Neesha, an 8-year-old golden retriever, is a lucky dog. After spending a fortnight on her own without food or real shelter, the tough dog was accidentally spotted by a couple, who in spite of the cold weather, were hiking the range and came across her.

Two weeks earlier, Neesha’s owners had taken her and their other dog, a German shepherd named Harley, for some outdoor exercise. Frightened by a deer, both dogs ram away. Harley found his way back to the parking lot the next day, but Neesha did not.

The family made a thorough search. They left a laundry basket of unwashed clothing near the spot where they’d last seen Neesha in the hope that she’d head straight towards the familiar smell marker. They even turned to the Internet for help in finding Neesha—but there was still no sign of her.

“We posted our experience on social media. Then a weekend later, we were still looking for her. We were starting to give up hope,” said the pet’s owner Erina O’Shea Goetelen told The Irish Times.

Eventually, the family began to accept that Neesha might not be coming home. “We just thought she is 8, and it’s been two weeks. There was no way she could survive.“

Doctors Ciara Nolan and Jean Francois Bonnet must truly be crazy hikers. They braved the elements on the freezing day when the couple decided to reach one of Wicklow’s peaks. As they neared the top, Nolan was shocked to see a dog shaking in the snow.

“She was frightened, freezing cold. She didn’t have enough energy to bark or stand, ”Bonnet said in an interview. “We tried to get her to walk, but she couldn’t stand. So we covered her with our spare clothes and gave her some food.”

Bonnet lifted Neesha onto his back for the long path down the mountain.

Neesha’s owners could hardly believe it when they learned their dog had been found alive.

My parents love the saying “If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" so much that they even bought a pillow with those words on it. But I was recently in a situation where I was SO ready to give up.

It started last week when my friend Ollie and I were helping his grandmother Mary to carry boxes from her garage to her car for the homeless shelter rummage sale (义卖).

At the sight of a big old trunk (行李箱)，we asked Mary what was inside. But she told us that as she had lost the key, she had to find a master locksmith to figure it out. "Let me have a try!" said Ollie. “I bet I can open that lock in two minutes flat! Maybe there's a treasure inside, like gold or diamonds or an ancient map!"

Mary smiled. "I'll tell you what. If you two treasure hunters can open this trunk, you can have it, along with whatever is inside."

Ollie got a tool kit and we set out to open the lock. But he definitely lost that bet. Those two minutes turned into two hours, with no luck at all. We had tried every tool in the kit, but the lock wouldn't move slightly.

“It's no use." Ollie sighed. "I guess we have to give up."

“But we can't give up!" I said. "What about 'If at first you don't succeed, try, try again"?"

Ollie shook his head. "Unless you know a magical key fairy, we're never getting this unlocked."

Just then, my little brother Tex showed up. He showed great interest in the trunk. "It looks like an upside-down boat! Can I turn it over and pretend I'm sailing in the ocean?"

"Sure," Ollie replied. "It's no good for anything else."

“Ahoy!" Tex said, climbing on top after Ollie and I turned it over. “I’m the captain!” He giggled as he jumped up and down. And right then, a screw (螺丝) from a hinge (铰链) came loose and rolled to the floor.

“That's it! I know how to open it!" said Ollie.

Oh! There were only lots of shoes in the trunk!

It all began when I moved to Dallasin the fourth grade, and I noticed that I was behind in my reading at School. Reading out loud, I had difficulty with half the sentences. My teacher, Mrs. Agnew, said my reading comprehension and ability to pronounce words was at a lower level than other fourth graders. I was scared every time she called on me to read aloud because, although I would try my hardest, she would always have to help me with the words. Mrs. Agnew suggested to my mother that I be tested for dyslexia (发育性阅读障碍) and seek a cure.

At first I didn’t understand why I was being tested. To be honest, I was in fear of facing failure then. Nervous and confused, I sat waiting in the hospital room, unsure of what Dr. Grady, the doctor who diagnosed developmental dyslexia, was telling my parents about the test results.

However, the final results showed that I did have developmental dyslexia. Knowing it, I froze. I had no idea what to do but stand still. My mother looked at me and said quietly, “Honey, don’t worry, and I’ll be with you all time. Are you going to let the obstacle get in your way? Say NO!”. Eventually, I became determined to struggle against my disability. I started to take speech treatments from doctors and some medical volunteers regularly. Dr. Grady told us to go to the hospital twice a week for treatment and my reading ability will get to normal after three years’ training.

Gradually, I even began to love reading, which I had once hated it so much. Several medical volunteers listened to me patiently and taught me patiently. I was deeply moved. Whenever I saw volunteers in white candy-striped (粉白相间条纹的) medical uniforms passing by me, I had a strong desire to give back by being a volunteer to help those like me.