My parents operated a small restaurant in Seattle. It was open twenty-four hours a day, six days a week. And my first real job,when I was six years old,was_______the diners’ shoes. My father had done it when he was young,so he taught me_______to do it efficiently(有效地),telling me to_______to re-shine(再擦亮) the shoes if the customer wasn’t_______.

Working in the restaurant was a cause of great_______because I was also working for the good of the family. But my father_______that I had to meet certain standards(标准) to be part of the team. I_______to be punctual(守时的),hard-working,and polite to the_______.

I was_______paid for the work I did at the restaurant. One day I made the mistake of advising Dad that he________give me $10 a week. He said,“OK. How about you paying me for three meals a day you have here? And for the times you bring________your friends for free soft drinks?” He________I owed him about $40 a week.

I remember returning to Seattle after being________in the US Army for about two years. I had just been promoted(升迁) to Captain at that time. And full of pride,I walked into my parents’ restaurant,but the________thing Dad said was,“How about your________up tonight?” I couldn’t________my ears! I am an officer in the Army! But it didn’t________as far as Dad was concerned,I was just________member of the team. I reached for the mop(拖把). Working for Dad has taught me the devotion to a________is above all. It has nothing to do with________that team is involved in a family restaurant or the US Army.

Unchangeable Love

One day I visited an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was expecting a _________ view of the splendid artwork.

A young _________ viewing the paintings ahead of me _________ nonstop between themselves. I watched them for a moment and decided the lady was doing all the talking. I admired the man’s _________ for putting up with her _________ stream of words. _________ by their noise, I moved on.

I met them several times as I moved _________ the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her continuous flow of words, I moved away _________.

I was standing at the counter of the museum gift shop making a _________ when the couple approached the __________. Before they left, the man __________ into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He __________ it into a long stick and then tapped his way into the __________ to get his wife’s jacket.

“He’s a __________ man.” the clerk at the counter said. “Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise his life wouldn’t change. So, as before, he and his wife come in __________ there is a new art show.”

“But what does he get out of the art?” I asked. “He can’t see.”

“Can't see! You’re __________. He sees a lot. More than you and I do,” the clerk said. “His wife __________ each painting so he can see it in his head.”

I learned something about patience, __________ and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without __________ and the courage of a husband who would not __________ blindness to change his life. And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away, hand in hand.

This morning, I stopped by a local grocery store to pick up a few items. The small store was almost________and only one cashier(收银员)was working. I waited while the guy in front of me was putting all the________groceries back into his shopping cart(购物车). He was about to________when he asked if he could push the cart to his________a quarter mile away, unload it and then________ it.The cashier was new there and was not________. I said that I’d be happy to give him a________back home.

Then, we loaded his________into my car and talked on the________trip to his living place. He had just moved to the town recently, but like all of us, he was feeling the________of the high cost of living. I nodded with a sigh and helped him unload his groceries before________back home.

On my way home, I thought to myself, “The cost of living keeps going up, but at least the cost of loving doesn’t________.”That is the funny thing about loving. It almost costs us________. You might think if you spent your love________your family, your neighbors, your friends, and even the________you meet in the street, sooner or later your love would________.You might think sooner or later your________like your wallet would be empty.________, love doesn’t work like that. When we________our love, the cost doesn’t rise.________,we find that we have even more love.