With Christmas approaching, I often reflect upon one particular evening in the early 1960s. Back then, we decided to go carolling (唱圣诞颂歌) to spread the Christmas spirit which might ________ someone else’s life. So we needed to take ________ new members, for whom the only ________ was warmth of spirit.

Soon we discovered that carolling brought various ________. Sometimes we were greeted with open doors and open hearts, while other times, folks remained in the safety and cosiness of their homes, watching ________ through their windows.

One stop on our journey particularly ________ our memory. That night, after a couple of songs, one door swung open. A gentleman, gray haired, tenderly ________we go upstairs to sing for his bedridden wife. He added ________, “She loves music and used to be an opera singer.”

We stepped briskly upward into the couple’s ________ apartment. Books, records, and antique furniture whispered stories to us. I reminded myself not to stare ________ showing disrespect to them.

Sitting beside his wife, the gentleman gave us a ________. Then our voices rose and lingered around their small home. Had our voices been given extra ________ and beauty for this occasion? Perhaps they had.

A smile flickered on the woman’s ________, yet beautiful face. She snuggled her head against her husband’s shoulder and both of them heartily enjoyed our performance. Witnessing such a heartwarming scene, we felt it was a holy night, for we were in the ________ of love that was gentle and mild.

At that moment, we found, and maybe even _______, the Christmas spirit.

Next week, strangers with a truck will ______ everything we own, except the clothes on our backs, the car we will drive, and as much stuff as we can pack into it.

It’s called ______ . Some people do it often. For others, like me, it's a rare experience. In all my adult years, I've moved only ___ .

My first husband and I moved into our first house with a bed, our clothes and a few gifts. That was ____ ago. Over the years, I filled that house with three children, a few dogs and enough stuff to reach the ceiling(天花板).

Then the kids grew up, I lost my ___   to cancer, and I began to learn about ___ .

First, I let go of the idea of being ______. Life isn’t about being in charge of what happens; it's about being in charge of what we do with it.

Next, I let go of _______ the things I care most about. I began to put important things first like keeping in touch with the people that mean the most to me.

I let go of the people whose lives are about anger or hatred( 憎恨), and tried instead to __________ myself with those who shine with ____ .

Finally, I let go of being ___     － I remarried.

I eventually moved to a new city with my new husband, and after that move, I promised I’d stop collecting meaningless things. But 12 years later, here I am, still learning about letting go. Yesterday while cleaning out a dresser, I found a box filled with old keepsakes(纪念品). Nothing in that box may mean much to anyone, except me. They are treasures for me which _______ me of the _______ they preserve. We finally decided to hold onto to them and never let them go.

We’ll all move someday from this world to the next, but we won’t need a truck to do it. We’ll take nothing with us and but ________ a memory of the life we lived, the mistakes we made, and all the love and kindness we tried to show That memory might not be a treasure, but ______ , someone will keep it and hold it close and never let it go.

If you want to help, you first need to listen. This is a philosophy that Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries ________. If you’re modest, you’ll ask the poor, “What would help you?” But if you’re led by ________, then you tell the poor, “Here is what your problem is: here’s how you fix yourself.”

Few businesses would hire ________ gang members (一帮混混), so Greg created Homeboy Industries to provide those people with ________. Today, Homeboy ________ not Just the neighborhood but all of Los Angeles County with its restaurants, coffee shops and ________ a tattoo (纹身) removal clinic. Homeboy, staying modest, has ________ to the formerly gang involved and helped at every ________. It asks the question: “Anything ________ we can do for you?”

The minute you think you know how to help someone may also be the moment you get it ________. Your intention is admirable, but your approach may be wrong. ________ likes to be told how to get better; they want to ________ the process. That begins with conversation to ________ how the other is feeling and how he can help himself get better at a job or recover from addiction.

For some, ________ is to admit that you don’t have all the answers. Actually the best answers often come from those you serve, ________ it does with Homeboy Industries. Its tattoos removal clinic came about because ex-gang members wanted to remove tattoos which may ________ them getting hired. Removing a tattoo is a long and ________ process but it can serve as a kind of ________.

Modesty is that openness to others. It ________ a pathway of service to others. There are difficulties greater than you can overcome ________, but when you surrender (屈服) a part of yourself to serving the team, you belong to a community that just might overcome those difficulties.