Just the other day, I was driving my son to the part-time job that he had at a workshop for the disabled. The sky was very dark. A cold rain was pouring down. The world seemed silent and sad with both people and animals taking shelter from the storm. I turned on the car radio for music to take me calm. When I did, however, Karen Carpenter’s sweet voice came out, singing, “Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.” I turned off the radio. That was not the song I wanted to hear on such a day. Still, the song kept playing in my head as the showers(阵雨) continued throughout the day.

Later that afternoon, I was walking out of the bathroom when I saw my son turn on the television. A classic movies was playing and suddenly I heard these musical tones(曲调) coming from Gene Kelly’s voice, “ I’m singing in the rain, just singing in the rain. What a glorious feeling. I’m happy again. I’m laughing at the clouds, so dark up above. The sun’s in my heart and I’m ready for love.”

At that moment I saw that God in his loving-kindness had reminded me once again that all of life is a choice to love. Rains and problems will always come. We can let them get us down or we can choose to sing. We can let the showers soak our souls(灵魂) or we can use them to help our souls grow. We can allow the darkness to make us sad or we can use it to awaken the sunshine and love in our hearts.

What are you going to do when the rains of life fall down upon you?

I choose to sing with all the love that God has put in my heart. I choose to share my sunshine even in the darkest days and never let my music die within me. May you do the same.

Every once in a while, it is necessary to take a step back in order to take a long, hard look at where we are in our lives. At this point, it is good to ask yourself some key questions. Are you at the point in your career where you want to be? Have you so far achieved all of your goals in life? If so, then maybe it is time to make goals that improve yourself a bit more. If you have not achieved your goals in life, then perhaps you have made the mistake of setting too many goals or trying to achieve them at a fast pace.

       It is necessary to set reasonable, intelligent goals in order to succeed in life. Do not be unrealistic because life is not a fairy tale. But you should try to recognize what you want, and to be as specific (特定的，确切的) as possible.

       In order to sufficiently motivate(激励) you, the goal needs to be a major one. The bigger your goals are, then the more motivated you will need to be to work towards achieving them. If you want, for example, to be the greatest concert pianist in the world, then you are going to find yourself a lot more motivated than you would be if your goal were merely to play a couple of Beethoven pieces extremely well. If you are a beginner, then no doubt mastering those tough songs is a very intelligent and realistic goal. But if that is your only goal as a pianist, then you will stop growing as a pianist once that goal has been achieved. This is why it is necessary to constantly stop and renew our goals so that we are aware of what they are, and thus stay motivated.

High school graduation—the bittersweet（苦乐参半的）feelings are as much a part of me now as they were twenty-one years ago. 
    As graduation day approached, excitement increased. Being out of high school meant I was finally coming of age. Soon I would be on my own, making my own decisions, doing what I wanted without someone looking over my shoulder and it meant going to school with boys—a welcome change coming from an all-girl high school. There was never any question in my mind that I would go to a college away from home. My mother’s idea, on the other hand, was just the opposite. Trying her best not to force her preferences on me, she would mildly ask whether I had considered particular schools—all of which happened to be located in or near my hometown of Chicago. Once it was established(建立) that, as long as the expenses would not be too heavy a burden on the family budget, I would be going away anyway, my family’s viewpoint changed. Their concern switched from whether I was going away to how far. The schools I was considering on the East Coast suddenly looked much more attractive than those in California. But which college I would attend was just one of what seemed like a never-ending list of unknowns: What would college be like? Would I be unbearably lonely not knowing anyone else who was going to the same school? Would the other students like me? Would I make friends easily? Would I miss my family so much that I wouldn’t be able to stand it? And what about the work—would I be able to keep up? (Being an a student in high school seemed to offer little hope I would be able to survive college.) What if the college I chose turned out to be a terrible mistake? Would I be able to switch to another school? 
   Then panic set in. My feelings took a 180-degree turn. I really didn’t want to leave high school at all, and it was questionable(可疑的) whether I wanted to grow up after all. It had been nice being respected as a senior by the underclass students for the past year; I didn’t enjoy the idea of being on the bottom rung（横档）of the ladder again. 
   Despite months of expectation, nothing could have prepared me for the impact of the actual day. As the familiar melody (旋律) of “Pomp and Circumstance” echoed in the background, I looked around at the other students in white caps and gowns（长袍）as we seriously lined into the hall. Tears welled（涌出）up uncontrollably in my eyes, and I was overcome by a rush of sadness. As if in a daze (恍惚), I rose from my seat when I heard my name called and slowly crossed the stage to receive my diploma(毕业文凭). As I reached out my hand, I knew that I was reaching not just for a piece of paper but for a brand-new life. Exciting as the future of a new life seemed, it wasn’t easy saying good-bye to the old one—the familiar faces, the familiar routine. I would even miss that chemistry class I wasn’t particularly fond of and the long travel each day between home and school that I hated. Good or bad, it was what I knew. 
   That September, I was fortunate to attend a wonderful university in Providence, Rhode Island. I needn’t have worried about liking it. My years there turned out to be some of the best years of my life. And as for friends, some of the friendships I formed there I still treasure today. Years later, financial difficulties forced my high school to close its doors forever. Although going back is impossible, it’s comforting to know I can revisit my special memories any time. 

       My husband is a lord. We have one house in the countryside and one in London. I spend my days running the household. I oversee servants' work and my three daughters' education：They learn to play piano，sing，and dance. There are so many rules to follow. For example，I must always be polite and calm. I have to wear proper clothes.
       Maid
       I was born on a farm in the north of England，but my family couldn't support me. My cousin helped me get a job as a maid in a big，fancy London house. There is so much work to do and some rules to follow here. Monday is washing day. I have to get up earlier than usual—about 4：30 am—to heat the water，wash and iron the clothes. The work is hard and I earn about $ 50 a year. But my master spends $ 1000 a year on his carriage alone.
       Gentleman
       I'm a lawyer living in London. But I'm in love with a servant，because she's not like her own class at all，but like mine. When I take her to theatres，we meet outside，pretend not to know each other and enter by a side door. I have to maintain my honour as rules. I want to marry my girl，but maybe only in secret.
       Factory man
    I've been working in factories since I was 10.Right now，I make iron for the railroad.  It's 14 hours a day from 5：30 am to 7：30 pm.It's hard work，but at least I have my freedom despite the fact that there are so many rules，and I have to wear a uniform.  These days，I like to have a drink and smoke my pipe in the pub with my friends from work. I go in there a couple of times a week if I can，to discuss politics，find out news and listen to music.

 Are you happy? Do you remember a time when you were happy? Are you seeking happiness today?Many have sought a variety of sources for their feelings of happiness. Some have put their heart and effort into their work. Too many have turned to drugs and alcohol. Most of their efforts have a root in one common fact，People are looking for a lasting source of happiness.

   Unfortunately，I believe that happiness escapes many because they misunderstand the process and journey of finding it. I have heard many people say，“I'll be happy when 1 get my new promotion,”or“I’ll be happy when I lose that extra 20 pounds.”The list goes on and on,

  This thinking is dangerous because it presupposes that happiness is a“response”to having, being or doing something. In life, we all experience stimulus (刺激) and response. Stimulus is when a dog barks at you and bares his teeth. Response is when you prepare to run. Today, some people think that an expensive car is a stimulus. Happiness is a response. A great paying job is a stimulus. Happiness is a response. A loving relationship is a stimulus. This belief leaves us thinking and feeling，“I'll be happy when…”

 It has been my finding that actually the opposite is true. I believe that happiness is a stimulus and response is what life brings to those who are truly happy. When we are happy, we tend to have more success in our work. When we are happy，people want to be around us and enjoy loving relationship. When we are happy, we more naturally take better care of our bodies and enjoy good health. Happiness is NOT a response—rather, it is a stimulus.

 Happiness is not something that happens to us after we get something we want—we usually get things we want AFTER we choose to be happy.I have made only one simple rule for my own happiness: Every day above ground is a good day. Therefore, I tend to have a lot of good (and happy) days continually.

Every year on my birthday, from the time I turned 12, a white gardenia（栀子花）was delivered to my house. It did not come with a card or note of any kind, but I loved the beauty and sweet smell of the flower.

But I never stopped imagining who the giver might be. My mother helped me to imagine. She’d ask me if I had done something kind for anyone. Perhaps the neighbor I’d helped carry heavy bags for. As a teenage, though, I had more fun thinking that it might be a boy I liked at school.

One month before I graduated from high school, my father died . I lost interest in graduation, the senior class play and the prom (毕业舞会). But my mother would not hear of me skipping any of those things. She wanted her children to have a sense that there was beauty in the face of adversity (逆境) , just like the gardenia-lovely, strong and perfect.

My mother died 10 days after I was married. I was 22. That was the year gardenias stopped coming.

Marjorie Baer used to joke about her retirement plans.She wasn’t married and had no kids,but she didn’t intend to be alone—she and all her single friends would move into a fictional home she called Casa de Biddies.Instead,Baer developed terminal brain cancer when she was 52.But just as she’d hoped,her friends and family provided her with love and care to the end.

Ballance was only the first of Baer’s friends who became her unofficial caregivers.With her brother Phil Baer from Los Angeles,they worked out a system to watch over their friend and allow her to keep some of the privacy and independence she cherished.

Baer’s good friend Ruth Henrich took Baer to doctors’ appointments and helped her deal with all the aspects of life —answering machines,TV controls,and even phone numbers.After Henrich sent out an e-mail request,a group of volunteers signed up to ferry Baer back and forth to radiation therapy(放射疗法).Others in Baer’s circle offered up particular talents:A nurse friend helped Baer figure out how to get what she was due from Social Security and her disability insurance;a lawyer pal helped Baer with her will;a partner who was an accountant took over her bills when she could no longer manage them.“There was this odd sense that the right person always showed up,” says Ballance.Their arrangement worked remarkably well.

Unmarried women are one of the fastest-growing groups in America;experts are concerned about how care-giving will be managed for them as they age.If the experience of Baer’s friends is a guide,the Internet will play a role.It’s already making it possible to create communities of caregivers who may have only one thing in common:the person who needs their help.On personal “care pages” set up through services such as Lotsa Helping Hands,friends and family members can post a list of tasks that need to be done,volunteer to do them,and keep updated on the person’s condition.As Baer’s cancer progressed,for example,her friends set up a page on Yahoo! where people could sign up to deliver meals or do errands(差事).　

Catherine Fox,one of the friends who were present when Baer died,was deeply affected.“It was so comforting to know that if you’re willing to ask for help,the generosity of family and friends can be phenomenal(非凡的).It makes me feel secure and hopeful to know that help is there when you need it.”

At a certain time in our lives we consider every place as the possible sites(地点)for a house.I have thus searched the country within a dozen miles of where I live.In imagination I have bought all the farms,one after another,and I knew their prices.

The nearest thing that I came to actual ownership was when I bought the Hollowell place.But before the owner completed the sale with me,his wife changed her mind and wished to keep it,and he offered me additional dollars to return the farm to him.However,I let him keep the additional dollars and sold him the farm for just what I gave for it.

The real attractions of the Hollowell farm to me were its position,being about two miles from the village,half a mile from the nearest neighbor,bounded(相邻)on one side by the river,and separated from the highway by a wide field.The poor condition of the house and fences showed that it hadn’t been used for some time.I remembered from my earliest trip up the river that the house used to be hidden behind a forest area,and I was in a hurry to buy it before the owner finished getting out some rocks, cutting down the apple trees,and clearing away some young trees which had grown up in the fields.I wanted to buy it before the owner made any more improvements.But it turned out as I have said.

I was not really troubled by the loss.I had always had a garden,but I don’t think I was ready for a large farm.I believe that as long as possible it is better to live free and uncommitted(无牵挂的).It makes but little difference whether you own a farm or not.

If you could have one superpower, what would it be?

 Dreaming about whether you would want to read minds, see through walls, or have superhuman strength may sound silly, but it actually gets to the heart of what really matters in your life.

  Every day in our work, we are inspired by the people we meet doing extraordinary things to improve the world.

They have a different kind of superpower that all of us possess: the power to make a difference in the lives of others.

We’re not saying that everyone needs to contribute their lives to the poor. Your lives are busy enough doing homework, playing sports, making friends, seeking after your dreams. But we do think that you can live a more powerful life when you devote some of your time and energy to something much larger than yourself. Find an issue you are interested in and learn more. Volunteer or, if you can, contribute a little money to a cause. Whatever you do, don’t be a bystander（旁观者）. Get involved. You may have the opportunity to make your biggest difference when you’re older. But why not start now?

Our own experience working together on health, development, and energy the last twenty years has been one of the most rewarding parts of our lives. It has changed who we are and continues to fuel our optimism about how much the lives of the poorest people will improve in the years ahead.