My husband and I were both raised on Kansas farms. It was_______ to my husband's parents that their children should be educated and given the_______ to gain financial stability that they themselves didn't have when they_______to feed their family.

We each sought careers in the medical field. As we searched for a place to settle, we looked only at _______ communities. The city held no attraction for us. We wanted a_______,quiet area where our children could be exposed to good basic values, a good_______ , and a friendly environment. Our_______was made 40 years ago, and we never once_______settling down in a small town in north central Kansas. .

Early investment(投资) to secure the education of our children and our future retirement were focused on_______ . Farming was and is a(n)________part of our lives, although the primary income source is our________ practice.

What's great about small town living? The air is clean! There is no________. We feel safe! Our doors are locked________ . Our neighbors are honest and friendly. Only recently have we learned to________ car keys from unattended vehicles- not because of any great dangers, but to________ us more cautious and safe when we are in more heavily populated areas.

There are very few________in our small community. Even if you don't know each other very well, smiling faces with recognition and greetings are________with warmth. Friendly enquiries are________when there has been an experience with pain or joy. Anytime a neighbor is________from illness or some loss, the community is there to help, to________ the burden and to express their loving concern.

Five years ago, I lived in the countryside, whose road was extremely terrible. Every evening when I was away from home on business, my little boy would ask ______of his mother to take his black dog and his daddy's walking stick to make the half-mile journey from the house to the fence which ______ the beginning of the dirty driveway.

One day, I was busy with my business and was ______ for about an hour, completely forgetting about the faithful little boy down the road who might be ______ for his daddy.

On my way home, the rain was so heavy that I could not ______ ten feet in front of me. All I could ______ was finishing my journey and getting out of the rain. ______, the downpour began to abate(减弱). It was only drizzle(毛毛细雨) by the time my car turned the last______and approached the final street between me and a warm home with nice meal.

All of a sudden I caught sight of my little boy, who was ______ an umbrella in one hand, a walking stick in the other, and was wearing the biggest and most beautiful smile ever to lighten the ______ of the little boy.

As I stopped the car and ______ the door, he ran into my arms and held me long and hard. He was wet and ______ with cold, but he never mentioned the rain, nor the hour-long wait. He simply said, “Daddy, I missed you. I am so glad you are home.”

Last year, we______to a wonderful new home provided for a special season in our lives. We no longer have a long country road. ______, I have never forgotten the rainy day and the little boy and his black dog. Often, perhaps a thousand times, that ______ has appeared in my mind. Like all events in our lives, it happens once, and must be treasured.

A 29-year-old man who recently graduated from medical school found a special way to show respect and gratitude for his parents while looking back at how far they’ve come.

Erick Juarez graduated from the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in May after ______ his MD (Doctor of Medicine). To celebrate the accomplishment, the resident physician went to the ______ where his parents, Loreto and Maricela Juarez, have worked since the 1980s. Erick ______ the occasion by taking graduation photos with his parents, including one in the field with his mom ______ was shared on his post.

It has now become a ______ for Erick, who returns to the farm each time he gets a new degree to honor the ______ that his parents have made for him and his four siblings. “I wanted to honor my parents ______ showcasing them to my friends and the world. My parents arrived here with nothing to ______ but everything to gain,”Erick said.

From a young age, he knew he wanted to be a doctor, so he made every ______ to achieve that goal. First, Erick became a student of Bainbridge High School. He went on to ______ attend an academy before earning a Bacbelor at Harvard University—making him the first one from his hometown to graduate from the famous school. This spring, Erick continued his string of ______ by obtaining his medical degree at the Medical College of Gcorgia at Augusta University.

Following his graduation, he ______ his journey on a post, calling his accomplishment a “victory lap”. “My graduation from medical school was one small step for me, one ______ leap for my family. It’s as much, if not more, a victory lap for them ______ it is for me. And I couldn’t be prouder of them,” he continued. “I am the first in my entire family ______ to earn a white-collar job. And I get to help folks feel better—this is the best part!”