A shop owner placed a sign above his door that read:”Puppies for Sale”. Signs like this always have a way of attracting young children,and to no surprise, a boy saw the sign and approached the owner.

“How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked in a low voice.

The store owner replied, Anywhere from $ 30 to $ 50.

The little boy pulled out some change from his pocket. “But I only have $ 2.37,”   he said. “Can I please look at them?”

The shop owner smiled and in no second whistled. Out of the kennel came a lady, who ran down the aisle of his shop followed by five teeny, tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging considerably behind. Immediately the little boy singled out the lagging, limping（跛行）puppy and said, “What's wrong with that little dog?”

The shop owner sighed and explained that the vet had examined the little puppy and had discovered it didn't have a hip socket（髋臼）. It would always limp.It would always be lame.

Hearing these words, the little boy became excited, “That is the very puppy that I want to buy.”

“No, you don't want to buy that little dog. If you really want him,I'll just give him to you,” the shop owner said, a little bit confused. The little boy got quite upset. He looked straight into the store owner's eyes, pointing his finger, and said, “I don't want you to give him to me.”

When Valentine's Day was around the corner, Grandma came down with a terrible cold when she was travelling from Colorado to my family's house in California. She was too weak to go out at all, which was sad and disappointing. That was because Grandma and Grandpa had been planning to take my little sister Indi and me to the zoo for Valentine's Day. Grandma, as an animal lover, had been especially looking forward to it.

On Valentine's Day Indi begged Grandma to go to the zoo together. But Grandma jokingly explained that if she went there, she might spread her cold to other visitors, or even to the animals, making them all start sneezing.

In my mind, I imagined the sight that an elephant kept sneezing. Meanwhile I made my arm into a trunk and blurted out a funny trumpeting sound that ended in a gigantic sneeze. "Good one, Brother!" Indi laughed. "That elephant would need a huge box of tissues.”

Grandma was amused. But she insisted that she should stay at home and rest up. She wished us a pleasant visit and reminded us to send her regards to the monkeys in the zoo.

Well, we did go and we did have a great time but I kept wishing Grandma could have been there with us. When we reached the monkey mountain, Grandpa told us to hold still and say “cheese" and snapped a good picture of the monkeys and us.

“Cheese!” I said. But Indi said, “Happy Valentine's Day, Grandma!”

"You were supposed to say cheese." said Grandpa.

Indi shrugged, “It just came out.”

"I'm glad it did" I said, because your words just gave me a fantastic idea! What if we take pictures of different animals, and then turn them into a special Valentine gift for Grandma?" Indi and Grandpa agreed and we kept taking pictures with delight for Grandma's surprise.

DRUMMING WITH GRANDPA

Roger was filled with excitement as his mother told him his grandfather was on his way over. He always had fun together with his grandfather who once drummed in a band. They could make the whole house shake with their joyful music. Roger got excited and practiced drumming all morning.

Finally, Dad's car pulled up in front of the house. Upon hearing the car door opened. Roger shouted for joy from his bedroom window, "Hi, Grandpa! Listen to this!” Taking a deep breath, he raised his drumsticks and began rocking and rolling, just like Grandpa had taught him. Jumping up. he raced outside to his grandfather and asked, "Grandpa. what do you think? Are you ready to drum together?" Grandpa, giving Roger a hug, said. "It was wonderful, but I'm afraid I can't play right now.” Dad smiled at Roger, telling him some of Grandpa's finger joints were hurting him and that maybe he would want to play after a short rest. Roger didn't ask again.

After lunch, Roger went to his room to get his skateboard, finding someone had already stepped into the room. It was Grandpa who stood near the drum set. He picked up a drumstick and began to play. Thump! Thump! But just with two thumps, the drumstick fell onto the floor. Grandpa reached for it, trying to pick it up, but the drumstick fell out of his hand. He tried again and the same thing happened. Grandpa moved his red and swollen fingers, looking upset. Seeing this, Roger shut the door noiselessly. He walked to the sitting room where Dad was reading and asked Dad to drive him to his friend's house. "David has a drum with the pedal （踏板）and I'd like to borrow it," Roger told Dad about his plan. Dad got the car keys and off they went.

''Grandpa, a surprise!” Roger shouted when they returned with a big box.

Slowly, Grandpa reached out his foot and pushed the pedal as Roger did.

One spring morning many years ago, I had been searching for gold along Coho Creek on southeastern Alaska's Kupreanof Island, and as I appeared from a forest, I froze in my tracks. No more than 20 paces away in the bog (沼泽) was a huge Alaskan wolf—caught in one trap.

From her appearance, I guessed that she had been trapped only a few days. I suspected that if I tried to release the mother wolf, she would turn aggressive and try to tear me to pieces.

What's next? I wondered. The mother wolf was clearly suffering. Yet each time I moved in her direction, she let out a howl. I thought I had to find her something to eat.

I hiked toward Coho Creek and spotted the leg of a dead deer. I whispered gently, “OK, Mother, your dinner is served, but only if you stop growling at me. Come on, now. Easy.” She sniffed them, then gobbled them up.

Over the next few days, I divided my time between searching and trying to win the mother wolf's trust. I talked gently with her, threw her more meat. Little by little, I kept edging closer—though I was careful to remain beyond the length of her chain. The big animal never took her dark eyes off me. “Come on, Mother,” I pleaded. “You want to go back to your friends on the mountain. Relax.”

On the fifth day, I delivered her daily meat. “Here's dinner,” I said softly as I approached. I slowly placed my hand on the mother wolf's injured leg. I applied pressure. The trap was open, and the mother wolf pulled free.

My experience in nature suggested that the mother wolf would now disappear into the woods. But cautiously, she walked toward me. Slowly, she sniffed my hands and arms. Yet, strangely, it all seemed so natural.

After a while, the mother wolf was ready to go into the forest. Then she turned back to me. At the same time, the mother wolf sent a long howl into the air. Then she disappeared.

Four years later, after serving in World War II, I returned to Coho Creek. There, standing, I gave out a long, low wolf call—something I had done many times before.

An echo (回声) came back across the distance.

Moments later, the wolf was gone.

9 . During the past generation, the American middle-class family that once could count on hard work and fair play to keep itself financially secure had been transformed by economic risk and new realities. Now a pink slip, a bad diagnosis, or a disappearing spouse can reduce a family from solidly middle class to newly poor in a few months.

In just one generation, millions of mothers have gone to work, transforming basic family economics. Scholars, policymakers, and critics of all stripes have debated the social implications of these changes, but few have looked at the side effect: family risk has risen as well. Today’s families have budgeted to the limits of their new two-paycheck status. As a result, they have lost the parachute they once had in times of financial setback – a back-up earner (usually Mom) who could go into the workforce if the primary earner got laid off or fell sick. This “added-worker effect” could support the safety net offered by unemployment insurance or disability insurance to help families weather bad times. But today, a disruption to family fortunes can no longer be made up with extra income from an otherwise-stay-at-home partner.

During the same period, families have been asked to absorb much more risk in their retirement income. Steelworkers, airline employees, and now those in the auto industry are joining millions of families who must worry about interest rates, stock market fluctuation, and the harsh reality that they may outlive their retirement money. For much of the past year, President Bush campaigned to move Social Security to a saving-account model, with retirees trading much or all of their guaranteed payments for payments depending on investment returns. For younger families, the picture is not any better. Both the absolute cost of healthcare and the share of it borne by families have risen – and newly fashionable health-savings plans are spreading from legislative halls to Wal-Mart workers, with much higher deductibles and a large new dose of investment risk for families’ future healthcare. Even demographics are working against the middle class family, as the odds of having a weak elderly parent – and all the attendant need for physical and financial assistance – have jumped eightfold in just one generation.

From the middle-class family perspective, much of this, understandably, looks far less like an opportunity to exercise more financial responsibility, and a good deal more like a frightening acceleration of the wholesale shift of financial risk onto their already overburdened shoulders. The financial fallout has begun, and the political fallout may not be far behind.

10 . How to Feel Connected

It's easy to feel disconnected from what is going on around you in today's fast-paced world.     1     You can get in touch and feel connected, however, by following the tips below:

Consider why you feel disconnected. Knowing what is making you feel disconnected can help you choose the best ways to address it.     2     Ask yourself these questions: Are you keeping yourself occupied with work too much? Do you rely on electronic communication instead of face to face communication? Do you lack friendships that are satisfying?

Interact with people in person. Technology is a great way to stay in touch, but sometimes you need to spend time with other people in person.     3     You can also take steps to feel more connected by making small-talk with strangers who are sharing parts of your day.

    4    

Your loved ones could feel shy, so you may never know how to improve your relationship unless you ask the right questions. Asking them to open the doors can give you some insight on what you can do. Learning this information can help to strengthen your bond.

Show your commitment to them. Simply showing up and being there for your loved ones says a lot about how much you value your relationships. Putting in the time shows them that you are committed and want to stay connected.     5    

Show appreciation. A simple “thank you” goes a very long way. Unfortunately, it is something that people who are close often take for granted. Telling someone you appreciate their time, love, and efforts can strengthen your bond and help you to become more connected.