【推荐2】A decade ago, colored lights danced around the living room on New Year’s Eve and happy music was played. Upstairs, the children were asleep. But I wasn’t feeling happy. In mid-December, my husband and I had been informed that he had cancer and that he was going to die. He had less than a year left, the doctors said.

In the years since that painful season, I have come to look back upon New Year’s Eve. New Year’s Eve brings a halt to the endless commitments that fill our daily lives and a chance to reflect. New Year’s Eve is full of possibility and anticipation. What will be the surprising experiences and delightful successes in the coming year? But also, what disappointments are waiting for us in the next twelve months?

In many ways, New Year’s Eve and the days that surround it are a line between past and future. That line is made up of a series of moments of transition (过渡) that take us out of the old and into the new. Transition can be challenging for many of us. It’s about letting go of the familiar and diving headlong (迅猛地) into the unfamiliar.

Just as, back then, I had to face letting go of the life I had led with my beloved husband and stepping into a new world as a widowed mom, I find that each year I have to step out of the version of me that suited the year that is ending and ease into the version of me who will rise to the goals I am holding for myself for the year ahead.

Last year at this time, I sat in a chair in southern France and drank in the stillness (沉静) and beauty of the countryside around me. The three children I had brought into this world talked and laughed around the table beside me as we enjoyed a lunch of bread and cheese.

I was filled with a sense of joy and I had a glowing (热情洋溢的) heart that was full of hope. It was another ending and another beginning. May we all transition into the best of what lies ahead. May we all find happiness in this holiday season.

【推荐3】Two local girls recently decided to forgo receiving presents for their birthday from their friends, and gave them to those in need. “I don’t want anyone to be hungry, Mattie Dimmitt said.

Mattie is the daughter of Travis and Elizabeth Dirnrnitt and celebrated her 6th birthday earlier this month. For her birthday, she wanted to do something for other children.

For her party, Mattie’s friends arrived with gifts, but the packages weren’t filled with toys, cans and boxes of food instead. Once her party was over, Mattie, with some help, took the donations of food to the Maryville Ministry Center and presented it to Ministry Center coordinator Merlin Atkins,

“It shows her character. She’s an empathetic kid and she feels things deeply, ”Elizabeth said. “If she sees someone upset, sad or in need. she wants to help them out.”

Mattie was not the only local child who recently decided to give back to their community for their birthday. Mattie’s best friend, Eliana, celebrated her 5th birthday in February and decided that she wanted to give back, as well.

“If we could pay the support and love we get from people forward, it would be a great thing, ”Eliana’s father, Tim Wall, said, "For Eliana’s birthday, she wanted to invite her friends and instead of asking for more toys or presents, she thought it would be a good idea to raise some food for the Ministry Center.”

“For being so young, it’s a blessing to have kids that are living for something more than themselves,” Wall said. “I’m hopeful that it will continue over time and it’s amazing to see kids doing things for others.

【推荐3】Wang Shuang was just five when her parents divorced, dropped her at her uncle’s and left. Football, as it often is, became an escape.

At seven, she was spotted by coach Xu Yilong, who found Wang quick in her playful behavior. As the only girl in the boys’ team, Wang’s performances were impressive, earning her the nickname “Iron Girl.” And soon, she sensed the sport’s power. Football allowed her to “release herself” and realize “whatever happens, football never leaves you alone.”

However, life was never smooth sailing. The constant jibes (嘲讽) from some people, who always tried to push her down and destroy her hopes, affected her so deeply that she lost confidence. “They were saying I had no talent at all. Gradually, I felt really so.” Wang once wrote. But never did she stop playing. When she was called up to the national team, aged 17, Wang thought, “Me? Are you sure?” When a world-famous club wanted to sign her, she was “excited that an excellent coach thought I was good.” It was only then that she felt confident in her abilities. “I felt recognized. Perhaps I had a bit of talent after all.”

Not any “bit of talent”; the genius is praised as China’s once-in-a-generation player.

China is a pioneer of women’s football in Asia and has won the continental championship eight times, including seven straight titles between 1986 and 1999. That was their golden age. Gradually, though, the dynasty declined. It is hoped that Wang will inspire the women’s football of the country to its former height.

Coaches are almost always hesitant to speak about individual players. But when coach Shui was asked about Wang before the match against Vietnam, she couldn’t stop mentioning her influence on the team. Unfailingly performing on the big stage, Wang did not let her team down. When they lacked a quality ball, she delivered two high assists that finally led her team into the last-four clash (四分之一决赛).

“Nobody knows how hard it was,” declared Wang after the match. “We overcame difficulties. We also showed our strong spiritual power. I am proud of my team.”