1 . Table Talk

As we got out of the car, our son announced, “Phones stay in the car.”

“Why do you always have to tell us that?” complained our fifteen-year-old grandson.

Our son’s wife winked at us and then explained, “We have a family _______ that no one may bring anything electronic to the table.”

We _______ our phones in the car. Even though the restaurant was filled with families, there was little noise. All I heard were a few quiet conversations and the ding of forks on plates. The _______ unnerved me. I looked around. Everyone, even the young kids, was _______ at some kind of screen.

The silence was broken when the six of us sat down, and started talking. The waitress stood patiently and waited for our orders. When our food came, we continued to chat.

An elderly couple at the next table were finishing their dinners and conversing quietly. I noticed that they shot us a few glances, and wondered if our constant chatter was annoying them.

After the dessert, my son signaled the waitress for the check. She hesitated when she brought the black folder to our table. My son opened the black folder — it was _______ . “You forgot the check,” he told her.

“There isn’t one. Someone else _______ your bill — and the tip too.” she said with a giggle (咯咯笑).

“Why?” asked our son, his wife and myself at once.

“They loved it that no one was connected.” she continued. “They loved watching you guys _______ . The old lady went on and on about how nice it was to see a family eating and talking instead of looking at ‘electric games’.”

For a moment, everyone at our table was at a loss for _______ . Then we all started talking at once. My son's voice rose above the others. “Where are they? We want to thank them.”

“They left after you ordered dessert,” the waitress replied.

We spent the next fifteen minutes discussing this goodness and camp up with a _______ . Next time we see a family eating at a restaurant ________ looking at anything electronic, we'll pay it forward, just like what happened to us.

2 . I used to hate being called upon in class mainly because I didn’t like attention drawn to myself. And unless otherwise assigned a seat by the teacher, I always chose to sit at the back of the classroom.

All this _______ after I joined a sports team. It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was a crazy _______ because I didn’t have a good sense of balance, nor did I have the ability to keep pace with the others on the team and they would tease me. But for the teacher who kept insisting on my “_______ for it”, I wouldn’t have decided to give a try.

Getting up the courage to go to the tryouts was only the half of it! When I first started _______ the practice sessions, I didn’t even know the rules of the game, much worse what I was doing. Sometimes I’d get _______ and take a shot at the wrong direction, which made me feel really stupid. _______ I wasn’t the only one “new” at the game, so I decided to focus on learning the game, do my best at each practice session, and not be too hard on myself for the things I didn’t _______ “just yet”.

I practiced and practiced. Soon I knew the rules and the “moves”. Being part of a team was fun and motivating. Very soon the competitive _______ in me was winning over my lack of confidence. With time, I learned how to play and made friends in the process-friends who respected my efforts to work hard and be a team player. I never had so much fun!

With my improved self-confidence comes more praise from teachers and classmates. I have gone from “_______” in the back of the classroom and not wanting to call attention to myself, to raising my hand——even when I sometimes wasn’t and not 100 percent ________ I had the right answer. Now I have more self-confidence in myself.

5 . The small town of Rjukan in Norway is situated between several mountains and does not get direct sunlight from late September to mid-March six months out of the year.

“Of course, we_______it when the sun is shining,” says Karin Ro, who works for the town’s tourism office. “We see the sky is blue, but down in the valley it’s darker—it’s like on a_______day.”

But that_______when a system of high-tech mirrors was introduced to reflect sunlight from neighbouring peaks into the valley below. On Wednesday, residents of Rjukan_______their very first ray of winter sunshine: A row of reflective boards on a nearby mountainside were put to_______. The boards are controlled by a computer that_______them to turn along with the sun throughout the day and to close during windy weather. They reflect a concentrated beam(束) of light onto the town’s central_______, creating an area of sunlight roughly 600 square metres. When the light_______, Rjukan residents gathered together.

“People have been sitting there and standing there and taking pictures of each other,” Ro says. “The town square was totally_______. I think almost all the people in the town were there.” The 3,500 residents cannot all enjoy the sunshine at the same time.________, the new light feels like more than enough for the town’s sun-starved residents.

“It’ not very big,” she says, “but it is enough when we are sharing.”

6 . From Disappointment to Purpose

I’m known for my determination. If I want something, I go for it. Over the years this _______ has worked well for me and helped me achieve my goals. When I wanted to be on the dance team at school, I learned all the dances and practiced until I could hardly _______.

But this year everything changed. I had set my sights on a summer _______ that I was determined to get at the Water Zone, because the employees there could go on the water rides after their work and get free food at the snack bar. It was the _______ job to have on hot summer vacations. So just as I had achieved every goal in the past, I set out to _______ the job. I was certain that nothing could keep me from my dream job.

After my _______, the manager of the Water Zone told me that he could hire only those with experience in water safety. I felt like a failure.

On the last weekend before school ended, my teacher, Mrs. Keller, asked me whether I would be interested in the kids’ summer day camp. I decided that I had nothing to _______, so I called the manager. She was _______ by my babysitting experience and employed me. In less than a week, I had completely forgotten about wanting work at the water park. Each time I comforted a little boy who missed his mother or a little girl who needed to help tying her shoes, I felt I was doing something _______. I realized that I had discovered my life’s purpose: to work with children. I now have a new goal.

Sometimes in life we don’t get exactly what we want. It’s natural to feel __________. But, occasionally, when we don’t get what we want, something even better is waiting for us around the corner!

10 . Brittany was having one of those days when things just kept going wrong. She was tired and stressed as she left football practice with all three of her kids. With everyone worn out from the busy day, Brittany decided to _______ dinner from the McDonald’s on their way home. Wyatt was the teenager working there who took her _______ that day.

As Brittany pulled up to the drive-through window to pay, all her kids were crying for one reason or another. And that’s when it _______ Brittany: She’d left her purse at home.

She looked at the young man with tears in eyes just from being _______ and annoyed and said, “I am so sorry but I have to cancel that order. I left my purse at home when we went to football tonight.”

Before Brittany could say anything, Wyatt pulled out his wallet, swiped his card, and paid for the meal. As a teenager working at McDonald’s, Wyatt probably doesn’t _______ much. Yet, he firmly declined all of Brittany’s _______ to return and pay him back.

While Wyatt _______ shrugged off what he did, Brittany knew this is just the kind of hope our world needs right now. So, she snapped a quick photo and shared her story on social media.

“I just want his parents to know how KIND & COMPASSIONATE their son was tonight! He made me realize this is exactly what we parents are trying to do—_______ great humans,” she wrote.

After connecting with Wyatt’s mom, Brittany discovered Wyatt was saving up for a vehicle. So she started a fundraising campaign online to help the teen realize his dream. Strangers from all over the country loved Brittany’s story. The humble teenager _______ and encouraged them. Before long, Brittany collected over $40,000 from the fundraiser!

“I don’t know how to put it into words because of just how crazy it was,” Wyatt said. “It’s just a small act of ________ and everything blew up and it’s just amazing to think that something like that can get you this far.”