Helen was putting her dress on. It was a bit small, but she could manage.

She would be getting the rent with her father, Mr. Resnick, today. Helen didn’t often get to spend time with her father these days. He was always working, and always trying to make enough money to support the family. The rent was what kept them going during the Depression (经济大萧条). When Helen worried about her too-tight dress, other children had to worry about food or even their homes.

The houses were not far, and three families lived there. Everything went smoothly at the first two apartments, but both Helen and her father were worried about the third. The Katz family never had enough money, and it had become harder and harder to accept their rent, even though her father had lowered it.

Mrs. Katz opened the door when Helen’s father knocked. “Her eyes were red—from crying,” Helen thought. “Good afternoon, Mr. Resnick,” she said, hands nervously smoothing her gray dress.

“How are you, Mrs. Katz?” he asked.

“We’re. we’re getting by (勉强度日),” she said, but she wouldn’t meet his eyes or even Helen’s. “You’re here for the rent.”

“Yes, Mrs. Katz, I’m afraid so.”

“Please come in.”

Inside of the apartment, Mr. Katz and the two children were sitting at a table, waiting for Mr. Resnick. “They all have such thin faces!” Helen thought. She was embarrassed, suddenly, by her own round cheeks and strong body.

Mrs. Katz gave Helen’s father the money. He thanked her and turned to go.

“Mr. Resnick?” Mrs. Katz said before they could leave. He turned to look at her. In a shaking voice she told him, “We haven’t eaten in two days.”

Two days! Helen couldn’t imagine such a thing.

“Yes, Dad,” she answered and started running on the way to the store.

One businessman was in debt and couldn’t figure out a way out of it. Creditors(债权人)were pressing him. Suppliers were demanding for a payment. He was sitting on a bench in the park with his head down, thinking what could save the company from bankruptcy(破产). Suddenly, an old man appeared in front of him.

“I see that something is bothering you’, he said.

After listening to the businessman, the old man said: “I think I can help you.”

He asked the businessman, what his name was, wrote him a check(支票)and said: “Take this money. We will meet here exactly in one year, and you will be able to return it to me at that time.”

After that, he turned around and disappeared just as suddenly as he appeared.

The businessman saw a check in his hands for an amount of 500 thousand dollars, signed by John Rockefeller, one of the richest people in the world at that time!

“I could end all of my problems in no time!” He thought. But instead, the businessman decided to put the check into his safe(保险箱). Only one thought about its existence gave him strength to find a solution to save his business.

With the return of his optimism, he concluded profitable deals. During a couple of month she got out of debt and started to earn money again.

Exactly one year later, he returned to the park with the same check. At the agreed time the old man appeared again.

When Emily was 16, she had a dream of becoming a professional singer, a dream that was as bright as the stars in the night sky. Emily’s parents, though supportive, often reminded her of the importance of her studies. This made Emily feel torn (为难) between her passion and her responsibilities

Each day, Emily trained herself for hours. She would sing in the mirror, imagining every audience was fully attracted by her singing. The sound of her voice filled the empty room, giving Emily a sense of purpose and fulfillment (成就感).

When she learned about the local singing competition, Emily felt a spark of excitement in her heart. She chose a song that reflected her emotional journey and practised it over and over again. The lyrics spoke to her heart, allowing her to relive (回味) moments of joy, heartbreak and growth.

Finally came the day of the competition. With butterflies in her stomach, Emily could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she walked onto the stage. As the music began, Emily closed her eyes and let her voice flow out. She could hear the audience gasp (倒吸气) as she hit the high notes, and she felt a sense of connection with them that she had never experienced before.

As she sang, Emily’s emotions poured out.

When the judges announced Emily as the winner, she felt a wave of joy washing over her.

Ten-year-old Riley Christensen and her mother, Lynn, were sitting in front of the family computer, checking out models and prices of bikes. “Let’s pick one out for your birthday,” Lynn suggested to her daughter. The air in the room was filled with excitement as they scrolled through various options, envisioning the joy when Riley cycled around the neighborhood. They laughed together, exploring the features of each bike, and discussing colors.

As Riley scrolled down the home page of the Bike Rack, a shop in their town of St. Charles, Illinois, a video link for Project Mobility caught her eye. She clicked on it out of curiosity, unaware that this simple click would unfold a profound story of compassion and sympathy. The video clip began to narrate the inspiring journey of Bike Rack co-owner Hal Honeyman. Through it, Lynn and Riley were transported into the world of Project Mobility, witnessing how Hal Honeyman had transformed a passion for biking into an organization dedicated to providing specially engineered bicycles for those facing physical challenges. The video footage (镜头) painted a vivid picture of the positive impact these adapted bikes had on individuals — accident victims, injured veterans, and children with disabilities, including Hal’s own son, who had been born with cerebral palsy (脑瘫).

“I don’t want a bike for myself. I’m going to buy a bike for one of those kids,” Riley told her mother. Two days later, she showed Lynn a letter she had written asking for donations. “I think it’s amazing for a guy to make bikes for kids who can’t walk,” the letter said. “I saw how happy a boy was when he got one... I’m writing to ask for your help.”

Lynn was blown away by her daughter’s effort, but doubts quickly emerged. The cost of just one of those special bikes could be as high as $4,000. Riley could never raise the money.

Nonetheless, her letter went out to 75 relatives and friends.

On her birthday, Riley delivered the bicycles to three lucky kids.

When I was about four years old, I started washing my face on my own. However, I always ignored the area behind my ears on purpose though my mom would often remind me.

One summer, in July of that year, my mom drove me to my grandparents’ house for our annual summer holiday visit. When we arrived, I was told that Grandma had gone on a trip with her friends and wouldn’t be back for another two weeks. Feeling a bit down, I went to the yard to play while my mom and grandpa caught up on some things. Although I couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, I had a strong feeling they were talking about me based on their gestures and expressions. Later, my mom returned home, and she would come back to pick me up two months later.

After dinner that night, Grandpa asked me to take a bath before going to bed. Since I loved taking baths, I happily agreed. With the bathtub (浴缸) filled with water, Grandpa reminded me, “Just make sure you clean the area behind your ears really well. You wouldn’t want potatoes to start growing there, would you?”

“Potatoes?” I stopped in my tracks and turned back to look at him. “Yes, potatoes. If you don’t clean the dirt behind your ears, potatoes might actually sprout (发芽) and grow there,” he explained, causing my eyes to widen in surprise. “But I don’t have any potatoes behind my ears, Grandpa,” I said as I ran my fingers along the back of my ears. He took a quick glance and replied, “Oh, I see a couple of sprouts: starting right there!” He urged me to get into the bathtub immediately and scrub (擦洗) them away thoroughly.

I nodded, still in disbelief. This was the first time I had ever heard such a thing. Why hadn’t my parents warned me about this before? I wondered, but couldn’t find an answer. Nonetheless, I felt shocked by Grandpa’s warning.

I hurried to jump into the bathtub, carefully scrubbing behind my ears.

“What are you looking at behind your ears?” Grandma asked me curiously.