A teacher in New York decided to honor each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. First she told them how the student made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon (勋带) imprinted with gold letters reading, “Who I Am Makes a Difference.”

Afterwards the teacher decided to do a class project to see what kind of impact recognition would have on a community. She gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Then they were to follow up on the results and report back to the class in about a week.

One of the boys in the class, went to a junior executive in a nearby company and honored him for helping him with his career planning. He gave him a blue ribbon and put it on his shirt.   Then he gave him two extra ribbons, saying, “We’re doing a class project on recognition. we’d like you to go out to find somebody to honor, give them a blue ribbon, then give them the extra blue ribbon, so they can acknowledge a third person to keep this acknowledgment ceremony going. Then please report back to me and tell me what has happened.”

Later that day the junior executive went to see his boss. He told the boss that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and give him permission to put it on him. His surprised boss said, “Well, sure.” As he gave him the last extra ribbon, he said, “Would you do me a favor? Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else? The young boy who first gave me the ribbons is doing a project in school and we want to keep this recognition ceremony going and find out how it affects people.”

That night the boss came home to his 14 year old son and sat him down.

The surprised boy started to sob and he couldn’t stop crying.

A Surprise for Grandfather

From high up in his apartment building, Peter could see the canal stretching in both directions. Every Saturday, Peter watched for grandfather riding toward the building on his bicycle. But today, Peter knew that his grandfather wouldn’t come and he would not hear the ring-ring of grandfather’s bicycle bell. What’s worse, there would be no Saturday afternoon picnic in the park.

Last week, his grandfather had hip surgery (髋部手术). Now he rested at home needing a walking stick to walk-and Peter didn’t know if grandfather would ever ride his bike again. Peter sighed. The sky looked beautiful today, but Peter missed his grandfather. Would he ever again hear the ring-ring as grandfather approached? That’s when Peter had an idea. He grabbed his birthday money-10 euros-from the top dresser drawer. Then he hurried to tell mom his plan.

A few minutes later, Peter ran down the stairs of his building and burst into the afternoon sunshine. His bike was waiting for him. Peter fastened his helmet and pedaled down (踩踏板) the rough road.

Ring-ring sang his bicycle bell to alert walkers that he was coming.

He pedaled past the corner bicycle accessories (配件) shop. He pedaled past the window washer who whistled as he worked. And he pedaled over a bridge.

“Hello,” he called to a girl fishing in the canal.

“Hello,” he called to a baby in a stroller.

Peter pedaled two more blocks and then arrived at the. market. He loved the market’s sights and smells. Buckets were filled with bright bouquets of tulips. Tables were full of rounds of cheese. Colorful vegetables were piled high-red tomatoes, white asparagus, orange carrots, green lettuce, purple potatoes, and yellow peppers. And Peter’s favorite-baskets overflowed with freshly baked breads, rolls, and pastries. He inhaled the smell, and his mouth watered.

Peter’s euros jingled in his pocket as he walked through the market, examining each table. He stopped at a fruit stand and chose two shiny apples. “Thank you,” Peter said to the farmer and handed him one euro. He stopped at the cheese table and asked for half a pound of cheese. ”Thank you,” Peter said to the cheesemaker, handing him three euros. Finally, he stopped in front of the bread baskets and chose a crusty oblong loaf (大面包).“Thank you，”he said to the baker，handing him two euros. Peter placed the items in his bicycle basket and pedaled back.

Ring-ring sang his bicycle bell to alert walkers that he was coming.

He pedaled over the bridge.

But instead of heading for home, Peter pedaled in a different direction.

Grandpa’s Old Chair

It was the annual cleaning day for the family. John and his mom were busy cleaning the house. They cleaned upstairs, downstairs, inside and outside until everything was spotless. Exhausted, they sank into the couch. Just then, John’s mom noticed an old chair that was faded and worn. That chair was for John’s grandpa, who had lived with them since John’s grandma had died.

“John, come and help me.” John’s mom sprang to her feet. “We’ll take the chair to the curb (路边). The garbage truck is picking up on our block tomorrow.”

As they attempted to move the chair, John’s grandpa made his way through the door. Seeing what was happening, he quickly tried to stop them. “No!” he protested. “You can’t take my chair.”

“But it’s so old...” John’s mom argued. “We’ll buy you a new one.”

“No,” he persisted, trying to push his chair back into place.

John’s mom finally let go of the chair and left the room. With a sigh of relief, the old man sank into his chair and closed his eyes.

“Grandpa, why won’t you let us get rid of the chair?” John asked.

“You don’t understand, John.” His grandpa shook his head and said, “I sat in this chair with your grandma right here when I asked her to marry me. And I sat in this chair the night your father was born. Many years later,” Grandpa’s voice broke, “I sat in this chair when the doctor called and told me that your grandma was ill. I was lost without her, but the chair gave me comfort and warmth.” The old man’s sadness seemed to grow as he recalled that fateful day.

“I understand now.” John looked at his grandpa and said, “This is not just any old chair. It is more like a friend.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “We’ve gone through a lot together.”

However, that night, when John and his grandpa were asleep, John’s mom and dad carried the chair outside. It was a starless night. Snow fell silently from the black sky and covered Grandpa’s chair in a blanket of white.

The next morning, John was woken by the garbage truck pulling up to the house.

Hearing this, John’s mom looked at his grandpa and slowly walked towards him.