on turning a blind eye to the rules. The happy dog continues to be a regular on the number 54 bus.

On Christmas Eve——the night before Christmas Day——children all over Britain put a stocking at the end of their beds before they go to sleep. Their parents usually tell them that Father Christmas will come during the night.

Father Christmas is very kind and hearted. He gets to the top of each house and climbs down the chimney into the fireplace. He fills each of the stockings with Christmas presents.

Of course, Father Christmas isnˈt real. In Jim and Kateˈs house, "Father Christmas" is really Mr. Green. Mr. Green doesnˈt climb down the chimney. He waits until the children are asleep. Then he quietly goes into their bedrooms and fills their stockings with small presents. When they were very young, Mr. Green sometimes wore a red coat. But he doesnˈt do that now. The children are no longer young, and they know who "Father Christmas" really is. But they still put their stockings at the end of their beds.

Last week I visited my friend Pete in the new home where he lives with his wife and daughter. Pete used to spend his holidays travelling the world, visiting the pyramids in Egypt or scuba diving(潜水) in the Caribbean. Nowadays he prefers to spend his holidays and weekends making his house look more beautiful. Like hundreds of thousands of other British people, he has discovered the joy of DIY (Do It Yourself), which means if there are any things that need fixing around the house, he will try to do the job himself.

  As he showed me the new kitchen he put together by himself and the newly painted walls, I asked Pete where he got his inspiration (灵感) from. He told me that his favorite source of ideas was a DIY program on TV.

  This got me thinking about the great popularity of DIY programs in the UK. Each major channel has at least one home or garden improving show and there’s even a satellite channel completely about the subject.

  I guess it is not really surprising that DIY programs are so popular. Two common sayings in Britain－‘an Englishman’s home is his castle’ and ‘there’s no place like home’－show how important our houses are to us. With the present economic downturn, many people can’t afford to buy a bigger house so they are looking at how they can make their house better without spending a lot of money. DIY is the perfect choice.

  But be careful! I read a report that said over 230,000 people were injured while doing home improvements in the UK in just one year, including 41,000 who fell off ladders(梯子) and 5,800 who were seriously hurt by hammers. So I won’t be going down to the hardware store.

A      
   When I was laid off (解雇) from Intel Corporation two years ago, I felt very sad. I’d been with the company since 1996 and had poured a lot into my work. I was afraid that I would not find a better job.
    Several years before, I had taken a comedy class to conquer (克服) my fear of public speaking. Like many other performers, I seemed shy in front of people, but after a show, people said, "Hey, you’re amazing on stage."
     So I thought it was a chance for me to take up comedy now. It would pay very little. Luckily, I had saved a lot during all my years at Intel.
    I made up jokes while taking the subway, walking around, and talking on the phone. I made efforts to practice, improved myself on the Internet, and performed whenever I had a chance. My new career took off. I’m a frequent flyer, and I get upgraded (升级) to first class on every flight.
    Recently, I made $12,500 one night. I’m making more than double what I made at Intel. I’ll probably earn about $275,000 this year, not counting the advertisements I was involved in for a computer company. I also have a role in a movie next summer. I’ve become pretty well-known.
    In this business, there is no greater excitement than thinking of a joke that makes you laugh out loud, practicing it for a small audience, and then performing it in a theater of 2,000 people. Getting laid off is the best thing that has ever happened to me.

When I was young, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never shouted at us for playing in his yard. I remembered him as a neighbor who was nicer than anyone else in the neighborhood.

When Dr. Gibbs was happy, he was planting trees. And his life’s goal was to make it a forest.

Dr. Gibbs had some interesting theories about planting. He talked about trees that weren’t watered would grow deep roots in search of water. So he never watered his trees. He planted an oak (橡树) and, instead of watering it every morning, he beat it with the rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention.

Dr. Gibbs died a couple of years. Every now and again, I walk by his house and look at the trees that he planted twenty-five years ago. They’re very strong now.

I planted a couple of trees a few years later. I watered them regularly and took good care of them. Whenever a cold wind blows, they shake their leaves and branches.

The funny thing about those trees of Dr. Gibbs was that difficulty seemed to help them in ways comfort and ease never could.

B

Arlena Labon is celebrating her 108th birthday this week. She’s never had children, but she has been a mom for about 50 foster(收养的) kids over the years, and her unique outlook(见解) on life may have helped her reach the age of 108.

     “She is the most remarkable woman.” LaBon’s sister’s daughter Claudia Martin told the reporter this Wednesday, adding that they had another cousin who lived to 114, so longevity (长寿) runs in their genes.

     Arlena told the newspaper that she doesn’t have any healthy eating secrets, but she does have a caring attitude that has served her well over the years. That may be the reason. As a foster parent, LaBon wanted the kids in her home to have a good life and a strong education. “I gave them what I didn’t get before,” she said.

Arlena Labon grow up in North Carolina, where her family raised cotton and tobacco, and she attended “the little red schoolhouse in Snow Hill”, according to a 2014 interview. She left school at 16 and went to Norfolk, Virginia, where she found cleaning, cooking, and restaurant jobs. “I was tired of farming,” she said.

     When she married, LaBon and her husband settled in Ohio. Over her many years, the value of her life has been one of kindness and generosity (慷慨). “Just love each other; treat each other good,” she often says to her children.

     The newspaper posted lots of comments about LaBon. “What an angel(天使)! I wish

more people would think this way,” wrote one person. Another commented. “What a great difference you’ve made in the lives of those kids! Happy Birthday, sweet lady!”

Thomas Hart Benton was born on April 15, 1889 in Neosho, Missouri. He grew up going to boarding schools and spent much of his early years during his father’s four terms as a US Congressman. Benton’s first art job was as a cartoonist for the Joplin American in Missouri.

In 1907, when he was eighteen, Benton began his serious art training at Washington DC’s Corcoran Gallery School. Later on in 1907 Benton studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, but left out of dissatisfaction with the school’s teaching techniques. In 1908, Benton went to Paris and studied at the Academie Julian for three years. It was here that he learned of modem European art styles such as Post-Impressionism (后印象派). Benton’s early works followed these European styles. More of his early work would be available except that it was destroyed in a fire in 1917 in Neosho, Missouri.

In 1918, Benton became a draftsman for the US Navy and worked out of the Norfolk, Virginia Naval Yard. This draftsman experience also led him away from the European influences he had gained in Paris. Benton began working more in the form of realism in his work. In 1923, following his naval duty, Benton moved to New York City and taught art at the Art Students League for twelve years.

In 1935, Benton moved back to his home state of Missouri and taught at the Kansas City Art Institute. He also directed the institute. Benton would stay here the rest of his life. His most famous student was Jackson Pollock, the Abstract Expressionist. On January 19, 1975, he died at the age of eighty-five in his studio.

For Juan Manuel Pineda, it was a long way to succeed.

    His story began in El Salvador, where he was born with something wrong with his mouth. He had great difficulty in speaking. At age 2, his family's home burned down. Pineda was injured, and his legs needed to be cut. His mother died when he was 8, and he spent years on the streets before he was taken in by an orphanage(孤儿院).

Finally, at the orphanage, Pineda began to receive support and encouragement. He taught himself to play the guitar. He began to perform with other musicians. Then the group went to Chicago, where Pineda, then 18, caught the attention of many people, who wondered what they could do to help him.

Shriners Hospitals offered him free medical care. A group called the Mulliganeers agreed to pay for Pineda's flights to and from El Salvador.

    When he was in the hospital, Pineda began writing music, and wondered if he might be able to record his own album. Soon with the help of a musician, “The Sound of Gratitude(感激)”, was born. On October 15th, Pineda went to a Chicago club to play his new songs to strangers, and to the friends who had helped him come so far.

Pineda was amazed that he had come into such a good luck, after having so many years of hardship. “We have a saying in El Salvador, ‘Suffer first, then enjoy.’ I guess that's what's happening,” he said.

A

While Andrew was getting ready for work one Friday morning, he announced to his wife that he had finally decided to ask his boss for a salary raise. All day Andrew felt nervous and anxious as he thought about the upcoming showdown. What if Mr Larchmont refused to grant his request? Andrew had worked so hard in the last 18 months and landed some great accounts for his company. Of course, he deserved a wage increase.

The thought of walking into Larchmont’s office left Andrew weak in the knees. Late in the afternoon he was finally courageous enough to approach his superior. To his delight and surprise, the ever-frugal（一向节俭的）Harvey Larchmont agreed to give Andrew a raise!

Andrew arrived home that evening—despite breaking all city and state speed limits—to a beautiful table set with their best china, and candles lit. His wife, Tina, had prepared a delicate meal including his favorite dishes. Immediately he figured someone from the office had tipped her off!

Next to his plate Andrew found a beautiful lettered note. It was from his wife. It read: “Congratulations, my love! I knew you’d get the raise! I prepared this dinner to show just how much I love you. I am so proud of your accomplishments!” He read it and stopped to reflect on how sensitive and caring Tina was.

After dinner, Andrew was on his way to the kitchen to get dessert when he observed that a second card had slipped out of Tina’s pocket onto the floor. He bent forward to pick it up. It read: “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You do deserve one! You are a wonderful provider and I prepared this dinner to show you just how much I love you even though you did not get the increase.”

Suddenly tears swelled in Andrew’s eyes. Total acceptance! Tina’s support for him was not conditional upon his success at work.

The fear of rejection is often softened and we can undergo almost any setback or rejection when we know someone loves us regardless of our success or failure.