【推荐1】My cat hospital was very busy. So when the door rang just before closing on a Friday night, and a man walked in carrying a shoebox, I wasn’t _______.

“I have a little cat.” he said, “I have _______ taking the poor kitty to the shelter, but the shelter won’t _______ the cat because it is too sick.”

I looked into the box and found a thin cat. “Okay, I’ll _______ the cat.” I said. And the cat’s road to recovery began. Months later, after great care, the little cat grew into a cute ball of fire. I named him Ben. _______, the time came to find Ben a forever home. But there was a _______. After months of taking care of him, Ben had become more to me than _______ another rescue (营救)．

Ben was placed in the adoption cage. Andrea, one of my favorite clients, was _______ but not ready to adopt. “I’ll let you _______ in a week.” she promised and I was hopeful.

Over the course of the week, I found myself becoming less and less ________ Ben’s possible adoption. So, when Andrea phoned with her ________, I really had ________ feelings. She said she________ another cat would be too much for her. “I understand.” I replied, trying to sound sad.

There was only one ________ of fostering (代养). You could not keep an adoptable cat. But sometimes rules are meant to be broken, why should this one be any ________? That night, Ben was put into his carrier for a one-way trip to his forever home — mine.

【推荐3】I’d just returned from a walk with my dog. At the front door, I _________ my pockets for the keys. When I _________ I didn’t have them, I decided to return to the paths we’d taken. I spent an hour looking, but my _________ ended in vain.

At home again, I pulled the backup key from its hiding place and let myself in the house. I was so _________ that I fell asleep on the sofa. _________ I heard my car alarm blasting (轰鸣) from the garage. I rushed to the car and _________ the alarm with the spare key. I went back in the house but it started again. I turned it off, went back inside, and the alarm blasted again. I _________ the process.

Back in the house, I waited, but the next _________ was the front doorbell. _________ it was a neighbor ready to blame me, I opened the door slowly and turned on the light with __________ ready.

In the snow stood three neighbors from several streets away. One of them __________ her gloved hand, with my keys hanging from her pointed finger and a big smile on her face! She said, “ __________ about all the alarms, but your key has the alarm button, and we kept __________ it until we found your __________!” I was so __________ that I took the keys and said, “How can I ever thank you? What a brilliant __________! You are so kind!”

Before she and the other neighbors waved goodbye and __________, she said, “It’s not a big __________. Happy to help. You’d have done the same thing!”

I don’t think I’d have done the same thing! Pressing the alarm until I heard a car alarm wouldn’t have __________ to me. I was astonished by her __________.

【推荐1】As I stood outside the stadium on that bitter February day, I had no idea of the _________ that I would find inside. Before entering the building to join 5, 000 people, I slipped a three-word _________ on my baby’s stroller (婴儿车). I very much wanted to _________ with the people inside.

Nine months earlier, I had _________ my third child, Jimmy. He was a beautiful baby in every way. _________, on the next day, I was told he had Down syndrome (唐氏综合症). I read everything I could get my hands on about Down syndrome. Jimmy was nine months old when I read that Toronto was _________ the Special Olympic World Winter Games. I wanted to go with my baby and get a glimpse into our future.

When Jimmy and I entered the stadium, we _________ a seat alongside the boards. Within minutes, my sign was being noticed. Parents told me of the _________ challenges and unbelievable joys. Athletes came over to meet my baby and _________ him luck. Volunteers who travelled thousands of miles to be a part of the games __________ their country’s pins to the stroller.

Last July I received a letter from an artist in Ottawa. He had been __________ to create a logo for the ninth Special Olympic Canadian Summer Games in Sudbury, Ontario. Bernard Poulin wrote, “You and your child have inspired me. The sign reminds us of the hearts and souls of the parents who __________ the dreams of the athletes.” Poulin added, “It exists because in a crowd, a __________ mother and a beautiful child challenged the world with their __________.”

The __________ of the three words on that sign continues to amaze me. It said only, “Future Special Olympian”.