In the winter of 1990, I was asked to appear on a television talk show in Toronto, Ontario, Canada．At the end of our first day of taping, I was on my way back to my 24-hour-room-service 1 when I saw something shocking．
On the sidewalk in four inches of snow was a man 2 with only a cardboard to keep him from being completely 3 to the freezing cold．What really broke my heart was when I 4 that he wore no shoes and socks．
I wanted to stop and help him, 5 I was not quite sure what to do．As the traffic light turned green, it seemed life was demanding that I 6 ．So I did．Back in "anything I wanted was mine" environment of my hotel, I immediately 7 about the man on the street．Several days later, I was eating Danish at the station．All of the "important" people had 8 the room and it was just me and the doorman remaining．
I had seen him 9 go about his business every day without saying a word except 10 ．When I asked him how he was 11 today, he told me that he'd been having to ride his bike to work in the snow and that he'd been feeling rather 12 for himself．．．that is, until he saw a man sleeping down on the corner of the street with just a 13 for covering from the cold and no shoes．I almost 14 on my Danish as I heard him go on to relate how he was so moved with 15 for the man that he bought the man a pair of socks and shoes．
As I heard his stay, I saw in my mind a 16 that used to be in an old friend's bedroom when I was a teenager．It was a picture of a child 17 someone a flower and the 18 below read：'The 19 deed often exceeds(胜过)the grandest of intentions．" As Mother Teresa 20 it, "none of us can do anything great on our own, but we can all do a small thing with great love．"
About ten years ago, I was on a plane going west, and a young woman boarded and sat across the aisle(过道)from me．I 1 her for two reasons．She was very attractive, and she was holding a teddy bear about half her 2 ．I teased her by asking if she had a 3 for the bear．She laughed and said no．
About halfway through the flight she 4 over and told me she was going to Tucson to enter rehab(进行康复治疗)．She 5 to share her life story with me．She had been working as a dancer in a nightclub．That 6 had led her down a dark 7 to drugs and alcohol．As I listened to her story．I was 8 at all she had gone through．I listened to all she shared and told her I was sure she was going to 9 it．At the end of the flight, she 10 me for listening to her．
A few years later, I got a 11 in the mail saying, “Wow, it's been years since we met on that plane．It is 12 how you touched my life．” She went on to tell me that she had 13 to stay away from drugs, and had been working for a radio station．She felt she had achieved things she could not have 14 that day on the plane．We agreed to set up a time to get 15 ．
When I saw her, she was 16 the attractive young woman I remembered．She told me that that little 17 we had had turned her life around．She had boarded the plane 18 anything would work in her life, and my affirmation(肯定)of her as a person and of her 19 had given her the last bit of 20 she needed to work through her problems．
The young woman taught me it's never too late to make a new start in life．
Last night, my daughter and I printed out Smile Cards and attached a note to each card saying 'Merry Christmas' and 'Have a Happy New Year'．We decided to 1 the cards into part of the a neighborhood tag game, in which cards must be 2 to someone else in the neighborhood with a piece of paper 3 them Happy Holidays too．
We 4 plenty of cards around our neighbourhood in the dark so no one would see us．
I was 5 when I saw my neighbor run up my driveway today after her child got on her bus with a paper in her hand．It was one of our Smile Cards－we got one back! That afternoon when I was 6 my mailbox, our eldest neighbour, maybe around 80 years old, 7 at my mailbox with her friend．She said, "Come here honey, I have 8 for you", and then she 9 me one of our “Smile Cards' and said "tag you're it"．We got another one back!
I 10 talking with her．She said she had one 11 this Christmas, that she would be able to 12 for her family this year, but 13 , she could not 14 the ham on her fixed 15 ．I told her I had something for her．I went in and 16 a ham, a bag of potatoes and some cans of green beans, put them in a bag and gave them to her．She said, “I can’t take this．” 17 I insisted, “You tagged me, now here is me paying it forward, and you can tag someone else because now you’re it．” She laughed and smiled．I am lucky because I was blessed with a 'buy one ham get one free'．
It felt so 18 to help her．I know that when I sit to eat my Christmas dinner, she will be having her 19 like she wanted and that is a good 20 ．
Rain was falling as my sister Jill and I ran out of the church, eager to get home and play with the 1 that Santa had left for us．Across the street was a gas station where the bus stopped．It was 2 for Christmas, but I noticed a family standing close to the locked door in an attempt to keep 3 ．
We were on the way to our grandparents’ house for the Christmas dinner．We were approaching our destination(目的地) 4 my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, “I can't 5 it! They are standing in the rain．They’ve got children．It's Christmas．”
When my father 6 the gas station, he rolled down his window．“Merry Christmas．You are waiting for the 7 ? ” Father asked．
The man said that they were．They were going to Birmingham, where he had a brother and 8 of a job．
“Why don't you all get in the car and I'll 9 you up there．”
After they settled in, Father looked back over his 10 and asked the children if Santa had found them yet．Their sad faces gave him the 11 ．
“Well, I didn't think so, ” my father said, “ 12 when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having 13 finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys in my 14 ．We'll just 15 them first before I take you to your destination．” All at once, the three children's faces shone with 16 ．
When we got out of the car at our house, the children 17 the front door and straight to the Christmas tree．One of the girls picked up Jill's doll and 18 hugged it to her breast, and the other girl seized(抓住)something of mine．
All this happened many years ago, but the memory of it remains 19 ．That was the Christmas when my sister and I learned the 20 of making others happy．
About ten years ago, I was on a plane going west, and a young woman 1 and sat across the aisle(过道)from me．I noticed her for two reasons．She was very attractive, and she was holding a teddy bear about half her 2 ．I teased her by asking if she had a 3 for the bear．She laughed and said no．
About halfway through the flight she 4 over and told me she was going to Tucson to enter rehab(康复治疗)．She 5 to share her life story with me．She had been working as a dancer in a nightclub．That 6 had led her down a dark 7 to drugs and alcohol．As I listened to her story, I was 8 at all she had gone through．I listened to all she shared and told her I was sure she was going to 9 it．At the end of the 10 , she thanked me for listening to her．
A few years later, I got a 11 in the mail saying, “Wow, it's been five years since we met on that plane．It is 12 how you touched my life．” She went on to tell me that she had 13 to stay away from drugs, and had been working for a radio station．She felt she had achieved things she could not have 14 that
day on the plane．We agreed to set up a time to get 15 ．
When I saw her, she was 16 the attractive young woman I remembered．She told me that that little 17 we had had turned her life around．She had got on the plane 18 anything would work in her life, and my affirmationof her as a person and of her 19 had given her the last bit of 20 she needed to work through her problems．
The young woman taught me it's never too late to make a new start in life．