【推荐1】I studied speech therapy at university, though I had no idea what it was about at first. Later, I got pregnant with my son, Dani. He was born with a cleft (唇腭裂). I studied clefts at university so I knew a little bit about clefts. Still, when you see your own newborn child looking up at you with a cleft, it is very different. I was not ready to face that.

After the delivery. Dani had his cleft surgery when he was just seven days old! It was an awful experience. I gave that doctor three chances to prove he was the right specialist for my baby, and he didn’t manage to convince me at all. But something very positive did come out of that experience — it was how I first met Dr. Youri Anastassov, who would bring Smile Train-sponsored cleft care to Bulgaria starting the next year.

Dr. Anastassov was my inspiration from the moment we met. He helped me realize how important, valuable, and meaningful it is to treat children with clefts and made me want to help them just like he does.

Though I stopped working with them directly for several years after having Dani, the idea of working with children with clefts was always percolating in my mind. Then it hit me: why not work with Smile Train?

Now, babies, children, and adults with clefts come to me, and I share my experience with them. I’m happy to work here and make change for the better every single day.

Smile Train gives Dani his wings. You want to know what a difference this makes? Look at my son. Dani wanted to be a pilot his whole life; he first flew when he was 16 years old! When he began his formal training, the medical exam was very difficult for him. The training team knew he was different. Instead of just showing pity, they worked him harder than the others. And now he is living his dreams as a pilot!

【推荐2】When we decided to sell our flat, having been cheated by the previous owner, we thought it was really important to be completely honest with any potential buyers about having knotweed (蓼科杂草) in the garden. It had been such an unpleasant and stressful experience for us and we didn’t want to have anyone else suffer any longer.

We bought our two-bedroom flat in 2014, when it was just the two of us. But after having three kids it became too small, so we sold it last year. The flat has a small garden at the back, but we didn’t know the presence of knotweed until well after we moved in and had a note from our neighbor behind our flat saying that they thought we had knotweed. Then we had a look and found some very small offshoots for this was just around springtime. At that point my husband and I certainly didn’t realize quite how problematic it could be. But then we started reading all the horror stories and became really concerned — people couldn’t get a mortgage; they couldn’t sell; the plant was creeping through concrete etc.

Then we treated the offshoots with glyphosate and as far as we knew it was completely gone. Before we put the property on the market we had the house checked by some specialists, who thoroughly inspected everything, including the connecting garden, and couldn’t find anything at all. We signed a ten-year insurance-backed guarantee with the company that could be transferred to the new owners, then started marketing the property through an agent.

In fact we found a buyer pretty quickly and they didn’t beat us down on price as we’d already done much for the treatment. Knotweed doesn’t need to be a deal-breaker, as long as you’re upfront about it.

【推荐3】While many parents are being forced into homeschooling for the very first time because of COVID-19, we’ve been doing it successfully with our child since 2017.

Our son Silas was attending a school, which we were happy with. That changed. When every day Silas came home from school, he would crawl under a piece of furniture and weep for half an hour.

Despite our best efforts in communication with his teachers and the administration for over a year, we couldn’t seem to improve the situation. We made the decision to enroll him to start at a new school the following fall and brought him home to finish the lessons of the spring semester.

After a little time went by, we realized that our 8-year-old son blossomed into a peaceful and joyful person. As much as we wanted to try the new school in the fall, he wanted to keep homeschooling. We agreed, as we decided it would be foolish to change something that was working so well.

After going to bed at 9 p. m. on weeknights, Silas woke up at about 7a. m. without an alarm, because he was thrilled to hop on the computer and get his schoolwork done. Why? So that he could have free time on electronics. He was allowed screen time after finishing all his schoolwork and housework. He got quite a bit of time most days to play video games. At 5 p. m., he must be off his device, and we brought it into our bedroom to minimize temptation. He was really good about observing the rules, and I thought he was happier for having limits.

【推荐1】TRUE STORIES IN 100 WORDS

I often go to the primate （灵长类）building at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. A chimpanzee （猩猩）named Beau began to recognize me. He would copy what I did when seeing me. When I told my friend Jerry about this, he was doubtful. So one day, I brought him with me. Beau came down, looked at me and my friend, then went to get a drink of water. When he returned, Beau spit his mouthful of water at Jerry. Was he envious？ We had a good laugh.

—Sandy Rozelman Euclid, Ohio

As a doctor, I instruct patients on their new medicines. One day, I was informing a woman about the side effects of her medicine, especially sleepiness. “You won't be able to work or drive while you're taking this,” I told her. “Do you have any questions？” Her little boy, who had been quietly standing next to her, raised his hand. “Can she still cook？” he asked. “Of course, she can,” I replied. His mother explained pitifully, “He was hoping you'd say no.”

—Lita Hernandez Manchaca, Texas

General manager and I were interviewing applicants for a new position. He asked each applicant, “What's two plus two？” The first interviewee, an engineer, pulled out a slide rule and said it was between 3.999 and 4.001. He didn't get the job. The next, a lawyer, stated that according to Jenkins Brown, two plus two was four. She also failed. The last applicant was an accountant. When asked, he rose from his chair, closed the door, and whispered, “How much do you want it to be？” He got the job.

—Amy Charles, Virginia

In 2001, a young girl called Laura Buxton released a balloon from her bedroom window in Staffordshire, England. Attached to the balloon were a joke and Laura’s e-mail address. “At the time, I thought it was funny,” said ten-year-old Laura.

Amazingly, six weeks later, Laura received an e-mail from another ten-year-old girl who lived in the town of Buton, about 200 kilometers away. In the e-mail, the young girl explained how she had found the balloon and she enjoyed the joke. Incredibly, the little girl’s name was also Laura Buxton.

During a tour of the US, the British actor Sir Anthony Hopkins lost one of his favorite novels, a copy of The Girl from Petrovka by George Feifer. Inside the book was a dedication (献词) from his mother. He searched everywhere for it, but the book had disappeared.

However, three years later, Hopkins was on the London Underground when he noticed a copy of the book on the seat next to him. On opening the first page, he saw his mother’s familiar handwriting.

66-year-old John Foundergen of Liverpool had been trying to trace his brother for decades. Many years before, there had been a family argument and the two brothers hadn’t seen each other since. However, one day, John met a woman in a supermarket who said, “Hey, you know, you look just like my husband.” You can guess the rest.

In 1965 Roger Akua, aged four, was saved from drowning by a woman called Alice Blaise. Nine years later, Roger saw a man drowning on the same beach. Roger dived in and saved the man. Roger later found out that the man was Alice Blaise’s husband.

【推荐3】55-year-old Rob Kenney, who grew up without a father, has been doing his part to make a difference in the lives of kids today.

He created a YouTube channel, called Dad, How Do I, which aims to give youths the valuable lessons a father is meant to give. Launched only two months ago, his channel already has more than two million subscribers (订阅者). Rob teaches children and adults, many of whom are also without a dad, basic skills such as how to tie a tie, how to cook meals, how to repair a lamp and many more.

“I didn’t start this to make money,” Rob told his viewers. “I just thought I was going to help a few people... 30 or 40 subscribers... but it’s turned into a way more than that. And please don’t think I am only aiming this at young men. It is for anybody who feels that they need to learn something.”

Now that his channel has had such huge unexpected success, Rob plans to give his earnings to a number of international charities.

Many viewers have been touched by the warm words Rob shares in his videos. Such simple words, like “I love you”, “You’ve done a good job” and “I’m proud of you,” can have a deep impact on many children, even some adults. He starts each video with an enthusiastic “Hey, kids!”   — but Keiha Danaher said that she was a 33-year-old woman, and she answered back crying, saying, “Hi, dad!”

Rob’s childhood story makes him a role for the kids who watch his channel. By the age of 14, his parents had divorced. He had to move in with his elder brother and learn from the tough life experiences without parents in his life. But that didn’t prevent him from being a good father to his children. His experience shows his viewers that there is always opportunity in the face of difficulties.