Let me take you back a couple of years. Come with me as we relearn a lesson, one that has stuck with me, in my present memory, and   36  me yet. We walked into Elida Road Hardware, an old-fashioned hardware    37___ . No automatic door, not a computer in the building. It was one that I went to fairly often. As we entered the door, two sounds    38  us. The sleigh bells of last year made that sweet, peaceful tinkle as we opened the door. The other sound was the electronic beeper that reminded Andy of our   39   .
“Good afternoon, Ryan,”     40    the cheerful greeting. Andy was a very   41    sort of owner. He was of medium build and height, and the smile on his face welcomed us.
We walked across the old wood floor. Andy asked us what he could help us with. I told him we were      42   a spring(彈簧). He very patiently replied, “l(fā) have lots of springs. You’re going to need to be more specific.”
“Just a spring for an old-fashioned screen door.”
“That’s it. A screen door spring, right down there. ” We   43  where he was pointing, and sure enough, there they were. And knew his store, and his products. That was why I came here instead of Meijer. The service couldn’t be beaten. The price; Yes. But service and  44    ;No.
I picked up one and followed him to the    45   .
He figured up the price, doing the math in his head, “ $1.88,with tax comes to $1. 99. ”
“ Put it on my dad’s account. ”
He nodded and smiled, “ Good dad’s account. ” He smiled. “I don’t know what you boys would do    46    dad’s account! ”
He handed me the ticket and as I    47    it, I asked, “You really trust my signature?”
His reply surprised,_   48    delighted me. “ When I can’t trust Jerry Hoover’s boys, I can trust nobody! ”
We left, and the brain immediately started to forget things, in order of importance. But what Andy said that day rang in my ears. And it rings in my ears today. That’s a tall order to live up to. It’s a high standard of    49   .My father made a fame for that name, and I get to enjoy the benefits. But on account of this, I must maintain that fame. And that’s     50    business.

James sat outside the office waiting for the interview（面試）. He felt so 36    that he didn’t know what to do with37     .The person who had gone in 38      him had been there for nearly an hour. And she looked so confident when she went in. 39      James. He felt 40      that she had already got the 41    . The problem was that he wanted this job 42    .It meant 43     to him. He had 44    it such a lot before the day of the interview. He had imagined himself   45    brilliantly at the interview and 46  the job immediately. But now here he was feeling 47  .He couldn’t48   all those things he had 49 to say. At that moment, he almost decided to get up and 50      .But no—he had to do this. He had spent so much time considering it that he couldn’t 51   like that. His hands were hot and sticky and his mouth felt dry. At last the door of the office opened . The woman who had gone in an hour earlier came out looking very 52   with herself. She smiled sympathetically at James. At that moment James 53  her. The managing director then appeared at the office door. “Would you like to come in now, Mr Davis? I’m sorry to have kept you waiting.” James suddenly  54   that he had gone home after all. He got up, legs 55   and forehead sweating and wondered whether he looked as terrified as he felt.

When I was a little girl, my father loved to play the game of “catch the ball” with me. I wasn’t good at it 21  he didn’t mind at all. He was always telling me to 22  my eyes on the ball; otherwise I would not be able to 23  it when he threw it to me.
As I got older, we didn’t play the game as 24  as before. If I had a   25  , I would go to my father and   26   his advice. He would try to make a joke and say, “Keep your eyes on the ball.” We would both laugh   27   that advice was not usually able to   28   the problem, but he would just try to make me   29  .
My father became   30   in 1995 when I was 23. There were not any more conversations, as he was   31   from a terrible disease. He couldn’t   32  ; he could only move his   33   without making a sound, which was sometimes   34   to understand. I seemed to be   35   good at reading his lips after a while, even better than the nurses that were   36   him.
During one of our last   37   I was telling him about a difficulty I was   38  . Once again, I could read his lips. “Keep your eyes on the ball,” he said. We both smiled. That was the last time I saw my father   39   he passed away.
Sometimes now, all those years later when I get into a   40   situation, I just tell myself, “Keep your eyes on the ball.”

The last time I saw my mother, she didn’t know who I was. Although having   36  from dementia(老年癡呆癥) for many years, mother was never   37 . All our family came to the hospital to spend time with her. She didn’t   38  them either, but we wanted to be there with her.
I have just flown back from Texas. Mother   39  looked at me, or past me, and said “Yeah”. That’s   40  she responded to   41  around her. In spite of this, I held her hand and talked to her.
I told her about the big old house in Highland where I   42  . When we first   43  there from Mascoutah when I was 5 years old, I was   44  of that house. The yard was full of   45 and the house was falling apart. But my father and mother were intelligent and   46  and we eight kids helped to turn it into a home. All of a sudden, I wasn’t frightened any more.
I told her she must have been very   47  when I decided to go to college to study journalism   48  being a priest（牧師）, which she thought was the highest   49  for a family. But she didn’t show it. She just saw me   50  with my favorite chocolate chip cookies.
When I told her all about Texas,   51  she and father had been to visit me, mother seemed   52   by that Texas beach on which they had taken a   53  . She   54  the trip and kept the picture in the living room all the time.
We had too many stories to tell. It was time for me to say   55  to mother and I told her I’d see her again. “Yeah,” she answered. But I wasn’t able to.

One rainy night many years ago ,an elderly couple entered the hall of a small hotel in Philadephia. The couple walked to the front desk hoping to get some  21  for the night. “Could you give us a  22  here?” the husband asked.
The waiter, a  23  man with a bright smile, looked at the couple and   24  that there were three meetings in town. “All of our rooms are taken,” the waiter said. “  25  I can’t send a nice couple like you out into the rain at one o’clock in the morning. Would you be  26  to sleep in my room? It’s not  27  a suite(套房)，but it will be good enough to make you  28  for the night.”
When then couple refused 39 , he explained, “Don’t worry about me.”So the couple   30  . The next morning, the elderly man said to the waiter, “you are the kind of manager who should be the boss of the best   31  in America. Maybe someday I’ll   32  one for you.” The waiter looked at them and  33  .Then they drove away.
Two years passed. The waiter had almost  34  it when he received a letter from the old man. It recalled（提起）that   35  night and enclosed（附上）a round-trip to New York, asking the young man to pay them a visit.
The old man 36  knowledge, the knowledge of the life, history and geography of the people whose  37  him in New York and led him to Fifth Avenue and 34^th Street. He  38   to a great new building there.
“That is the hotel I have just built for you,” said the elderly man.
“You must be 39  ,” the young man said.
“I’m not,” said the elderly man.
The elderly man was William Waldor-Aster, and that 40 building was the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. The young waiter who became its first  manager was George Boldt.

I was feeling a little blue. My mother had been laid off from her job, but she said she was OK since her boss wasn't the nicest person   36   .
I got off the college bus and started walking. That's   37   I heard piano music and singing rising above the   38  of the people and the traffic. I walked a little slower   39  I could find out where it was coming from.   40  the crowd I saw a young lady sitting at a piano with a   41  next to her, singing songs about love. The way she was singing   42  me a bit. I stood there watching her   43  for about fifteen minutes, thinking that it must take   44  to perform on her own in public.
Feeling my presence, she looked in my   45  . I walked over and put some money in her carriage. “I have been going through a   46  time lately, but you’ve made me hopeful again.”
"I'm happy that I could   47  . Why are you so sad?"
"Well, my mum had got   48  from her job, but I’m not sure what to do….”
"You see, the way you were   49  ," she explained. “Don't look defeated,   50  come in different ways. If your head is down you might never see it. Smile more ...   51  your head up."
I smiled slightly, amazed by how she was   52  me.
“Why are you playing here?” I asked.
“I am not making music. I study psychology. I often see many   53  people and hope to relieve their   54  and make them think positively by sharing music.”
I smiled a little wider. She was doing a good thing. My heart was touched by a   55  soul.

It was pouring outside. We all stood there   26   , some patiently , others annoyed   27   nature messed up (弄糟) their hurried day . I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens  28    away the dirt and dust of the world.
“Mom, let’s run through the rain,” a girl’s voice    29  me.
“No, honey. We’ll wait until it   30   down a bit,” Mom replied.
The young girl waited about another minute and    31  : “Mom, let’s run through the rain.”
“We’ll get wet if we do,” Mom said.
“No, we won’t, Mom. That’s not what you said this morning,” the young girl said as she  32    her Mom’s arm.
“This morning?   33   did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?”
“Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said,” If God can get us through this, he can get us through   34  .”
The entire crowd turned   35  . Mom paused and thought for a moment about    36  she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being   37   . But then we heard, “Honey, you are   38  . Let’s run through the rain. If we get wet, maybe we just need washing,” Mom said. Then    39  they ran.
We all stood    40 , smiling and laughing as they ran past the cars. Yes, they got wet. But they were   41   by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the   42   to their cars. Circumstances (境況) or people can take away your material possessions, and they can even take away your   43  . But no one can ever take away your precious   44  . So, don’t forget to make time and take the   45   to make memories every day! I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.

The park bench was deserted as I sat down to read beneath an old willow tree. Not  36 with life, I was down. A young boy out of breath  37 me, all tired from play. He stood right before me with his head tilted(傾斜的) down,  38 with great excitement,“Look what I found!”
In his hand was a flower, and what a  39 sight, with is petals(花瓣) all worn—not enough rain, or too little light.  40 him to take his dead flower and go off to play, I  41 
a small smile and then shifted away. But instead of  42 he sat next to my side and placed the flower to his nose and declared with  43 ,“It surely smells pretty and it’s beautiful, too. That’s why I  44 it; here, it’s for you.”
The flower before me was dying or dead. But I knew Imust  45___it, or he might never leave. So I reached for the flower, and  46 , “Just what I need.”But instead of placing the flower in my hand, he  47 it mid-air without reason. It was then that I  48 
for the very first time the boy was  49 .
I heard my voice shake, tears shone like the sun  50 I thanked him for picking the very best one. He smiled, and then ran off to play,  51 of the effect he’d had on my day.
I sat there and  52 how he managed to see a self-pitying woman beneath an old willow tree. How did he know of my self-indulged(放縱的)  53 ? Perhaps from his heart, he’d been blessed with true  54 .
Through the eyes of a blind child, at last I could see, the problem was not connected with the world; the problem was me. And for all of those times I myself had been blind, I vowed to see__55___, and appreciate every second that’s mine.

Robeson was born in a very poor family. At seven, he had to pick coal in a deserted mine near his home, and then he sold   26  he had picked and earned a few coins to help his parents. He had   27 schooling, for being so poor, how could they  28  school fees?
When he was fifteen, he worked   29  a servant in a school. Looking at other children studying in the classroom, he felt   30 for himself. How he   31  to have the same chance! He decided to study by  32  .In the daytime, after the sweeping and cleaning was over, he   33 stand by the window outside the classroom trying to catch what the teacher said. At night, he tried his best to remember what he had  34  during the day. He worked  35   hard at his lessons that he sometimes had just three or four hours to sleep. The more he learned the greater 36 he showed in his lessons. A maths teacher discovered him and came to like this diligent boy and  37  him to sit at the back of the class. In one exam, he was the  38  one in the whole school who reached the highest grade. He would have been given the scholarship if he   39  a regular student of the school.
Robeson   40  rough six long years with his study of maths and wrote several articles which captured the  41  of some university professors. They admired his talent   42  his diligence. To give him a good chance, they hired him as a librarian and   43  him free guidance. Robeson felt  44  ,for he was sure that before him there was a broad road   45   success.

When I was a teenager, my dad did everything he could to advise me against becoming a brewer（釀酒人）. He’d　 36　 his life brewing beer for local breweries only to make a living, 37  were his father and grandfather before him. He didn’t want me　 38　 near a vat （釀酒用的桶）of beer.
　　So I did as he asked. I got good　 39　 , went to Harvard and in 1971 was accepted into a graduate program there that　 40　 me to study law and business at the same time.
　　In my second year of grade school, I began to realize that I’d　 41　 done anything but go to school. So, at 24 I decided to drop out.　 42　 , my parents didn’t think this was a great idea. But I felt strongly that you can’t 43 till you’re 65 to do what you want in life.
　　I packed my stuff into a bus and headed to Colorado to become an instructor at Outward Bound. Three years later, I was ready to go back to　 44　 . I finished Harvard and got a highly paid job at the Boston Consulting Group. Still, after working there five years, I　 45　 . Is this what I want to be doing when I’m 50? At that time, Americans paid　 46　 money of beer in low quality. Why not make good beer for　 47　 ? I thought.
　　I decided to give up my job to become　 48　. When I told Dad, he was　 49　 , but in the end he　 50　 me. I called my beer Samuel Adams,　 51　 the brewer and patriot who helped to start the Boston Tea party.　 52　 I sold the beer direct to beer drinkers to get 53　out. Six weeks later, at the Great American Beer Festival, Samuel Adams Boston Lager won the top prize for American beer. In the end I was destined to be a brewer. My 54　to the young is simple: Life is very　 55　 , so don’t rush to make decisions. Life doesn’t let you plan.