For my grandpa, Tatay’s 90th birthday, our family threw him a big party.

We ______ the backyard with colorful flags so it would look like the neighborhood parties with which Tatay ______ in his home country of the Philippines. We ______ a big lechon, a roasted pig. And the guests were ______ to wear traditional Filipino clothes.

____ I was excited to wear an orange patadyong — a Philippine skirt and wrap — my white husband Darren, from Nashville, Tenn., felt ______ in his barong, a shirt woven from pineapple leaf fibers. My aunt had told all the guests to dress in ______ clothes.

“I feel like this is cultural appropriation,” he said，pulling the collar and looking around ______. “I honestly feel uncomfortable.”

I could understand Darren’s ______ But wearing a barong to Tatay’s birthday party this, I felt, was not appropriation but ______. It filled me with great ______ to see my white husband in the clothing of my family’s tradition. I knew my family was ______, too. My uncle lent his clean shirt to Darren. My cousins wanted to ______ photos with him.

I ______ him by saying he was expressing ______ and a sense of unity with my Filipino family. And we were wearing these clothes as an act of ______ to Tatay. He is losing his ______ —but barong and patadyong and lechon, these are some of the things that ______ in his mind.

In that barong, Darren’s standing next to Tatay ______ that he was making an ______ to understand and connect with my family. And that, to me, was a beautiful thing.

After all, appreciating different cultures helps understand the world.

Bravery Over Bullying（欺凌）

Lizzie is 26 years old now. She was born with an undiagnosed syndrome（综合症）. Around age 24一25, she ________ got an accurate diagnosis, I don't remember the specific name, but it is a（n）________ syndrome with one part ________ she has vision problems, bone issues and a lot of ________ with the large aorta（主动脉）in her heart. The other part means she cannot gain weight.

This combination means she looks ________ from everyone around her.

Her family never ________ her like she was anything different than any of them. ________ in elementary school the bullying began. With the ________of family and some in the schools, Lizzie was ________ by other students and ended up doing well in school.

________, in high school, she was on Facebook and saw a website about the ________ woman in the world. It was about her. Her ________ encouraged her not to ________ that , as her father wanted her to ________ whoever had posted this.

This docudrama （纪录剧情片）tells Lizzie's ________ and how she has moved beyond the bullying. She is now ________ others about the dangers of bullying, and ________cyberbullying（网络 欺凌）. She has given at least one TED talk and has spoken in many occasions all over the world.

I cried a lot as I watched this, but I am also so ________ by Lizzie and how she has faced the ________ in her life. As she puts it："I am ________       in a different way. "       

She is walking in beauty.

A few years ago, I was working in a small organization. Everyone was busy working on projects all day, _______ a lot from stress. One particular week, I decided to make people smile. So one evening, I wrote up a few quotes that have _______ me over the years. The next morning, I went to work a bit early and quickly _______ them up by the mirrors in the office restroom. Maybe someone else would enjoy the _______ as much as I had, and perhaps they might just _______ their day, I thought.

For the next few months, some of the quotes got taken down, but I noticed that a couple _______. So perhaps others _______ them, too.

Eventually, I _______ my contract(合同) with that organization and conditions brought me to other settings. A couple years passed, during which I'd get an email update from my _______ boss and teammates every so often.

A few months ago, I was ________ to a reunion with my colleagues to hear ________ on how the project I had worked on was going. Although I ________ worked in this office building, I had really enjoyed working with my team, and was ________ to see them all again. Towards the end of the event, I went to the ________, and found the quote that I had written two and a half ________ earlier was still up in the same spot by the mirror! It ________:

"The real voyage of ________ consists not in seeking new lands, but in seeing with new eyes." — Marcel Proust

It was a(n) ________ moment to find it still stood out as a shining reminder each time someone went to the restroom. We never ________ how long a seed planted will take to bloom and give fruit—but simply keep sowing seeds of ________ from the heart ...