When I was young, I belonged to a club that did community service work．There was one specific 1 that was unusual for me．I spent three or four hours handing out warm dinner to the homeless out in the streets．After that I went to a homeless shelter not far from the Bay Bridge．
I was in high school and at the time my sister was too young to 2 ．She wanted to help, 3 she made four or five dozen chocolate chip cookies for me to 4 and hand out to people．When 5 to the homeless shelter, I passed out the 6 meals．I began making sandwiches and 7 them with the crowd．I had the containers with my 8 cookies in them and began to 9 , offering them to anyone near me．
I 10 an old gentleman and said, “Sir, would you like a cookie?” He stopped and turned around, looked at me rightly and said, “What did you say? Did you call me sir?” I told him I 11 , and his eyes 12 a little bit and said, “No one has 13 called me sir．” So he was completely moved．It 14 me．
I explained I had been raised that 15 color and social status, everyone deserved respect．It 16 me to think that just because he was homeless, no one 17 him the honor．It broke my heart．I just didn’t understand 18 no one ever called him sir? I had never thought that anyone was below me because I wasn’t raised that way．Every 19 person deserves to be treated with respect．Years later, I still carry that memory and the 20 it taught me．Sometimes, what we take for granted can really make a difference in someone’s life．
How have you made a difference to others? How have others made a difference to you?
In my third year as a high school athletics coach, I gave a speech telling students and parents about the benefits of football．I gave the same 1 each year, aimin g at recruiting(招收)new team members．I talked about 2 football wasn't just for 3 athletes and how everyone could 4 from it．This year, a 5 looking couple approached me after my speech．They said their son really wanted to play football．They had tried to 6 him out of it, but he had his heart 7 on joining the team．
When they told me his name, my heart sank．Michael was five feet and ten inches tall and weighed about 108 pounds．He was a 8 boy, the constant target of other kids' jokes, and as far as I knew he had never 9 sports．I knew he would never 10 it through football practice, let 11 as a player．But we told them we could give it a try．
On the opening day of practice, Michael was the first player on the field, we did 30 minutes of warming-up 12 starting a one-mile jog around the track．I 13 my eye on Michael．At 50 yards he fell, and I helped him to his feet．“Michael,”I said,“Why don't you just 14 the mile?”He said in tears that he wanted to run with the others, so I let him go on． 15 he fell, but each time 16 himself up．
The same thing happened every day for weeks, and Michael gained strength both 17 and physically．By the last week of practice, Michael could run the mile without falling, we had 18 only one game that season, 19 the team cheered louder for Michael's run than the victory they had, Afterward, Michael approached me, and I told him how 20 I was of him．
