When I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus. Finally, there was only one family between us and the ticket counter.

This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of twelve. Their clothes were not expensive but very clean. They were well behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly talking about the clowns, elephants and other acts they would see that night in low voices.

One could sense they had never been to the circus before. It promised to be a highlight of their young lives. A father and mother were at the head of the line, standing hand in hand.

The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly responded, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”

The ticket lady gave the price. The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped and the man’s lips began to shake. The man leaned a little closer and asked, “ how much did you say?”

The ticket lady again gave the price. Obviously the man didn’t have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight children that he didn’t have enough money to take them all to the circus?

Actually we were not wealthy in any sense. I felt sorry for them.

Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, put out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground.

That day, my father and I went back to our car and drove home without buying any tickets.

Last Saturday David was taking a walk in the park near his home when he noticed a woman with a boy of about eight years old. When David passed them, he heard the woman yelling: “How stupid you are! You’re good at nothing.” David stopped and looked at the little boy. The boy said nothing. He just stood there, looking upset.

David was reminded of his English teacher Mrs. Brown in middle school. After he entered middle school, David lacked self-confidence because he was often made fun of by others. He was often told that he was good at nothing, which David believed.

But one day it all changed. That day, in an English writing class, Mrs. Brown asked them to read a novel. They were asked to write a new chapter of the novel after they finished reading it. A few days later, David handed in his story. He didn’t give it much thought. But the next day to his surprise, the comment “well done” from Brown came into view the moment he turned to the page where the story was written. When David read that, he almost burst into tears. He had never expected to be praised. He suddenly gained some self-confidence.

That day after he returned home, he wrote another short story and gave it to Mrs. Brown the next morning. And again he was praised. David became very interested in writing. He often wrote short dories and asked Mrs. Brown to read them and correct them for him. Mrs. Brown always gave him good advice to improve them. One year later, David joined the school newspaper and became an editor of it. He gained his confidence and was hopeful about his future.

He succeeded in entering college and kept writing. Several years after graduating from college, he had his first book published, becoming famous as a writer in his country. And he owed his success to Mrs. Brown’s encouragement. Without her encouragement, his life might be very different now.

Inspired by his own life story, David decided to do something for that boy.

The mother was ashamed when she heard that.

“Mary! Come and see what I have brought home!” My father opened the door and shouted cheerfully.

“Is it a dog?” I asked when I saw him hugging a huge creature in his arms.

My father nodded and put the dog on the floor. When it ran toward me, I pressed my hands tightly over my mouth to hold back a scream. I turned around and rushed back to my room. I locked up the door as soon as I could.

Since I was attacked by a wild dog two months ago, I had been living in constant fear of dogs. I was confused why my father was so happy to bring home such a scary thing. So I decided to stay in my room until the dog was gone. After what seemed like ages, I heard the door open and shut.

“Finally!” I breathed in relief and opened the door cautiously.

To my shock, I felt something wet touching my foot. It was the dog! I froze there, as if my feet were rooted to the ground. When I regained my senses, I screamed, “Daddy! It is the dog! Help! It wants to bite me! Get it away from me!”

My father was standing by the other side of the door，folding his arms and encouraged me,“It is not going to eat you! Mary, don’t be so scared. Go on! Touch it!”

I tried my best to control my fear and bent down to touch the dog. But I could not do it due to my constant and uncontrollable shaking.

“Never! I will never touch that dirty thing! Take it away!” I shouted.

My father turned a deaf ear to my request. In despair, I picked up a tennis ball that happened to be on the floor and threw it at the dog.

The ball missed the target.

But the next moment I was reminded of the awful experience.

It was time for graduates to hunt for jobs. The majority of them didn’t have working experience for they had spent most of their time at school studying academic subjects. It was not until they graduated from college that they realized it was a challenge for them to land jobs.

Jimmy, one of these job hunters, was a young academically excellent person. One day, after making good preparations, he went to apply for a managerial position in a big company. In spite of fierce competition, he managed to pass the first interview. What a lucky dog! Jimmy was informed to come for the next round in a few days — the last interview for the company to make the final decision.

The big day finally came. He dressed neatly, the grey tie matching perfectly the decent suit. Blood rushing to his face and heart pounding heavily, he tried to calm down, and then took a few deep breaths. It was his turn.

The interviewer, an elegant lady, discovered from the CV that the youth’s academic achievements were excellent all the way, from the secondary school until the postgraduate research. After several rounds of questions related to the position, she asked, “Have you ever done any part-time jobs?” “None.” After a while, the interviewer asked who paid for Jimmy’s school fees. The youth answered in a low voice, “My father passed away when I was one year old, so it was my mother who paid for all my school fees.”

She continued, “What did your mother do?” “My mother worked as a clothes cleaner.” The lady requested the youth to show his hands. The youth showed a pair of hands that were smooth and perfect.

The interviewer paused for a second, leaning against the chair, “Have you ever helped your mother wash the clothes before?” Ashamed, Jimmy replied, “Never. My mother always wanted me to study and read more books. Furthermore, my mother can wash clothes faster than me.” She nodded, adding, “I have a request. When you go back today, go and clean your mother’s hands, and then see me back here tomorrow morning.”

Back home, Jimmy requested his mother to let him clean her hands.

The next morning, Jimmy went to the interviewer’s office.