It was the old lady’s birthday. She got up early to be ready for the post. From the second floor flat she could see the postman when he came, and the little boy from the ground floor brought up her letters on rare occasions (场合) when anything came.
Today she was sure there would be something. Myra wouldn’t forget her mother’s birthday, even if she seldom wrote at other times. Of course Myra was busy, and she herself had got a medal for her work for the aged. The old lady was proud of Myra. And Myra had been to see her mother three times since two years ago.
The old lady was eighty today. She had put on her best dress. Perhaps Myra might come. After all, eighty was a special birthday. Even if Myra did not come, she would send a present. She was excited, like a child.
Mrs. Morrison had cleaned the flat, and she had brought a bunch of flowers when she came to do the breakfast. Mrs. Grant downstairs had made a cake. Little Johnnie had been up with a packet of mints (薄荷), and said he wouldn’t go out to play until the post had come.
“I guess you’ll get lots of presents,” he said.
What would it be? A pair of slippers, a table lamp, or a travel book? She stood by the window, watching. The postman turned round the corner on his bicycle. Her heart beat fast.
Johnnie knocked at her door. “Granny, granny,” he shouted, “I have got your post.”
He gave her four envelopes. Three were unsealed cards from old friends. The fourth was sealed (封闭的), in Myra’s writing. The old lady felt a sudden feeling of disappointment.
Almost reluctantly (不情愿地) she tore the envelope open. Folded in the card was a piece of paper. Written on the card was a message under the printed Happy Birthday — Buy yourself something nice with the cheque (支票), Myra.
The cheque dropped to the floor like a bird with a broken wing. Slowly the old lady picked it up. With trembling fingers she tore it into pieces.
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Adam lived with his parents in one city while his grandparents lived far away in another city. Adam’s parents usually took their son to his grandparents’ house during summer holiday every year and stayed there for around 20 days. Adam’s grandfather loved him very much and spent a lot of time playing with him. His grandmother always cooked delicious food for him. Adam loved his stay there. This continued for years. The boy grew up over time.
One day Adam said to his parents, “Now, I am old enough to go to grandparents’ house alone. So, please let me go by myself.”
His parents didn’t agree at first but Adam insisted(坚持). They finally agreed. But they were worried about his safety. So, they taught him everything he needed to know to travel alone.
The day came when Adam was to leave for his grandparents’ house. And his parents came to see him off at the train station. When the boy was comfortably seated on the train, his parents got off and waited for the train to leave.
While waiting, the father went to the window and kept talking to his son. He handed his son an envelope(信封) from the window and said, “Son, if you feel afraid on the way, open this and read it. It will help you to calm down.”
The boy kept that envelope in his pocket carefully and said goodbye to his parents. When the train was ready to leave, the boy smiled and told his father, “I remember everything. Don’t worry.”
At every station where the train stopped, people kept coming and going. The boy started feeling a little lonely.
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What Makes an Ideal Friend?
To say what an ideal friend is is not the easiest thing to do. Each person has his or her own opinion of what one would be. However, speaking generally, there are certain features that most people consider characteristic of an ideal friend. Loyal, trustworthy, and open to show weakness are common qualities that the majority of people attach to ideal friends.
Loyalty is a usual quality given to ideal friends. According to Psychology Today, “Loyalty is valued early on in all of our relationships, from the time we make our first friendships. We need friends who won’t spill our secrets to others, gossip about us, or allow others to criticize us”. The worst action between friends is not keeping one’s word.
Ideal friends are also usually referred to as being trustworthy. In a statement by Psychology Today, they say that, “Trustworthiness is often the “make or break” element in any interpersonal relationship. Any unfaithful action, regardless of recognized degree, can destroy a relationship. Trustworthiness consists of several elements, including honesty, dependability, and loyalty, and while each is important to successful relationships, honesty and dependability have been identified as the most vital in the area of friendships”. In light of this, a universal complaint of friends is a lack of honesty, and this is at the heart of being trustworthy.
In line with being honest is also the ability to show one’s weaknesses. According to the Book of Life, “The ideal friend doesn’t try to prove how powerful and successful they are; on the contrary, quite often they let us know awkward and potentially embarrassing things about themselves. They show how much they trust us by confessing failings and sorrows which would open them up to possible disgrace from the world beyond. They offer us the gift of their defenselessness”. That openness is treasured, as to be close to an individual, one must be willing to share his or her true feelings and states.
A Welcome Gift
Dario and his mother loved their new apartment. The living room was large enough for their piano. That night, the two of them set side by side at the piano. They played jazz music to celebrate their new home. The loud music filled the room, making them feel very happy.
The next morning, however, their happiness disappeared. Someone had left a note under their door during the night. Complaining about the sound of the piano. Dario’s mother asked the building manager if he knew anything about it. But he said that they were all nice people and he couldn’t imagine any of them had done that. Later that morning, Dario suggested writing a letter to apologize.
“Maybe we could visit everyone in person.” his mother said．
“What if we invited them to come here for a party instead? Dario asked．
They both loved the idea. Over the next few days, they sent out invitations and prepared desserts for their guests. They decorated the apartment with streamers (彩带) and party lights.
Finally, the day of the party arrived. Some guests brought presents. Others brought flowers. One woman, Mrs. Gilbert, presented Dario’s mother with a book of piano music by Chopin.
“I heard you playing the other night,” she said. “The sounds woke me out of bed. I worried that you might play like this every night. So I wrote a short note. I hope you don’t think I disliked the playing.”
Dario’s mother smiled at Mrs. Gilbert. “I think maybe we owe you an apology.” she said.“I didn’t realize how late it was when we were playing. Maybe we should play some quieter music at night.
“You play, you play!” Mrs. Gilbert said. “I like what you play! Just not so loud at night.” She pointed to the book she had given them. “These songs are not so loud.”
“These songs are beautiful music.” Dario’s mother said. “We will be happy to play them in the evening.” “And we won’t play so loud or late!” Dario said. He was already looking forward to practising the new music. More than that, however, he was happy to see the big smile on his mother’s face. It gave him a feeling of warmth and made him feel that they were home at last.
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A Father’s Influence Makes for Better Grades
Adolescents from low-income families in particular are more likely than their middle-class peers to underachieve and to drop out of school. Studies have shown that a positive attitude towards school work and the support and encouragement from their parents can help at-risk youngsters to overcome the economic barriers and lack of resources they face. Most of the evidence about the effects of parental involvement comes from research on mothers. Little is known, however, about how adolescents experience their fathers’ warmth and the beliefs and behaviors that are most affected by it.
This new study is part of a larger one focusing on low-income families conducted in four middle schools in the southwestern United States. Data were analyzed from questionnaires completed by 183 sixth-graders about how optimistic and motivated they were about their schoolwork, and how they experienced their fathers. The questionnaires were completed primarily by respondents of Mexican American, African American and European American descent. Their maths and language arts grades were also obtained.
Their findings show how fathers can support their teenagers in ways that result in greater optimism, self-efficacy, and, ultimately, higher achievement at school.
These positive effects extend to both sons and daughters, while in different ways. Experiencing their father’s warmth first influences daughters’ sense of optimism, and then spills over into their feeling more determined and certain about their academic abilities. This in turn leads to better math grades. There is a more direct link between their fathers’ involvement and teenage boys’ belief in their ability to succeed on the academic front. This heightened self-confidence increased their success in English language arts classes.
Suizzo suggests that counselors and educators should encourage fathers to communicate warmth and acceptance to their children, because of the positive influence these emotions have on their well-being.
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Hope
Nothing in my life had prepared me for what I had to do. Choosing my words carefully, and fighting to stay calm, I told my 4-year-old daughter that her grandmother had suffered a stroke（中风），that she was unconscious, and that the doctors said she would probably never wake up. As she moved closer to me, Amelia looked at me, eyes bright, and said, “Maybe Grandma will be okay.” “Maybe she will,” I said, keeping back the tears, But I knew better. I was flying up to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, from our Florida home in the morning to say good-bye to my mom.
The rest of that awful week, I joined my brother and father sitting by my mother’s side in the hospital room. I held her hand and talked to her. I told her that we still needed her. I told her that it wasn’t time to leave yet. I told her how much I loved her. And I told her that her little granddaughter, Amelia, believed that she’d get better. The doctors, with all their years of training and experience, offered no hope for recovery. The damage was simply too extensive.
Then, a couple of weeks later, an odd thing happened. Mom woke up. She regained consciousness. Persevered through a long and tough recovery, during which she had to learn to walk, read, and write all over again, and eventually returned home to Dad. The only one who wasn’t shocked was Amerlia. The doctors couldn’t explain it. Amelia didn’t need to. Hope came as naturally to her as breathings.
So why are we so afraid to hope sometimes? Maybe it’s because over the year, life’s disappointments can turn us to disillusionment（理想破灭）. How many times have you heard someone say: “Hope for the best, expect the worst”? That’s not really hope at all.
Hope is being able to look at our world with all of the joy and wonder of a child.
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