2 . Recently I’ve had two good roles on television. But when I was just getting started in theater work 17 years ago, I never thought I’d make it. Back then I was recovering from surgery and had been off work for six months. Even worse, as a single mother with three youngsters, I had no place to live in. I felt hopeless.

One Sunday morning I saw actor Robert Young on the television talking about his faith: Believe yourself! If we confidently take that first step, well take the next, until we reach our goal.

The first step was scary. After I went working part-time, I looked for an apartment. The ones I saw were either too expensive, or I couldn’t raise my children in them. I knew a house, not an apartment, was more suitable for me. However, after seeing several houses, my confidence was shaken. I found two seemed right, but when I was about to make an offer, someone else had ordered.

I remembered a saying, “When one door closes, a better one opens.” I wouldn’t just sit staring at the closed one but got up and struggled on. In a real estate (房地产) agent, I found a small house with proper price. To buy it, I had to borrow $ 3,000 for a down payment and get a mortgage (按揭). Common sense argued that a mortgage for a single mother working part-time was impossible. But I had enough self-confidence without following common sense.

After getting the house, my new self-confidence grew. Later , when I began filling small parts in television productions, that self-confidence showed. I'd always played the role as the director wanted. Now I find myself freer to interpret (演绎) it.

Self-confidence has made it through life. Trouble can be scary at first, but each time I take that step, I believe I will win the next.

3 . One day, Amanda was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer of an early stage. During this time, she was admitted to a college. She planned to save money to meet the college expense and then seek medical treatment for the cancer.

Her father, Clint and her friends didn’t want her to put off her treatment due to the expense. They took matters into their own hands and started a GoFundMe campaign. A longtime friend of the family was cofounder of a group named Praynksters, known for random acts of kindness. The friend decided to use their own group to help the family. The group came up with the creative idea to spread the word and invite families, friends, and strangers who wanted to help to take part in a donation activity. The event induced the enormous assistance from the local community.

Clint and Amanda were moved as the crowd passed by and the donations poured in. The event brought the family over $13, 000 in donations to go towards her medical treatments. The generous act of kindness gave the family a comforting, and optimistic feeling during a time when all hope seemed lost. Clint said that Amanda struggled with the idea of asking for help. She felt guilty and undeserving compared to others who are also struggling. She is still humbled by it all.

After several months of treatment, life for the family has started getting back to their normal routine. Once Amanda got her strength back, she returned to school and completed her bachelor's degree. The family is now inspired to volunteer in their local neighborhood and contribute to crowdfunding (众筹) efforts. They are grateful for the opportunity to give back and help others as many have helped them.

4 . When I was four years old，I got stung(螫) by a bee－twice in one week！After that，I had a fear of bees.That's when my parents suggested that I learn about bees instead of being frightened. I read picture books and watched videos about bees，and I learned that bees help make the food we eat because of their pollination(授粉). Take pizza，for example. If we didn't have bees to pollinate tomato plants，we wouldn't have tomatoes for sauce. And we wouldn't have cheese without pollination，either.

The bad news is that bees are struggling to survive. Many are dying. Some scientists think it might be because of chemicals that are used to kill other insects. What would happen if there were no more bees? I wanted to help. I thought, “What if I make lemonade，sell it，and raise money to help bees?” I talked to my grandmother Helen. She gave me her recipe(调制法) for lemonade. It came from a cookbook from 1940.

I added honey to her old recipe. That way，I could sell the lemonade and donate some of the money to groups that are helping to save bees. I could also support local beekeepers by using their honey in my product. And I would be educating others on the importance of bees and helping to save them.

My dad showed me how to work out what supplies I needed to buy. At first，I sold lemonade at a stand at a kids' business event. But I wanted to help bees all year round. We talked to a pizza place near where I live. They said they wanted to sell it. Now more than 30 stores sell it，too. This year we sold about 140,000 bottles. I love helping to save bees. It's the sweetest feeling ever.

5 . Cassandra Warren, a baby-sitter, was in a rush and feeling a little overcome with work and planning her 200-person wedding. As she was getting invitations for her weddings in the mail one day last year, she hurriedly addressed one to her aunt and uncle in Oregon.

A week later, the invitation came back, with a handwritten note on the return envelope: “I wish I knew you. Congratulations! I’ve been married for 40 years—it gets better with age.” A $ 20 bill was inside.

Cassandra was at a professional crossroads and had been having a tough day. In fact, she nearly broke down, telling her husband-to-be, Jesse Jones, about her depression just as she opened the misdirected envelope. And the magic envelope wasn’t finished with its surprises. Cassandra looked closer and saw that on the envelope were “Live long and prosper”, a nod to space-based film Star Trek (《星际迷航》).

Casandra and Jesse have no idea who the anonymous note writer is. But they figure the Star Trek reference was because the person noticed the “fandom” corner of their invitation, which had both a Star Wars light-saber (光剑) and a Harry Potter wand (魔杖). “She assumed we’d understand her message,” Cassandra says. “Which we did.”

The following night Casandra and Jesse went out o dinner with a friend who was going overseas with the military. They happily put the $20 toward their bill. Then Casandra stopped by a store and bought another card—a thank-you card. She wrote her aunt and uncle’s incorrect address on the envelope again to “Kind Stranger.” Inside, she wrote, “Thank you for the note and taking the time to send it. Not many people would have done that. It was a big blessing after the day I was having. I am thankful for people like you still being in the world.”