When Ricochet was just a young pup, her owner Judy Fridono hoped the dog might one day become a service dog and help people. But Ricochet had other plans, at least for the first part. She failed at service dog training, but she went on to help millions of people around the world learn how to trust, how to love, and how to surf.

According to Fridono, the dog seemed naturally suited to life as a service dog. She was great with people, especially kids, and she had plenty of energy. But birds were her weakness. She just couldn’t seem to stop running after them. And that’s not a good quality for a service dog that needs to focus on the person she’s helping.

Fridono said at the beginning she was disappointed when Ricochet didn’t succeed at service dog school. But it wasn’t long before the pup let her true skills shine through. At just 8 weeks old, Ricochet climbed on to a board that had been left in a children’s pool, showing her special talent for balance.

Soon, Ricochet was making headlines as the beach-loving dog who could hang ten on a surfboard. But she wasn’t finished showing off her special talents yet.

“One day at the beach, she jumped on a surfboard with a 14-year-old boy who had spinal cord(脊髓)injuries, ”Fridono said. “It was at that moment that her life purpose to surf with people who are disabled was realized. She is just such an inspiration to everyone—she’s got such a strong connection to people, and we see such improvements in the people who she surfs with. ”

Ricochet now surfs daily with children and adults with special needs. She specializes in helping military veterans(退伍军人)with some diseases and children with autism(自闭症)by connecting with them in ways that no one else can.

When my sister Martie told me she had put out tomato plants last summer, I was quite impressed.

She was a garden-beginner. Once they were planted, she tended to water them daily, anxiously awaiting the juicy tomatoes to appear. But, day after day, her plants were tomato-less while all of her neighbors who had also put out tomato plants were already enjoying the fruit of their labor.

Frustrated, Martie gave in and went to the market to search fresh tomatoes. While paying, Martie told the farmer her troubles. The farmer paused to think for a moment and then asked, "Well, what kind of tomatoes did you plant?"

"I think they were called Big Boy," Martie remembered.

"Well there's your problem," the farmer explained. "Big Boy and Better Boy tomatoes have a 95-day gestation (孕育) period whereas regular tomato plants produce fruit in as little as 70 days...you just have to wait a little longer for the Big Boys."

With that new knowledge, Martie went home with excitement, knowing they would be worth the wait.

Thinking about my sister's gardening experience, I had to smile. She just didn't know that Big Boy tomatoes took longer-neither did I-but once she discovered that information, she was no longer discouraged and upset about the lack of tomatoes on her plants. Instead, she was encouraged and excited to see them a few weeks later.

It makes me wonder how many of us have "Big Boy' dreams in our hearts, yet we just don't realize that they are of the "Big Boy" variety so we are discouraged and worn out with the waiting process. Instead of waiting with excitement, we give up on our dreams and figure we must have done something wrong to stop them from coming to pass. Frustrated, we see other people's dreams coming true, and we wonder why ours haven't yet been achieved.

In October, I told the eight-year-olds in the class I teach about my plan. “I’d like you to do extra jobs around the house to earn some money,” I said. “Then we’ll buy food for someone who might not have a nice dinner otherwise.”

Early in the week for that donation, the children arrived with their hard-earned money. They had cleaned yards, set tables, and washed dishes. They couldn’t wait to go shopping. I watched as they rushed in the supermarket aisles (过道). At last we headed toward the checkout, pushing a cart filled with food. Then Kristine cried. “Flowers!” The group rushed toward the plants.

“You can’t eat flowers.” I responded. “Why not use the money to buy more food?” “But Mrs Sherlock.” she begged. “we want flowers.”

Defeated, I looked at the flowers. Stuck in the middle of the display was a pot of purple flowers. “She’ll like this one,” the children agreed, and put the purple plant into the cart.

An agency had given us the address of a needy grandmother. Soon we pulled up in front of a small house. The children hurried to get the food. When Amy put the flowers on the counter, the woman seemed surprised. “Do you like it?” Michael asked. The old lady brightened. She told the children about the animals that lived close by.

We returned to the car. As we fastened our seat belts, we could see the kitchen window. The woman inside waved goodbye, then turned and walked across the room, straight to the flowers. She put her face in them. When she raised her head, there was a smile on her lips.

The children were quiet. In that brief moment, they had seen the power they possessed to make another’s life better. Sometimes a person just needs a pot of flowers on a dark November day.