1 . Jim owned a store. A customer once asked him how he managed to stay ________ all the time. His answer was, “When I wake up in the morning, I know that the day will have good and bad ________ for me, but whatever happens, I’m going to choose to be in a good ________.”

Then one day, something ________ happened. Jim was about to leave the store when an armed robber came in, held him up at gunpoint, and made him open the ________. As he was trying to open it, Jim’s hand ________. The robber saw this and probably thought, “He’s about to attack me!” The robber ________ and fired his gun.

Jim was rushed to the hospital. In the ambulance, he felt ________ because the paramedic (医务辅助人员) kept telling him, “I’m sure you’ll be OK.”

But when Jim was in the operating room and he saw the faces of the doctors and nurses, he got the feeling that they thought he was ________ dead. He knew he needed to do something to change their ________.

There was a ________ who was asking him lots of questions, very fast. One question was, “Are you ________ to anything?” “Yes!” Jim said loudly and everybody stopped what they were doing. There was total ________. “Bullets!” Jim said, and all the doctors and nurses burst out ________. And then Jim added, “Please operate on me thinking that I’ll live, and not that I’ll die.”

Jim survived, thanks to the skill of the doctors and nurses. But what also helped was that he managed to remain an optimist even in the most ________ moment of his life.

2 . At the age of 41, I still stutter (口吃). I am fine with it now but that wasn’t always the _________. It wasn’t too difficult for the first couple of years of school. In fact, I don’t recall being _________ at all, though there was a great deal of curiosity about my _________ speech.

A few years later, I began to dislike being different. I felt that I _________ for all the wrong reasons. Just _________the pain of not even being able to say your own name, I would often give _________ names when meeting new people, because it was easier. It was _________ for me to be Jason or Mike, Chris or Kevin or just whatever sounds I was confident I could make at that particular moment.

Sometime in eighth grade, my _________ changed. I turned what I’d always thought of as a negative into a positive. I finally _________ that difference and ran with it. __________ waiting in fear for the teacher to __________ my name, I raised my hand when I knew the answer to a question. I always volunteered to read and even used oral presentations as an opportunity to show my comedic talents. I went from a stuttering kid who seldom spoke a word to a stuttering man who now speaks for a (n) __________. Self-acceptance continues to be essential in the success I’ve experienced as a speaker, comedian, writer and soldier. My only __________ is that it didn’t happen sooner.

It’s never easy to be a kid. It’s especially __________ when you’re different, but it doesn’t have to be. The time to accept your __________ is now.

4 . Early in my teaching career, I heard countless excuses from my students for not having their homework. Many of them were made up and _______ And, yes, “the dog ate it” was one of them. As time passed, I was_______of hearing “I don’t have my homework because…”. “No excuses. No _______!” I, out of anger, _______ my eighth graders.

Then, one afternoon, Anthony _______ me and said shyly, not taking his eyes off the floor, “I know you said it doesn’t   _______why we don’t have our homework done, but my dad moved out and my mom waits tables at night, so I have to _______my little brothers.” Feeling shocked and _______ for him, I put my hand on Anthony’s thin shoulder. “Why are you just now telling me...?” I stopped in mid-sentence. I knew why. So I   _______ the question, “Would it _______ if you stay in my classroom after school and work on it before you go home?” He nodded.

The next day, I _______ to all my students that I’d offer an after-school study hall. Anthony was the first student to _______. Before long, I had a room full of eighth graders who stayed to work on their homework. I soon had a large collection of “I don’t have my homework because...” ___ like Anthony. All were very _______ . Most importantly, I learned that “I’ll _______” works a lot better than “No excuses”.

5 . “It’s nice having a friend,” said Mole (鼹鼠) to Rabbit as they sat talking in the sun one day.

“Oh, it is!” said Rabbit. “Very useful, too, ________ if you need help. ________, I think I’d like Bull (公牛) to be my friend.”

“But I’m your friend!” said Mole, feeling ________

“Oh, yes,” said Rabbit. “You are good for talking to and laughing with, ________ you are too small. When I need help, I ________ someone big and strong like Bull. He would be a very good friend to have. It would be ________ shouting for him when I need help.”

Mole went off in anger.

“Oh, well, I need to ________ something,” Rabbit thought.

He moved along ________ he found a tiny garden. He had just started on his first leaf when there was a big noise. People were shouting and dogs were barking (吠叫). Rabbit was so afraid and in such a ________ to get away that he ran into the wrong hole. The hole was too small and Rabbit got stuck. He could not ________ at all.

“Help!” cried Rabbit.

Mole ________ him. He ran up to see what was the matter.

“Help!” cried Rabbit. “I’m stuck in this hole.”

“If you want help,” said Mole, “I’d better ________ Bull.”

“No!” cried Rabbit. “He’s no good! He’s too big to get into this hole. You’re just the right ________! Please help me, Mole!”

So Mole began digging around Rabbit. He worked so fast that Rabbit was ________ in no time.

“I’m sorry, Mole. I was wrong, ” Rabbit said. “I’m ________ I have you as a friend.”

And the two good friends set off for home together.

9 . On a Friday evening in December, two weeks before Christmas, I lost my job. When my daughter, Kristil, then 12, and I planned to get our Christmas tree, I listened to my voicemail: “We’re sorry but your work ________ has ended today.” My heart sank. As a single parent, my anxiety ________.

The next day as we searched for the tree, I ________ to be cheerful as I eyed each price tag (标签).

“Is everything OK?” Kristil asked. “You seem worried.”

“I got some bad news yesterday,” I told her. “I lost my job.”

I eagerly wanted to ________ a job as my bank account became smaller. I felt as if the world was closing in on me.

One afternoon, I dropped Kristil in a wealthy community for a birthday party. I watched as she went in, ________ with all the nice things we couldn’t afford. I drove home ________. Back at home, I glanced out the window. It had been snowing ________ all morning. I noticed a slim woman trying to open her car door ________ the wind. As she got out, I realized it was my old professor, Sister Esther Heffernan. I’d first met her 10 years earlier when I was her student at Edgewood College. Kristil was 3 at that time, and I sometimes took her to class. Such was Sister Esther, a(n)_______ professor. When I was busy with lessons, she would ________ coloring books to occupy Kristil.

“Well, I called last week but couldn’t get through. ________. I thought I would come by.” Sister Esther said. “I have gifts for you and Kristil.”

I made her a cup of tea, and we talked. Being in Sister Esther’s ________ gave me hope that things would be all right. I opened her card as she ________. Hundred-dollar bills fell onto the table. I took a deep breath ________, tears of gratitude streaming down my face. Sister Esther had given me $1,000.

On Christmas Eve, I ________ watched as Kristil opened her gifts. In 2020, at age 91, Sister Esther died, but the love she gave during her life lives on in the hearts of many. I am lucky to be one of them.