About a month ago, while in the drive through at Starbucks，I noticed a woman in a car behind me who appeared to be having a bad day. There were two kids in the back who seemed to have too much _____at 8 am on a Sunday morning, because they were shouting loudly. The _____ moved slowly and at one point while I was pulling the car forward, the sad woman behind me _____my car. I could tell this _____ her. The entire time that I waited in line for my coffee this woman didn’t _____．

Looking back at her I could tell she was wondering “Why me? Why today?” When I _____ up and paid for my coffee I requested that the barista(咖啡吧员) of Starbucks give the woman behind me a smile card and paid for her coffee.

Just 30 minutes ago I was again _____ in line at Starbucks. I heard a slam of a car door but thought nothing of it. I was _____when the same woman came up to my driver’s side window. She _____ me a twenty­dollar bill and the same smile card I had given to her. She smiled and said,“These are for you. You are the ______ one who gave these to me ______, right? All I need you to do is ask the barista to give the ______ back to me. ”It was amazing！It was as if this woman had been waiting to show her ______ for what I had done!

When she got back into her ______today she was all smiles. I could tell she had the same feeling as I had on that early Sunday morning. It was nice to have my coffee paid for, but what made me feel even better was seeing the happiness and smile on her face.

As I pulled out of the drive­thru，she waved and yelled out，“Have a ______ day！”I yelled back “You too！”and waved her goodbye.

In 2009 we were staying at our cousin’s house in Triora, Italy. Settled just above a window was a bird’s nest which my ______ said had been there for many years. Each year, different families of starlings (椋鸟) came back to make it their ______.

We knew they were ______ because the chattering (鸣叫) of six newly hatched chicks _____us early every morning. Standing on a chair, I ______ to look into their nest. The first time I looked, the chicks were ______ and almost featherless. Their parents ______ backwards and forwards, bringing food to ______ their hungry and noisy chicks.

Being ______ parents, whenever they saw me they screamed and flew at the window. So I could only ______ the chicks when they weren’t around.

____ the chicks were only a few days old, I realized the parents were teaching their young to fly. One brave chick beat its wings a few times and then ______ across the street landing on the roof of the house ______. Well done, I thought. The next day, my husband and I left for a tour and I was ______, thinking of how I would miss the rest taking their first ______.

Two weeks later, on our ______, the first thing I did was look in the nest. It was ______. Then, suddenly, I head the beating of ______ and all eight of them were flying toward me. They _____a semicircle, singing to me. I felt as though they were saying, “Thank you for not harming us.” Then they flew off ______ into the blue sky.

In Minneapolis, the Olson family lives next door to 99-year-old Mary O’Neill.

Although Mary has an adult daughter who _________ her once a week, with the rest of her relatives scattered (分散), for the most part, the pandemic (流行病) left the soon-to-be centenarian (百岁老人) _________. But as the lockdown went on, Mary _________ to build a special friendship with one of her neighbors — Benjamin Olson, aged 2.

Over time, Mary watched through the chain-link as Benjamin learned to walk, talk and _________ run and play. Despite the huge differences in their _________, Benjamin was drawn to his elderly neighbor, delighting in her presence.

Between the two, they developed a _________ between them over the fence. Benjamin would pass her a ball and she’d hit it back to him with her walking stick.

While others may _________ the friendship due to the 97-year gap (代沟) between the two pals, when Benjamin sees Mary, he simply sees a _________, not a number.

Although the pair’s _________ connection scores high on the cuteness factor, Sarah, who is Benjamin’s mother, and Mary’s adult daughter believe the relationship has been a lifeline that’s kept the elderly woman __________ the hard times.

As pandemic restrictions have lifted. Mary and Benjamin’s __________ continues to grow on both sides of the fence. Benjamin joins Mary on her back steps to play games and enjoy the activities that bring __________ to each other.

“Friendship can just __________ in many different ways.” Sarah told CBS. “I’m just really happy they were able to form this one. It __________ a lot to her and to him too.”

In August, when Mary celebrates her 100th birthday, Benjamin and his family will be there to help her blow out the candles and make a __________. But the last thing she will be wishing for is a best friend because she’s already got one.