1 . When I was 7 and Stevie was 6, our parents taught us how to play chess and other games. Playing games was our life back then. Stevie and I were very competitive in everything.

We got older and better so our games were more intense, but also more exciting. The strange thing is that I enjoyed the games vastly and was happy for my brother when he won. But afterwards, I felt my well-being threatened, and then my confidence suffered.

When I was 10 years old I wanted to be successful at my talents. One day, a light came on in my head. I had to find something Stevie couldn’t do. It would have to be unique in every way. Before long, I got Jimmy Nelson’s record on “How to Become a Ventriloquist (腹语师)” and I practiced faithfully every day. After summer vacation, I did my first show for my class. The response was favorable. I performed for family get-togethers and did shows on a number of occasions to practice my new skill.

It isn’t easy learning ventriloquism. The difficult part was developing the voice, because at first, it was soft and hard to hear. I memorized the routines and performed more. With time, I got better responses. The loud laughter was nonstop, in addition to the applause.

Four years later, my mother purchased professional ventriloquial figure, which I named Freddie O’Sullivan. He was lifelike, with moving eyes, moving eyebrows, and could stick out his tongue. Treating Freddie like a real person enhanced my performance.

In college, Freddie was well known. He would tell people that he was the only guy that could sleep in the girl’s dormitory. Over the years, I won many talent awards.

One time, an elderly man looked at Freddie attentively and asked him where he got his trousers. The audience nearby had tears in their eyes. I didn’t know what was going on until I was told later the gentleman hadn’t spoken for 20 years.

Thanks to my brother, I created a lifetime with Freddie.

4 . When Schauna Austin was 20 years old, she lost her husband in a car crash. Unable to raise a baby alone, she made a difficult decision during pregnancy — to place her baby for adoption. She gave birth to a child she named Riley, and held him for 72 hours straight. “It was perfect,” Austin said, holding her new baby. “I knew I would have him for a short time, so I made every minute count. I didn’t sleep for three days until the time came to let him go.”

Her Riley became another family’s Steven. Like most closed adoptions, a firewall went up between Austin and Steven’s new parents — no communication whatsoever. But that only lasted about a week. Adoptive mother Jennifer Schoebinger and her husband, Chris Schoebinger, said they had no interest in excluding the birth mother. “You know, you can’t have too many people loving you, right? Why couldn’t he be both of ours?” Chris Schoebinger said.

So, year after year, they sent Austin piles of pictures and bound books detailing Steven’s every major and minor milestones. The Schoebingers said they did this so that when Austin and their son were ready, they could pick up right where they left off. The two reunited when Steven was 7 years old. Austin taught him how to fish, and they have kept in contact ever since. Austin felt blessed beyond words, and Steven felt he got the best of both worlds.

Steven is now 26, married, and with a baby boy of his own. Much to the delight of Austin, he named the child Riley. “I think the lesson we learned is that sometimes we create barriers where barriers don’t need to be. And when we pull down those barriers, we really find love on the other side,” Chris Schorbinger said.

That love on the other side has continued to grow. The families spend Thanksgiving as one, and will of course be getting together again in the days ahead.

5 . My cousin is nine years old, a little bit fat and doesn’t do really well at school. She is heavily_________, and thus has developed some resistance and_________towards adults, who usually don’t put high hopes in her.

Yesterday we went to an art exhibition together. There were paintings from kids with disabilities. My little girl has a_________eye, for the paintings she liked most were also the best of the show. She voluntarily helped to_________the chairs and table for a sharing session, painted by herself alongside new friends while I attended the sharing, and also_________helped me to get my bag from another room,_________ that doesn’t happen often at home as she’s usually glued to her iPad.

In the afternoon, we went to buy books together. I bought a book written by a mom_________her journey with her autistic (自闭的) son. On the bus back home, I briefly_________the book to my cousin, and to my surprise she was_________interested. She kept asking me to tell more stories about the boy in the book who__________with small things in life. Even when the subject strayed (偏离) elsewhere, she insisted on hearing more about this boy. This is the first time I’ve seen her so interested in a__________Usually when she talks to me she describes events at school and at home without a__________focus. I’m very touched that the life of a__________has found its way into this little girl’s heart.

I’m very thankful for the power of books, for the beauty that my cousin revealed to me, and for the time we had together. I__________that I can keep seeing clearly the wonderful things in her, so that whenever the__________world puts her down, I can remind her how truly wonderful she has always been.

I’m glad to know that you have come to study in China. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________          

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        Yours,

Li Hua

7 . One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas gift. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap (包装).

On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is.” What an honour! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!

One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it.Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”, “pitiful”, and “dying”, which sounded ominous.

Christmas was coming. “Don’t expect any presents this year,” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room.“If your baby brother lives, that’ll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes filled with tears. I’d never seen him cry before.

The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He’s all right?” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home!”

“Thank God!” I heard Mum cry.

From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!

8 . How to Contribute to Thanksgiving Dinner As a Teenager

Your family has been stressing out about hosting this year's Thanksgiving meal for weeks now, and you want to help out. The problem is, you're only a teenager.    1    

Go grocery shopping. If you have enough time and the food hasn't been purchased yet, ask your parents if you can do the grocery shopping for them.    2    If you don't have a car and walking to the grocery store or biking there isn't a choice, ask if you can go to the grocery store along with your parents to make the shopping process easier.

Clean the house. A clean home is the best setting for Thanksgiving dinner.    3    Clear an area for guests to put their shoes, coats, and bags so they aren't in the way.

Set the table. It will save your parents’ time, so they can finish preparing the meal. If you're using place cards, put wine glasses at the seats of guests who will be drinking. Some guests may have their kids seated at the table.    4    

Plan a fun family activity. This is a great thing to do when people are either waiting for the meal or looking for something to do after the meal. This is where you come in.    5    You may even take some family photos. They'll be happy that you captured these memories later.