When I was a boy growing up, I could not once ever remember either my mom or my grandmother wasting food. Anything we didn’t eat at one meal was saved, stored, and served as leftovers (剩饭剩菜) later on. I can remember my grandmother making a huge pot of brown beans with a large cake of cornbread. We would all eat until we were stuffed but there was always about half of the beans left over. A few days later my grandmother would take those beans out of the refrigerator, boil pasta, add parsley and mix them all together into her delicious Pasta Fasule. And I also remember when I watched my mom fry bacon for us in the mornings, she would always take the grease (油脂) and carefully pour it into a container. Then she later would use it to flavor up so many other dishes. I was an adult before I realized that green beans didn’t actually taste like bacon.

I learned their lessons well and after I grew up I tried never to waste food by myself. I always planned the week’s meals ahead of time and only bought what was on my shopping list so nothing went to waste. Every meal went into my stomach and any leftovers were later eaten by either myself, my boys, or my dogs. To me throwing food in the trash was just wrong. All the work it took to grow it, harvest it, and prepare it needed to be honored, not wasted.

I learned something else over the years, however: when it comes to living there are no leftovers. Each moment that you don’t live is lost forever. Life cannot be saved. Life cannot be stored. Life has to be lived, TODAY!

Live each moment of your life to the fullest then. Make every day a feast of love with no leftovers. Leo Buscaglia once said: “Each day is a fresh beginning, a little life unto itself.” Don’t let any of these little lives go to waste. Live your life with a full belly and a full heart.

The old man walked slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd. Unforgettable were his pale blue eyes that sparkled (闪耀) like diamonds，large rosy cheeks，and thin lips that held a steady smile．

With the help of his trusty cane (拐杖), he walked toward a table by the window．A young waitress watched him and ran over to him，saying，"Here，Sir．Let me give you a hand with that chair．"

Without a word，he smiled and nodded a thank you．She pulled the chair away from the table．Supporting him with one arm，she helped him move in front of the chair，and get comfortably seated．Then she pushed the table up close to him，and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it．

In a soft，clear voice he said，"Thank you，Miss．"

"You're welcome，Sir．"She replied．"My name is Mary．I'll be back in a moment．If you need anything，just wave at me．"

After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes，bacon，and hot lemon tea，Mary brought him the change，helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table．She handed him his cane，and walked with him to the front door．Holding the door open for him，she said，"Come back and see us，Sir!"

He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile，"You are very kind!"

When Mary went to clean his table，she was shocked．Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin，under which was a $ 100bill．

The note on the napkin read，"Dear Mary，I respect you very much，and you respect yourself，too．It shows by the way you treat others．You have found the secret of happiness．Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you．"

The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant．This was the first time that she，or any of his employees，had seen him in person．

6 . Greenberg was a lucky guy to enter Columbia University on full scholarship. But just before junior year, Greenberg's____changed. One day his vision "____up" and later he was diagnosed (诊断)with glaucoma (青光眼). Then doctors operated on Greenberg's eyes. ____, the surgery didn't work. Greenberg was going blind. He was so____ that he refused to see anyone.

As Greenberg' s best friend, Arthur persuaded Greenberg to go back to Columbia and______to be his reader. Arthur read _____to him every day， taking time out from his own study, and Greenberg______scoring straight A's. Still, he was______about getting around alone and relied on his friend.

Then, one afternoon, Greenberg and Arthur went to Midtown Manhattan. When it was time to go back to campus, Arthur said he couldn’t_____him because of an appointment. Greenberg______They argued, and Arthur walked off, _____Greenberg alone in Grand Central Terminal.

Greenberg, who was completely______, stumbled (蹒珊)through the rush-hour crowd. He took a shuttle train west to Times Square, and then transferred to an uptown train. Four miles later, he _____at the Columbia University stop.

At the university's gates, someone______him. "Oops, excuse me, sir." Greenberg______the voice. It was Arthur's. Greenberg's first reaction was ___, but in the next second, he realized what he had just______-and realized, too, who had made it possible. _____, Arthur had been with him the whole way, using one of the most______strategies.

Blindness doesn't make Greenberg fail to appreciate the______of life. He always says he is the luckiest man in the world.

7 . I was traveling by train from Perth to Central one morning. Quietly sitting there reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the train guard’s____. As I looked up from my paper, I noticed other passengers,____absorbed in their smart phones, also appeared to be listening. Why did they____this message so much?

As best I can recall, the guard said something along the____, “Good Morning, everyone! This is the 7:35 a.m. train from Perth to Central and we are right on time. It is really a____morning in Sydney today! The sun is shining, birds are____, and all’s right with the world. I trust you have a great day wherever you’re going. Thanks for____my train and I hope to see you again soon. Have a great day.”

Everyone started smiling, even the____talking to one another, all about the guard’s____and how good it made everyone feel.

I was thinking about this and as I exited the train, I____the Guard’s cabin to thank him, only to be told he had just finished his____and was on his way home.

Then I____down the stairs. At the bottom, I finally____the young guard.

“Are you the guard on the 7:35 train from Perth?”

“Oh, oh, yes, yes.” replied the guard, a bit____at first.

“Well, I just want to thank you for your message. It is so upbeat and pleasant. Thank you for giving us such a good____to the day. Please_____doing it.”

When people are happy in their____, it shows in what they do and say, which will make a____to each other. Can you imagine the conversation that guard would have at table when he____home, “Guess what happened to me today—a customer actually____me!”