I was doing some last-minute Christmas shopping in a toy store. A nicely dressed little girl was _____ the teddy bears beside her father ____ she saw a little boy walk in and stop in front of the Pokémon toys. His jacket was obviously too small. He had money in his hand. _____,it looked no more than five dollars at most. He was with his father as well, and ______ picking up the Pokémon video games. Each time he showed one to his father, his father ______ his head, “No”.

Rather ______ , the boy gave up and chose a book of stickers ______. After they walked away, the little girl ran over to the Pokémon video games. She excitedly picked up one ______ on top of the others, and raced down toward the check-out（结账处）. I picked up my goods and ______ the girl and her father.

Then, much to the little girl’s ______ , the little boy and his father got in line _____   her and me. After the video was paid for and bagged, the little girl ______ it back to the cashier(收银员) and ______ something to her. The cashier smiled and put the ______ under the counter(柜台). I was putting things in my bag when the little boy came up to the cashier. The cashier said, “______ , you’re my hundredth customer today, and you win a prize!” and she handed the boy the Pokémon game. The boy could only ______ in disbelief. It was, he said, ______ what he had wanted! The little girl and her father had been standing at the doorway, and I saw the biggest and ______ smile on that little girl.

I suddenly ________that the world is not divided(划分) into the strong who care and the ____ who are cared for. We must each in turn care and be cared.

One day, my children and I found a homeless, small cat trapped in a burning box. She was _________ injured, with most hairs burned. We rescued her and named her Smoky. Back at our ranch (牧场) we _________ her.

Weeks later, Smoky looked better, but was completely _________ due to medicine on her skin. She looked so ugly but we adored her. My husband, Bill, didn’t. Smoky _________ him, too. Why? He was a pipe smoker _________ matches and lighters that _________ and burned. Every time he lit up the pipe, Smoky panicked, _________ his coffee cup before fleeing.

“Can’t I have any _________ here?” he’d complain, instead of quitting smoking though it harmed his health. _________, Smoky became more __________ of the pipe and its owner. She’d lie on the sofa and look at Bill as he smoked. One day he laughed, “Oh, the cat makes me feel __________.” Slowly, Bill __________ smoked in the house, and one night, surprisingly, I found Smoky lying on his lap. Bill started liking her.

During Smoky’s second year, she began growing fur. Tiny white hairs gradually grew long. Bill continued to enjoy her __________, driving around with Smoky. When he got out of the truck to check the __________ on the ranch, he left the cat __________, letting her enjoy the air conditioning.

When I was younger I was lost in the stories in magic books. I _______ them thirstily. Also like most of the readers of these stories I secretly wished for magical _______ for myself. I wanted to be able to _______ make my pain disappear, to make my problems go away.

_______ I got older, however, I realized that there was no such thing as magic. Later, the competitive reality of life set in, and I struggled through a long _______ of poverty (贫困). Worst of all, I had daily _______ from a back injury that was never completely recovered. I felt great _______ when both of my sons _______ from loneliness. I still sometimes daydreamed of magic but finally that died away.

Then one day I _______ a different kind of magic called LOVE. It grew stronger in my heart, soul and ________ day by day. This magic connected me to my own best self and to all of the ________ souls in this world. Though it didn’t ________ my poverty, it made every day of my life ________ and colorful. Though it didn’t make my back pain go away, it helped me ________ it so much better. Though it didn’t cure my sons’ loneliness, it helped me see the beautiful, loving and joyful souls.

There is such a thing as magic in each one of us in this world. This is LOVE. May you choose it, share it, and ________ every single day of your life in it.