1 . Every Saturday, Grandpa and I walked to a nursing home. “Whoever visits the sick gives them life,” Grandpa ______ believed.

One day Grandpa was suddenly ______ to hospital. Worse still, we were told he was ______ to recover, deep sadness over our family.

Saturday came. I had not ______ to go there, but Grandpa’s words rang in my head. So alone I went. Everyone was happy to see me but ______ when not seeing Grandpa. When told his ______, they comforted me in tun, “Do your best and God will do the rest.” They all tried in their unique way to cheer me up and ______ for Grandpa.

For days, neither could Grandpa sit up, nor would he speak or eat. The atmosphere was awfully ______. Suddenly the nurse came in, saying, “You have visitors.” I ______. The guys Grandpa and I visited every Saturday were all present.

They all showcased their best to the fullest, thus making grandpa’s day. Visiting hours went so fast that they had to ______ and told grandpa they would come again soon. I was ______ in tears.

That evening, Grandpa sat up and asked the ______ what he could eat. Day by day he ______ for the better. Grandpa’ recovery was a medical ______, the doctors thought. But I knew the truth: His friends’ ______ had made him well.

DRUMMING WITH GRANDPA

Roger was filled with excitement as his mother told him his grandfather was on his way over. He always had fun together with his grandfather who once drummed in a band. They could make the whole house shake with their joyful music. Roger got excited and practiced drumming all morning.

Finally, Dad's car pulled up in front of the house. Upon hearing the car door opened. Roger shouted for joy from his bedroom window, "Hi, Grandpa! Listen to this!” Taking a deep breath, he raised his drumsticks and began rocking and rolling, just like Grandpa had taught him. Jumping up. he raced outside to his grandfather and asked, "Grandpa. what do you think? Are you ready to drum together?" Grandpa, giving Roger a hug, said. "It was wonderful, but I'm afraid I can't play right now.” Dad smiled at Roger, telling him some of Grandpa's finger joints were hurting him and that maybe he would want to play after a short rest. Roger didn't ask again.

After lunch, Roger went to his room to get his skateboard, finding someone had already stepped into the room. It was Grandpa who stood near the drum set. He picked up a drumstick and began to play. Thump! Thump! But just with two thumps, the drumstick fell onto the floor. Grandpa reached for it, trying to pick it up, but the drumstick fell out of his hand. He tried again and the same thing happened. Grandpa moved his red and swollen fingers, looking upset. Seeing this, Roger shut the door noiselessly. He walked to the sitting room where Dad was reading and asked Dad to drive him to his friend's house. "David has a drum with the pedal （踏板）and I'd like to borrow it," Roger told Dad about his plan. Dad got the car keys and off they went.

''Grandpa, a surprise!” Roger shouted when they returned with a big box.

Slowly, Grandpa reached out his foot and pushed the pedal as Roger did.

Once upon a time, there was a boy who always enjoyed listening to his mother’s story about the statue (雕像) standing beside their house.

The statue’s name was Miriad, who was the symbol of kindness. People who walked by the statue showed their respect through bowing (鞠躬) in front of Miriad’s statue. It became a tradition in their village that everyman who died due to helping others would be honored as Miriad, and would be remembered by all the people.

One night, the boy asked his mother how Miriad gained his respect from all the people in this village. “He was just a simple man,” his mother said. “He helped people selflessly, thinking others first.” “Well, I can also do that,” the boy proudly told his mother. His mother continued, “That is the reason why people made Miriad a statue, for you child to copy and not to forget.”

One morning, the boy saw a little girl crying under an apple tree. “Why do you cry?” the boy asked. “I was trying to get myself some fruit from this apple tree and suddenly I fell down from it,” the little girl explained. “Let me do it for you,” the boy said. He started to climb up the tree and picked as many apples a she could. After a while, the boy jumped down from the tree and gave all the apples to the little girl.

The little girl thanked the boy for his kindness.

One day, the boy met a homeless man who seemed hungry.

4 . It was close to Thanksgiving. After selecting my goods, I went up to the checkout line. In front of me was a young woman, wearing old clothes and looking so _________. She was comforting a newborn who was crying _________ looking after a child under three, who was running and jumping around. My _________ went out to her. I had been in her shoes with my own two sons.

The clerk started checking out her items. Obviously the young mother was _________ of money for all that she had picked out. She was looking at a few items and trying to _________ what she needed to put back. The people in line behind me were getting _________ that she was holding them up. The dancing kid and the screaming baby just added to the _________ of her situation.

Certainly the goods in her basket were what her kids needed for the _________. My heart broke for this mama, so I _________ her putting them back and told the clerk that I would pay for her. The young mama turned, and looked at me __________.

What I offered to do for that young woman __________ the man standing right behind me, causing him to make the __________ with me. In tears, the young mother hugged both of us. The clerk wiped her __________, too! The dancing kid was still dancing, and the baby was still __________, but now no one seemed to mind. __________ can be given and received everywhere — even in the checkout line!

5 . The COVID-19 distances people from each other. However, it also ______ friendships between people who would have otherwise never become friends. In the case of 92-year-old Mary, that friend happens to be her two-year-old neighbor, Ben.

The lockdown in 2020 was particularly ______ for Mary, who has been living ______ With nobody around her, she had to spend most of her time watching TV. Ben was also ______ at home, unable to play with other kids.

Their unusual friendship developed ______. At first, Mary would ______ at Ben from her window whenever she saw the boy in the yard. Then, she began going outside to ______ him in person. The   ______ eventually expanded to daily gatherings by the fence that separated the two homes. The pair even invented a socially distanced ______ that Mary called “stick ball”. Ben threw his ball towards the fence and Mary got her walking stick, ______ over the fence and hit the ball back.

When the two were unable to meet in the yard in bad weather, Ben’s mother kept the friendship ______ by calling at Mary’s porch with the baby.

The bond has blossomed even further since Mary got vaccinated earlier this year Mary ______ Ben with a colorful toy truck collection that had once belonged to her grandson. The boy returned the ______ with a gift of his own—a pile of sand that he carefully carried in his small hands and dropped at her door.

Now the pair are often seen high-fiving across the fence or sitting outside Mary’s house, blowing bubbles. What a ______ scene! Friendship really knows no ______.

8 . My dad is easy-going and has a gift for chatting. He ________ a fast food restaurant called Queenie’s Weenies, which is specialized in hot dogs. I work with my dad at the ________ on weekends.

One Saturday, we went ________. As we got into the checkout line, I ________ something: our cashier (收银员) was very ________! She ________ no smiles, no greetings and no small talk. Her “anger aura (光环)” was obvious and kind of ________ to me. When we ________ to check out, I was thinking that we should just pay for our things and leave quickly. My dad had a different ________. When it was our turn, he started ________ her.

Dad said, “Hi, how are you today? This is my son. I have a restaurant, and we ________ together. It’s called Queenie’s Weenies. Drop by my restaurant sometime and I will ________ you to my hot dogs. I’m good at cooking them.” By the time we ________ checking out, the cashier was smiling. She said, “Thanks, umm… I hope you and your son have a very nice day.”

Back in the car, Dad said to me, “The cashier was obviously ________ today. It happens to everyone. Smile ________ or give a few kind words, which is all it takes to make one a little more delighted.”

10 . When my children were younger, we used to walk a graveled trail (用碎石铺成的小路) around the lake near our home. One spring day my daughter and I ______ just how much rubbish was ______ along the trail. The next day then we brought a big rubbish bag with us and started to slowly, step by step, ______ the rubbish along our way. There were plastic water bottles, wrappers for candy bars, empty chip bags, and even an old discarded shoe. We stopped and picked up each one. By the time we had circled the ______, the bag was nearly ______.

Tired but ______, we put the bag in an empty rubbish can. We stopped before we ______ home and took one last look at the lake as the sun set. It looked more ______ than ever.

I know that at times this world’s problems can seem ______ to deal with and you wonder what you can do to make a difference. But the ______ is everything you do makes a difference! Every time you bent ______ to pick up a single piece of rubbish you make a difference. Every ______ you share makes a difference. Every kind word you say makes a difference. Every hug you share, every flower you plant, every animal you ______, everything you do, no matter how ______, makes a difference in this world.

Therefore, make your difference ______ from picking up a piece of rubbish.