1 . My mother has always been one of those rare people that sees the good in everyone and does good things. She’s had her ups and downs but has always_______a positive, sunny outlook on life and been very_______to people.

One day, my little sister fell and hurt her ankle, desperately needing a_______to the hospital emergency room. My mother immediately_______into crisis mode, packed my sister into the car, and drove to our local hospital. In such a_______, my mother didn’t call to tell my father. When she got to the hospital, she realized she needed to_______with my father immediately.

While waiting for my sister to be examined, my mother_______her way to the pay phone to place her call. She put her coin in, called my father and told him everything. After she hung up, the phone_______several additional coins that Mom wasn’t owed.

Realizing that the phone was_______, my mother decided to leave the________coins by the phone. She told us that in a crisis, people might not remember to bring________with them to make that emergency call.

I’ve often thought about her________from an adult’s perspective. I realize that someone seeing the money by he phone may have________taken it because not everyone was as________as my mother. But I like to believe that my mother’s faith was ________and that someone who needed them found the coins waiting there.

2 . Glen Edwards became a hero when he rescued a construction worker trapped on top of a 160-meter-high building.

As a crane (吊车) _______ working on a construction site, Edwards _______ found himself in a life-saving mission when a fire broke out. He recalled how he _______ the trapped worker from his crane’s cabin (驾驶舱), and how he came up with the idea of saving the man by lowerin a cage to him to let him _______.

However, his attempt to _______ the cage before the man was by no means an easy job, as each post (弹) of wind prevented to throw his crane off balance. Besides, the smoke and flames also added to the difficulty. _______ the great challenges, Edwards refused to give up and fought to _______ control. Luckily, someone on the ground offered _______ on where to land the cage through a radio. Edwards _______ the crane’s movements, inch by inch, until the cage hanged (盘旋) just inches from the edge of the _______. With determination, Edwards successfully landed the cage.

Eventually, Edwards watched the cage _______ the man away from the horrible fire below and lowering him to safety. The crowd _______ a big round of applause, a tribute (致敬) to the courage and skill _______ by Edwards. He knew that his quick thinking and strong _______ had made all the difference between life and death in the face of disaster.

A GoFundMe page has now been set up to raise money for him —— with organizers _______ people to “buy Glen a beer” for his life-saving efforts.

3 . As a writer, I miss rejection slips. Not that I enjoyed receiving those pre-printed slips of paper, but at least when I got one, I was pretty sure that a flesh-and-blood _______ had put it in the envelope. And there was always the chance I might see a handwritten sentence on the bottom, _______ the piece almost made it. When an editor at McCall’s wrote, “I’m afraid I have to say no on this _______ piece, but try me again on another, would you?” It was almost as _______ to me as if she had said, “We’ll _______ it and here is an advance for you”.

Nowadays, rejection slips seem to have disappeared with the use of online submissions. Most editors don’t feel it a must to _______ they have received, read, or considered your work because they receive so many _______ each day.

For me, there are three _______ of rejection slip pain. The first is _______ brought on by finding a flat “no” on a ________ piece of paper, then followed by anger (how could they ________ a piece that is obviously so much ________ than most of the stuff they print), and, finally, rebirth: I will live to ________ a new piece another day.

Learning to ________ rejection seems like part of growing up as a writer. Despite the many letters of acceptance I have received, my folder of “Noteworthy Rejection Slips” is far ________ than that of “Noteworthy Acceptances”, which indicates to me the fact: I still have some growing up to do.

4 . When my son Reace celebrated his sixth birthday two years ago, he made a wish that I would get a transplant. Less than a week later, his wish came true when I received new _________.

Born with a breathing disease, I was able to manage my _________ without a hospital visit until I was 23. At 30, _________, it steadily worsened and I was _________ for a transplant. I started having check-ups once a year, then every six months, then every three months until I was _________ living at the hospital and reliant on oxygen to survive. Everyday _________ like having a shower or brushing my hair became _________.

After four months on the list, I _________ the call to say a pair of lungs was available. The transplant was successful and the _________ was noticeable. Before my transplant I had been so __________, I couldn’t even walk from the couch to the front door without __________ my breath—and it was only six paces. __________, I was so used to being breathless that I didn’t know any difference. I had __________ what it would be like to be a __________ person and now I know. I can do everything an ordinary mum would do: housework, workout, or taking Reace to basketball.

I am extremely grateful to my __________ and his family.

5 . It was like finding a needle in a haystack. Shelly Romo surveyed what was ________ of her home in Maui, which was hit by a deadly wildfire, hoping to find her wedding ring, expecting to leave ________. But luckily, after three hours’ ________ with volunteers, it finally appeared, the diamond ________ but the band completely damaged. Romo and her husband went straight to No Ka’ Oi Jewelers — a local business that has been ________ fire-damaged jewelry free of charge.

No Ka’ Oi owner Omi Chamdi said he was one of the ________ ones — the fires had avoided his home and storefront. That’s why, in its aftermath, he immediately sprang into action and advertised ________ restorations. “When the fires here on Maui occurred, pretty ________ I decided this is something I can do and I really want to do for the ________ community.”

However, Chamdi doesn’t restore the jewelry himself; ________ he has been paying for the restoration services. When asked if he ever ________ that, he shook his head. “These are not just ordinary items, these are the most ________ possessions that people go back and dig through the ________ to find.”

________, Romo was not ready to say goodbye when the fires destroyed her home. But finding her wedding ring and getting it restored gave Romo some peace about ________.

6 . Ryan’s class at Tully Elementary Sohool was planning a hike at Falls of the Ohio State Park. But since the site isn’t wheelchair ________, her mother, Shelly, tried to find a way to make sure she could ________.

Ryan had missed out on a similar class trip last year as a third grader. When Shelly ________ the upcoming class field trip, she ________ began to think about making a plan B. “I was preparing for an ‘alternate field trip day’,” she ________ on the “Team Ryan” online page, ________ for her10-year-old daughter, diagnosed with spina bifida (脊柱裂)as a baby.

That is, until Jim, a teacher at the school, ________ to carry Ryan around on his back all day. This way she could ________ explore the fossil (化石) beds with the rest of her ________. He used a special backpack to carry the 55-pound girl on his back across the park-and the previously ________ Ryan became extremely excited.

The ________ meant so much to Ryan and her family that Shelly wanted to get the ________ out. Since she posted on the web photos of Jim and Ryan on the field trip, they have been ________ thousands of times.

“We are so ________ to have a whole school that never makes her feel left out,” said Shelly. “These beautiful people should be known to the world, to educate and ________ others.”

7 . I am employed in an educational institution. Following the _______ of the students each day, a delightful young woman named Claire often arrives to clean the classrooms and offices. Once a week, I _______ after hours, doing some extra work. So I often chat for a few minutes with her. She always makes me feel good because she’s a good listener and willing to talk about her children. Our _______ are consistently enjoyable.

Last week, she seemed unlike her _______ self. She told me that her husband had been _______, leaving them worried about their financial _______. Later that week, while I was in a department store, my attention was drawn to the shelves lined with sunglasses. After _______ various pairs, I discovered the ideal sunglasses. As I admired my _______, it occurred to me that Claire would look great while wearing them. _______ with my current pair, I purchased the sunglasses for Claire.

Eager to surprise her, I placed them in an elegant bag and ________ put them in her closet for her discovery. The following day, Claire was chatting with a coworker as she ________ the closet. Upon ________ the bag and taking out the sunglasses and a Smile Card, her face lit up with joy. She expressed that it had been days since she had reason to smile and that this act of kindness ________ her spirits.

She penned a note expressing her gratitude for my heart-warming ________. Choosing to gift her the sunglasses instead of myself brought me much satisfaction. I eagerly ________ creating more moments of joy.

8 . Granny fell ill before Valentine’s Day. She had to ______ our planned zoo trip, which she had been ______.

“Remember to say hi to the monkeys for me,” Granny ______ us up before we left. We did go and have fun, but I kept ______ Granny could have been with us.

Tex spotted some ______ and suggested taking a picture in front of them. While we said, “Cheese,” Indi accidentally said, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Granny!” This slip of the tongue (舌头) reminded me. I ______ taking pictures of different animals and ______ them into a zoo valentine for Granny. Everyone loved that.

At home, we ______ out the printed pictures on the table. Since it was ______ to fit so many pictures onto a heart-shaped card, we ______ to create a whole bunch of valentines, each card representing an animal.

______, our print didn’t have color ink, so we ______ the black-and-white pictures with markers and made speech balloons for the animals. When we were done, I made a couple of ______ on the cards and tied them together to make a book. It took forever to finish, but it turned out ______.

“Oh, you little sweet potatoes!” Granny smiled when we gave her our ______. “You sure did turn this lady’s frown (眉头) upside down! I love you so much.”

9 . My long-distance cycling career of 13 years and 35, 000 kilometres ended as I approached 75. Although I am now no longer strong enough to _________ the long days and big climbs, day in and day out, I have my memories.

The road behind is just memories, some soon to be forgotten, others to be _________ and enhanced with the retelling. A 6000-kilometre cross-country ride initially appears _________, but, once done, it is simply done, much like the challenges that life _________.

Real _________ would come when I was alone on my bicycle. I enjoyed meeting and even _________ the daily targets I had set for myself. I enjoyed the technical challenges faced by tire bursts and loose handlebars, but _________ not at that time. I loved cycling with a strong tailwind pushing me along and hated _________ into a strong headwind. I loved striking up conversations with a diversity of people and sincerely appreciated the support and comfort they _________.

Long distance cycling brings unbearable exhaustion, long hours of anxiety, even fear and desperation, but these __________ into insignificance, compared to the joy and __________ of climbing huge mountains or seeing fantastic sights for the first time. The experiences add newness and __________ to my life and the memories are __________.

Most importantly, cycling taught me to know myself better. It eventually dawned on me that I had more __________ and courage than I ever imagined. The self-awareness and long-lasting memories will give me enormous __________ as I carry on my life journey.

10 . Dave and I had just arrived home from his chemo-treatment (化疗) appointment. I should have noticed him ________ the door. When I opened it, he fell sideways out of the car onto the walkway. He lay there, too weak to ________ himself. I rushed to help, but he weighed close to two hundred pounds and was just ________. The slightest bump (碰撞) caused terrible pain, so this ________ would be more than he could bear. I called “Dave.” He didn’t ________, and I wondered if he had passed out. I looked around in all directions ________.

Just then, a man ________, pushing a baby carriage, with two children walking beside him. The man ________ the baby carriage safely, gestured the children to wait and stepped forward. He lifted Dave’s arm over his shoulder and put his own arm around Dave’s ________ to stabilize him. The two ________ for the house. Into the sitting room, slowly and gently, the man ________ Dave onto our little sofa. He smiled as Dave tried to ________ him and said he was glad to help.

He walked back out to the street where the children stood waiting for him. The little group slowly ________. There, in the shining sun, I watched, with ________. They were just like angles, emerging from nowhere and helping me ________.