【推荐1】My morning started out as usual. I snoozed（打盹）twice, took care of my three cats, hurried to complete chores while drinking some coffee, and then raced out the door for my mid-morning appointment（约会）.

After I finished my appointment, I was hungry. I stopped at a restaurant to order a burrito（墨西哥卷饼）take home and eat while working. Since it was a little before noon, there was a line. A woman, who I soon learned was Marcella, was paying at the register. She asked the woman behind her in line if she would like a drink and then asked me. We both said no, and must not have understood, because she said, “I got you.” She continued to pay for both of our meals-even though we were strangers.

I asked Marcella why she did this, and she said that someone once did something similar for her. The person asked that she mightpay it forwardsomeday and she was making good on her promise.

Before I left, she gave me a warm hug and asked only that I do an act of kindness for a stranger when I could. I arrived home, but instead of working through lunch, I sat and thought carefully and deeply about her kindness.

Marcella didn't need to pay for my lunch. But she did, and it brightened my day. Not because I got to keep my $15, but because she was kind-and did not want to receive anything in return.

As I promised her, I plan on paying her kindness forward. Maybe, just maybe, I'll make a small difference in someone else's life, and the ripple effect（连锁反应）will continue. Because that's what being human is all about-being kind, even to a stranger.

【推荐2】When she was 16, Joanne Loewenstern learned that her parents weren’t her birth parents. She was also told that her birth mother was a woman named Lillian Feinsilver and she had died days after giving birth to her in New York. Feeling sad and doubtful, Joanne spent nights crying, wondering what her birth mother had been like. And yet, some part of her believed her mother was still alive. The doubts troubled Joanne for years.

Shelley, Joanne’s daughter-in-law, suggested taking DNA test to find her birth family. That was in 2017, and Joanne was 79 years old. Joanne took the test, and about a year later Shelley received a message from a man named Sam Ciminien, whose genetic report had matched him with Joanne.

Shelley immediately wrote back to Sam, asking whether he knew a Lillian Feinsilver. “Yes,” Sam said, “that’s my mother’s name.” Almost unbelievably, she was alive, at age 100- Joanne had been right all along.

But there were more shocks to come. Sam said that Lillian lived in an assisted-living facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida. Joanne lived in Boca Raton, more than 80 miles away.

The families quickly planned a reunion at the facility. A month later, Joanne found herself sitting across from the mother she had searched for her whole life. Lillian, who has dementia, was silent in a wheelchair.

“I don’t know if she recognizes me,” Joanne said.

Joanne said to Lillian that she’d been told her birth mother had passed away. No expressions on Lillian’s face, Joanne started to cry. At that point Lillian’s eyes brightened. Joanne excitedly began telling Lillian all about her family. Lillian smiled. Then she said the words Joanne had waited more than 60 years to hear: “This is my daughter.”

Joanne learned that over the years, Lillian had repeatedly told her family that she “lost her daughter”. Everyone, including Lillian, believed that the baby had died.

The two women spent that first afternoon together joyfully. “I’m proud,” Joanne said. “This is something wanted to do all my life.”

【推荐3】Paul’s brother bought him a new car as a Christmas present．On Christmas Day Paul saw a boy walking around his new car，admiring(欣赏)it．

“Is this your car。Sir?”he asked．

“Yes，”Paul said，“My brother gave it to me for Christmas．”

The boy was surprised．“You mean your brother just gave it to you? Boy，I wish…”

Paul knew what he was going to wish for—a brother who would buy him a car．But the boy surprised Paul．

“I wish that I could be a brother like that，”he said．

Surprised，Paul asked the boy to go for a ride in the new car．

After a short ride，the boy said，“Would you mind driving to my house?”

Paul thought the boy wanted to show the car to his neighbours．But Paul was wrong，again．

The boy ran up the steps of his house．Soon he came back carrying his crippled(残疾的)little brother．He pointed to the car．“Look!”he said to the little boy，“His brother gave him that car for Christmas．Some day I’m going to give you one just like it!”

Paul got out and lifted the little boy into his car．The older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them went on a wonderful holiday ride．

That Christmas，Paul learned how good it felt to give．