When I was about 13, my father would take me on short outings on Saturdays．On the way home, Dad 1 stopped at the Dairy Queen for 10-cent ice creams．I couldn’t 2 it, but I could pray from the 3 we started heading home to that corner where we would either go straight for the ice cream or 4 and go home empty-handed．That corner 5 either mouth-watering excitement or 6 ．
On one special day, we were heading home, and again I was praying for the 7 sound of his offer．It 8 ．“Would you like an ice cream today?” “That sounds great, Dad!” But then he said, “It sounds good to me too, Son．How would you like to treat today?”
Twenty cents! My mind reeled．I could afford it．I had a weekly allowance of 25 cents, plus some 9 for odd jobs(零活)．And 10 it was my money, ice cream wasn’t a good use of it．In a fit(冲动)of 11 , I said, “Well, in that case, I guess I’ll 12 ．” My father just said, “Okay, Son．”
But as we headed home, I realized how wrong I was and begged him to 13 ．But he just said, “That’s okay, we don’t really need one．” I felt 14 for my selfishness and ungratefulness．He didn’t mind, or 15 act disappointed．
I 16 that generosity goes two ways and gratefulness sometimes costs more than “thank you”．On that day gratefulness would have cost 20 cents and it would have been the 17 ice cream I’d ever had．
I’ll tell you one more thing．We went on another 18 the next week．As we 19 the corner, I said, “Dad, would you like an ice cream today? My 20 ．”
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．
