1 . I was in my home office on a cold Sunday when I heard a quick knock on the door. I _____ downstairs, threw open the door and saw my dad _____ something wrapped up in paper in his arms. Strangely, he had given no hint (暗示) of it when we spoke on the phone last night.

“Open it.” he said.

I opened it to find a yellow begonia (秋海棠). It occurred to me that it was Mother’s Day.

“But···but I’m not a mother.” I said, _____.

My dad smiled, “Well, some special people aren’t mothers. but I think they _____ to get flowers, too.” With that, he hugged me and drove off.

Later, I called to thank him and we got to talking a lot. That’s when he let me in on his little _____. He had decided that he would challenge himself to do one act of _____ per day. It had started several weeks before when he accidentally knew a friend of his was having a rough day. He knew she loved ice cream, so he drove straight to her house with a huge tub of ice cream.

“She laughed _____ when she saw it,” he said, “It really delighted me to know that I had _____ her day.”

When asked why, he added, “I already know about the importance of being _____ in the moment. So, I try to be there with each person I am spending time with. I want them to feel important and believe in the goodness in people in that moment.”

I realized my dad was making a difference in people’s lives. ______, I also want to be more like my dad, who goes out of his way to make people feel loved and cared for.

2 . Yes Day

My friends and I were having breakfast at a Mexican holiday resort (旅游胜地) while enjoying the cool sea breeze. It promised to be another ______ day, as we embraced the break from our busy routine.

We were looking over the list of the resort’s activities. After we ______to convince (说服) each other of what would be best to do, I said, “Let’s have a YES DAY and say yes to EVERY activity, even if it’s not in our comfort zone. Let’s ______ and enjoy ourselves in unexpected ways.”

I hate ______ , but the zipline over the resort was at the top of our list. I was scared when I climbed into position. I wanted to back out, but my friends cheered me on. So, I jumped off the platform and screamed the whole way down. But I was glad I ______ it. Besides the ______, I also appreciated the amazing views. Thankfully, I didn’t say no, otherwise I would have missed this wonderful experience.

My friend Katie, who didn’t want to do karaoke, also had to face her _____ of being the center of attention. We danced and sang, laughing all night long. We were _____ brave enough to attend a wedding party and danced on a glass topper over a swimming pool.

We still talk about our magical Yes Day! When we see the photos from that magical time, we are so happy. In fact, we may miss so much if we only ______ what we are comfortable doing. I believe we all______ Yes Days.

3 . Mary was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s (阿尔茨海默症) in 2013. With Mary’s condition slowly _______, her doctor told her heartbroken 44-year-old son Sean not to fear. “Being _______ and happy, the Alzheimer’s might make progress”, the doctor said. Taking the doctor’s advice, Sean decided to make a trip with his mom to Nepal.

Sean was _______ when Mary started walking and talking again during their trip—even learning new words. He said, “I thought Alzheimer’s was just a decline, but when we got to Nepal she started to _______.”

Seeing the great _______, Sean was determined to keep _______ with her mom for the next 18 months. Mary got to _______ a festival of color in the Himalayas, climb across mountains in Italy, and feel the sand beneath her feet at the tip of South Africa.

People thought Mary would be a _______, but for Sean, it was the least he could do for the mother he loved so much—who had always _______ to others throughout her life. He said: “She was the best thing in my life. Unconditional ________ is a thing you don’t get often, and she always gave it, even though she had a tough life.”

4 . It was an ordinary summer afternoon when I first found out about my grandpa’s _________ garden.

That day, after school, instead of walking straight home, I decided to visit my grandpa, who lived just a few blocks away.

When I got there, I saw the front door was slightly open. I pushed it open but found nobody. Curiosity and _________ mixed within me as I ventured inside and noticed the backdoor wide open, leading to a path I’d never _________ before. There it was—a breathtaking garden, filled with flowers of all shapes and colors, greenery stretching out as far as my eyes could see. I walked _________, marveling at the beautiful spectacle. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound from a nearby bush, followed by a soft and familiar voice.

“I didn’t _________ you to find this place, my dear,” my grandpa said, emerging from behind the green leaves with a broad smile, holding a watering can.

_________ by the beauty of the garden, I just stood there, taking in the view. After what felt like forever, I asked, “Grandpa, why didn’t you tell me about this place?”

He shrugged and replied, “I wanted it to be a _________, something you could discover on your own. It’s more special that way, don’t you think?”

Since that day, we would spend hours in the garden, tending to the flowers, sharing stories, and enjoying each other’s _________. That garden, which I discovered _________, became our playground, a haven of peace in the midst of our bustling city lives.

Looking back now, I realize that the greatest thing I found in that garden was not the beautiful scenery, but the precious memories and __________ I built with my grandpa.

5 . John Oens was an enthusiastic hunter and enjoyed being in the woods. Once into the Wisconsin wilderness in November, his team encountered something unbelievable when he checked the _______.

Instead of a coyote, he saw a huge timber wolf, which is on the endangered species list, trying to get free. John realized he couldn’t _______ this wolf, since the animal might die of exposure. However, he had to put his _______ on the line to free the creature. His heart was pounding while he prepared.

His dad ran to the truck to get a gun as a precaution and some plywood(夹板). _______, they could figure it out without the gun.

A little time had passed since they found the wolf, but it seemed like an eternity(永恒) to John. When his dad returned, John put the plan in motion. He _______ the plywood, using it as his shield(盾牌). While all that happened, his friend filmed everything. His dad was also available to fire the gun if the wolf decided to attack. They were prepared but _______!

John _______ closer and closer all the while. His dad was a reassuring sight for him. John looked at his friend for moral support, _______ that now was when the action started.

Finally, John freed the wolf’s paw from the trap. It took one moment for it to spin and fly away. The three men were happy because the wolf was free, and John was still safe.

When they viewed the video to see it all _______ later, they noticed the wolf look at John for a brief moment before running back to the woods. Was it his way of showing appreciation? Anyhow, John made the best __________!

6 . The Turnaround

Anxiously, I looked through the roster (花名册) posted on the wall. My body _____ as I saw all my friends’ names but did not find mine. I could feel the tears building in my eyes. I felt _____ inside, like nothing mattered.

When I got back home, my father noticed my sullen walk and gloomy face, and asked me what was wrong.

“All my friends _____ the school team. Everyone! Except me…” I stammered.

“Well, what are you going to do about it? Are you just going to sit there?” he asked.

I didn’t know what to say, just shaking my head. I thought hard for thirty minutes about what my dad said, and it started making _____. Nobody was going to give me a _____ on that team. I would have to earn it.

_____, there was a gym near my school, so as soon as school was over, I biked to the gym and trained hard. I ran, dribbled, and shot until I _____ on the floor every single day. There were moments when I didn’t think I could keep on going, but I _____ through it. After all, I thought, hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

After almost a year, I tried out for my seventh-grade team with great confidence. Regardless of the outcome, I knew that I had worked hard and learned something about mental _____. The next day, seeing my name printed in large bold letters, I realized I made it. The greater the effort, the ______ the reward, and I officially made a turnaround.

7 . Broken Bones Don’t Get in the Way of a Big Break

Matt Shilcock lives to dance-and he will break his bones to prove it.

Shilcock, 33, was born with osteogenesis imperfect (成骨不全症). It is effectively inevitable that bones in his body will break. Shilcock was in a wheelchair as he grew up in Adelaide, until the determined teenager _________ it when he turned 15.

He said, “I just felt like being in a wheelchair was stopping me from being able to participate in things, so if I don’t take it to school, that’s going to be the start of some kind of _________.”

He admits the decision led to “complications”. “I definitely lost _________ of how many bones I’ve broken,” he said. “If you experience something enough it becomes your norm.”

Having a regular day job was never going to happen _________ dance occupied Shilcock’s mind.

“I _________ took up dancing because it was just cheaper than physiotherapy. As I started to gain more confidence and competence moving my body, _________ injuries and coming back from injuries and learning my physical potential, just the _________ that came with that was really addictive,” he said.

And so he began a career on the stage, with an 18-month acting course progressing to his first dance show in 2010 with the Restless Dance Company. He had gone from project to project for a decade before _________ the big one, a mentorship (顾问) with the acclaimed Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) last year.

Shilcock has turned his hand to choreography (编舞). He said he has given himself permission both to _________ or be great, when audiences judge his choreographic work.

It is the start of a gradual transition out of dancing that he admits will be __________ for his body to take.

8 . It was summer 2019 in Aurora, Colorado, when CBS News first met Finn Lanning, a math teacher, and Damien, his student who always stood out.

Lanning was astonished when Damien told him he was not coming back to _______. He sat Damien down and found out what his story was. He learned that Damien had a _______ in heart and was in foster (寄养) care because social services couldn’t find a foster family willing and able to meet his medical needs. He was _______ to leave school and move into a hospital.

But the real _______ was that Damien needed a transplant desperately. A lot of times it’s _______ to get a transplant if someone doesn’t have a stable home to return to after surgery.

“It _______ me like a ton of bricks. I mean, you just can’t sit across from somebody you care about and hear them say something like that and know that you have room to help,” Lanning said. That’s how Lanning became a foster parent. He _______ Damien even though he’d been a confirmed bachelor (单身汉) who delighted in his childlessness.

They got along smoothly, although Damien refused to get too excited. “I’m afraid the bubbles will burst one day. It’s kind of bad thinking about that, but some people actually do that. Like, they’ll be happy with you one day and then just kick you out the next,” Damien said. Lanning told him he’s not going anywhere, _______ Damien believes it or not.

In the nearly two years since CBS News shared their story, Damien was able to get a transplant and he’s a much _______ 15-year-old. “It’s like a dream come true,” Damien said.

It’s proof that sometimes ________ do end happily ever after.