My four grown children all returned home visiting me this weekend．So we decided to go out for lunch．The centre of our 1 was my two－year－old granddaughter．She had never had pancakes before so we were 2 about her trying them．
We 3 tried to make our family meals special, so this time we decided to 4 every kind of pancake they had and required that they be 5 on one big family－style plate! We each took 6 to pick up food and also gave it to the baby．There was a lovely environment at the 7 and lots of smiles．As I was looking around the table, enjoying this wonderful 8 , a gentleman nearby 9 my eyes．
He was eating his lunch alone quietly in the corner．He 10 looked over and smiled at my granddaughter．Suddenly I had a great 11 ．I took out a smile card that I always 12 with me and gave it to the waitress．I 13 to her that I wanted to pay that man's bill anonymously(匿名地)and 14 her to give him the smile card．
Our 15 was still going on after the gentleman had left．The waitress came over and told us that the man had 16 the smile card on and paid for another table 17 he left．How great! It didn't end there, 18 , the waitress then came back later and told us that the second table had then 19 someone else and passed the smile card on too! What was really 20 was that by the time we left, half the room had ended up paying for a different table! Wasn't that great?
As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter．He had a wife and two fine sons．One night, his oldest son 1 a severe stomachache and died suddenly．To make matters worse, his wife left him a short time later, 2 him alone with his six-year- old younger son．The hurt and pain of the two situations were 3 Al could handle, and he 4 to alcohol．Al began to lose everything he possessed－his home, his land, his art objects, everything． 5 he died alone in a San Francisco motel room．
When I heard of Al’s death, I reacted with the same disdain(蔑视)the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing 6 left．“What a complete failure!”I thought．“What a totally 7 life!”
As time went by, I began to re-evaluate my earlier 8 judgement．You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie．He is one of the kindest, most 9 , most loving men I have ever known．I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free 10 of the love between them．I knew that kindness and caring had to come 11 somewhere．
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father．It is so hard to 12 an alcoholic．One day I get up my 13 to ask him．“I’m really puzzled by something,”I said．“I know your father was basically the only one to 14 you． 15 on earth did he do that you became such a special person?”
Ernie sat 16 and thought for a few moments．Then he said, “From my 17 memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a 18 and said, I love you, son．”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to 19 Al as a failure．He had not left any material possession behind, 20 he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known．
At the end of my senior year of high school, I got a job working at a local coffee shop．I thought the job would be easy and stress-free．I 1 myself pouring the best coffees, making delicious doughnut(炸面包圈), and becoming friends with 2 customers．
But I wasn't 3 the people with enormous orders, the women who 4 that the coffee was much too creamy(全乳脂的), or the men who wanted their iced coffees 5 again and again until they reached perfection．I couldn't seem to 6 anyone．
One rainy day, one of my regular customers came in looking 7 ．He said he felt like getting in bed,pulling the 8 up over his head, and staying there for a few years．I knew exactly how he felt．
9 he left, I handed him a bag along with his iced coffee．He was 10 , since he hadn't ordered anything but coffee, I had given him his favorite type of doughnut．
“It's 11 me,”I told him．“have a nice day．”
He smiled and thanked me before heading back out into the 12 ．
The next day, it was still raining．I 13 my afternoon hanging out the window, handing people their 14 ．I was completely wet and freezing cold． 15 , no one was tipping that day．Every time I looked into our 16 tip jar, I grew more depressed．
In the evening, the customer fromm the day before drove up to the window．He handed me a pink rose and a 17 ．He said that not many people took time to 18 others and he was glad there were still people like me in the world．With a friendly wave, he drove away．I ran to the back of the shop and read the note．It read：
Christine,
Thanks for being so sweet, kind and thoughtful yesterday．It's so nice to meet someone who's genuinely(真诚地)nice．Please don ' t change your 19 !Have a great day!——Hank
After that, whenever I felt depressed or sick of coffee, I thought of Hank and his kindness．Then I would smile, hold my head up high, 20 my throat and ask politely, "How can I help you?"
After their business trip, John and Mary returned, eager to see their lovely children．As they drove into their home town feeling glad to be back, they noticed 1 , and they went off their usual route to see what it was．They found a 2 in flames．Mary said,“Oh, well, it isn't our fire, let's go home．”
But John 3 closer and screamed,“That home belongs to Fred Jones who works at the plant．He wouldn't be 4 works yet, maybe there is something we could do．”It has nothing to do with us, Mary 5 ．
But John drove up and stopped and they were both horror-stricken to see the whole house in 6 ．A woman on the lawn was screaming,“The children! Get the children!”John 7 her by the shoulder saying,“Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!”“In the 8 ,”cried the woman,“down the hall and to the left．”
In spite of Mary's disagreement John 9 for the basement which was full of smoke and 10 hot．He found the door and two children． 11 he left he could hear some more sobbing．He 12 the two badly frightened children into 13 arms and started back asking how many more children were down there．They told him 14 more and Mary grasped his arm and screamed,“John! Don't go back! It's 15 !That house will fall down any second．”
16 he ran into the smoke-filled hallway and at last he found both children．As he climbed up the 17 stairs, the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely 18 about the little bodies next to him, and at last when they came out into the 19 and fresh air, he found that he had just 20 his own children．
The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping．