The Write Feeling

Growing up in a military family, I moved a lot. I mostly went to __  (1)  __ with other kids whose parents were also in the military. But when my dad __  (2)  _ from the Marines after twenty years of service, I found myself __  (3)  __ a civilian school with twelve-year-olds who shared no similar life experience with me.

I was a stranger in a strange land. Everyone in my class had grown up together, and they had no room to _  (4)  _ for a newcomer. I wore different clothes, had different thoughts, and spoke with an accent. I __  (5)  _ for the first few weeks of school. I had no friends, no activities, and no __  (6)  __ of a bright future. To deal with it all, I began __  (7)  __ in my diary every day---stories of adventure, of old friends, of feelings that I could not speak. I wrote as if my life depended on it, as if the very next breath I took could not happen __  (8)  __ I wrote down words.

One day, my teacher, Mrs. Bush, came to me and asked why I always sat there writing instead of playing with others. I told her I enjoyed writing and __  (9)  __ writing to playing. She smiled at me and walked away. About three weeks later, Mrs. Bush gave us a writing assignment. I was __  (10)  _ that I could now participate in something I knew I excelled in.

That night I worked and worked on the essay. I wrote with great __  (11)  __. It was my one chance to feel important and _  (12)  _ by the class.

A few days after we handed in our assignments, Mrs. Bush called me up to the __  (13)  __ of the classroom. I stood before thirty pairs of eyes looking at me, and I got __  (14)  __. Was I in trouble? Did I do something wrong?

Then Mrs. Bush told the class how much she __  (15)  _ all the work that went into the essay and everyone had done a great job. But, she said, one student stood __  (16)  _ as an excellent writer, one with imagination, creativity, and word mastery. That student was me!

The class clapped politely and Mrs. Bush handed me my paper, with the following __  (17)  __ on it:"Malinda, you are an excellent writer. You fill your paper with the breathings of your heart. Please keep on writing and share your __  (18)  _ of writing with the world. I am proud of you and glad you are in my class."

Mrs. Bush helped me feel a sense of __  (19)  __, a place of purpose, and a way to survive a

transition in life. She helped me gain __  (20)  __ in myself that stayed with me beyond sixth grade.

     When I was a kid, my mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. And I remember one night   (1)   when she had made dinner after a long, hard day at  (2)  .

       On that evening so long ago, my mom   (3)   a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned toast in front of my dad. I remember   (4)   to see if anyone noticed!   (5)   all my dad did was reach for his toast,   (6)   at my mom and ask me how my day was at school… I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember   (7)   him spread butter and jelly on that toast and eat every bite!

      When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my mom   (8)   to my dad for burning the toast. And I’II never   (9)   what he said: “Honey, I love   (10)   toast.”

        Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really   (11)   his toast burned. He   (12)   me in his arms and said, “Your Momma put in a hard day at work today and she’s really   (13)  . And besides, a burned toast never   (14)   anyone!”

     (15)   is full of imperfect things... and imperfect people. I’m not the best at anything, and I forget   (16)   and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I’ve   (17)   over the years is that learning to accept each other’s   (18)   – and   (19)  to celebrate each other’s differences – is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and  (20)   relationship where a burned toast isn’t a deal-breaker!

If you want to stand out, there is no alternative but hard work.

Once a boy in   41   clothes full of patches(补丁) ran to ask a successful building contractor (承包商) in a construction site, “How could I become as   42   as you when I grow up?”

With a   43   at the boy, the contractor replied,“There is a story about three diggers .The first digger liked holding a spade（铁锹）without doing anything but saying that he wanted to be a (n)  44   in the future. The second always liked   45   about the work and his low   46  . The third digger liked   47   devoting himself to digging. Later, the first was still holding his spade in the 48   place and the second took an excuse for early   49  . Only the third became a boss. Do you understand the   50   of this story? Just go to buy a   51   shirt and work hard.”

The little boy was   52  . So he asked the contractor to explain further.   53   the working builders, the contractor replied, “Look at my workers! I can’t remember all their names, and even I have no   54   of some of them. Most of them wear blue shirts. But if you look   55  , you will notice a sunburned man in red. He seems to be working harder than others. He is always the first one to work while the last one to leave. It is exactly his red shirt that makes him   56  . Soon he will be 57   to my assistant. You know, that is also how I got   58   I am now. I worked hard and wore a striped shirt. My boss   59   me. I also became a boss eventually.”

Success can only   60   action. Working hard is all winners’ shared experience for achieving their dreams.

Face Hardship with a Smile

    I told my friend Graham that I often cycle the two miles from my house to the town centre but unfortunately there is a big hill on the route. He ____  (1)  ____, "You mean fortunately." He explained that I should be glad of the ____  (2)  ____ exercise that the hill provided.

    My ____  (3)  ____ to the hill has now changed. I used to ____  (4)  ____ as I approached it but now I tell myself the following. This hill will exercise my heart and lungs. It will help me to ____  (5)  ____ and get fit. It will mean that I live longer. This hill is my friend. ____  (6)  ____, I have a smile of ____  (7)  ____ as I reach the top of the hill.

    Problems are there to be faced and ____  (8)  ____. We cannot achieve anything with a/an ____  (9)  ____ life. Helen Keller was the first deaf and blind person to ____  (10)  ____ an University degree. She wrote, "Character cannot be ____  (11)  ____ in ease and quiet. Only through ____  (12)  ____ of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired and success achieved."

    One of the main ____  (13)  ____ of success in life is our attitude towards hardship. At times we all face hardships, problems, accidents and difficulties. ____  (14)  ____ we cannot choose the adversity, we can choose our attitude towards it.

    Douglas Bader was 21 when in 1931 he had both legs disabled following a flying accident. He was ____  (15)  ____ to fly again and went on to become one of the leading pilots. He was a/an ____  (16)  ____ to others during the war. He said, "Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. ____  (17)  ____ your mind, and you'll never ____  (18)  ____ crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go ____  (19)  ____ you want to. But never, never let them ____  (20)  ____ you that things are too difficult or impossible."

The day after tomorrow would be my forty –year-old birthday. I was __41__of entering a new decade of my life and __42__ that my best years were now behind me.

It is a daily routine for me to the gym for a workout __43__ going to work. Every morning I __44__ see my friend Jo at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in fantastic shape. As I greeted Nicolas on this ___45__ day, he noticed I wasn’t full of my usual __46__ and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling__47__ about turning forty. I wondered how I would __48__ my life once I reached Jo’s age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”

Without__49___, Nicolas replied, “Well, Joe, this is my philosophical(哲学的) __50__ to your philosophical question:

“When I was a child in Austria and __51__ was taken care of for me, that was the best time of my life.” “When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got __52__ for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.” “When I __53__my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.” “The Second World War __54__, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to __55__ our lives. When we were together and__56__on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.” “When we came to Canada and started a(n) __57__, that was the best time of my life.” “When I was a young father, __58__my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.” “And now, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my __59__. I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was __60__ we first met. This is the best time of my life.”

Once there was a boy．He was smart，talented and handsome．However，he was very____41____and his temper was so awful that____42____wanted to be friends with him．Often he got____43____and said various hurtful things to people around him．

　　The boy’s parents are very____44____about his bad temper．They considered what they could do and one day the father____45____an idea．He called his son and gave him a hammer and a bag of nails．The father said，“Every time you get angry，take a nail and drive it into that old fence as hard as you can．”

　　The fence was very____46____and the hammer was heavy．____47____，the boy was so angry that during the very first day he has____48____thirty-seven nails．Day after day，week after week，the number of nails was____49____decreasing．After some time，the boy started to understand that holding his temper is____50____than driving nails into the fence．

　　One day the boy didn’t need hammer or nails any more as he learned to hold his temper____51____．So he came to his father and told him about his____52____—“Now when you____53____your temper all day long，____54____the nail．”

　　Much time has passed．At last the boy was____55____of himself as all the nails were gone．He came to his father and told him about this．His father____56____to come and took a careful look at the fence．“You did a good job，my son，but pay attention to the holes that were____57____from the nails．The fence will never be the same．The same____58____when you say hurtful things to people，as your words leave scars in their hearts like those____59____in the fence．Remember，we need to treat everyone with love and respect．Even though people____60____you for your hurtful words，the scars you bring to them will not disappear．”

Sometimes, we want to know what our lives are going to look like. We may want to know what gifts and   (1)   are going to be presented to us in the coming years  (2)   if our goals will be realized. Perhaps we feel like we need help to make a   (3)   and we want to know which choice will work out best. We may   (4)  fortune-tellers, our dreams, and many other sources in the hopes of   (5)   out what the future holds.  (6)   we would probably be overwhelmed(感到不知所措) if we knew everything to happen to us.

   Just think of your life  (7)  you've lived it up to this point. You have probably done more and faced more than you could have ever   (8)  . If someone had told you all the jobs and relationships you would
  (9)  when you were a child, you would have become overwhelmed. With your head full of information about the   (10)   you would have had a very  (11)   time experiencing your life in the present moment, which is where everything  (12)   happens.

   In many ways, not knowing what the future has  (13)   brings out in us the qualities we need to grow. It would have been difficult to   (14)  yourself to certain people or projects if you knew they wouldn't eventually   (15)  Yet, it was through your commitment to see them that you experienced the  (16)  
you needed to grow.  (17)   your life, it would likely be hard to say that   (18)   in your past should not have happened. In fact, your most challenging experiences with their expected lessons may have eventually  (19)   you the greatest rewards.

   Not knowing the future  (20)   us just where we need to be ---- fully committed and in the present moment.

The day after tomorrow would be my forty –year-old birthday. I was __  (1)  __of entering a new decade of my life and __  (2)  __ that my best years were now behind me.

It is a daily routine for me to the gym for a workout __  (3)  __ going to work. Every morning I __  (4)  __ see my friend Jo at the gym. He was seventy-nine years old and in fantastic shape. As I greeted Nicolas on this ___  (5)  __ day, he noticed I wasn’t full of my usual __  (6)  __ and asked if there was anything wrong. I told him I was feeling__  (7)  __ about turning forty. I wondered how I would __  (8)  __ my life once I reached Jo’s age, so I asked him, “What was the best time of your life?”

Without__  (9)  ___, Nicolas replied, “Well, Joe, this is my philosophical(哲学的) __  (10)  __ to your philosophical question:

“When I was a child in Austria and __  (11)  __ was taken care of for me, that was the best time of my life.” “When I got my first job and had responsibilities and got __  (12)  __ for my efforts, that was the best time of my life.” “When I __  (13)  __my wife and fell in love, that was the best time of my life.” “The Second World War __  (14)  __, and my wife and I had to flee Austria to __  (15)  __ our lives. When we were together and__  (16)  __on a ship bound for North America, that was the best time of my life.” “When we came to Canada and started a(n) __  (17)  __, that was the best time of my life.” “When I was a young father, __  (18)  __my children grow up, that was the best time of my life.” “And now, I am seventy-nine years old. I have my __  (19)  __. I feel good and I am in love with my wife just as I was __  (20)  __ we first met. This is the best time of my life.”