A house with family love and memories could be called a home. Sitting on the porch(门廊) of a(n)_______ home, you can see shadows of trees _______ on the lawn. A leaf floats to the ground, suggesting the coming of fall. This wide porch was built as the main part of the home. The rest of the house _______ around it on both sides, like huge arms _______ a hug.

Countless stories have been shared on this porch by every member of the family for over 30 years. The family that grew here enjoyed daily _______- singing in the car, laughter at mealtime and football games on Sundays. When the father hit 55, his wife _______ he quit playing Sunday afternoon football with the kids. The mother never played, as she was stricken with a terrible illness after the birth of their second child. Never able to walk again, sometimes, she even had to _______ by dragging herself across the floor. She never complained about the challenges of her _______, nor did her husband complain about the _______ care he had to give his wife after she became ill.

There’s something ________ upon entering the house. It’s the smell of the piles of old books and magazines, the sheet music on the piano. Pictures of the family are still all hung in every room.

The homeowners are no longer there - they both recently ________ away. And yet, they both still ________ throughout the house. Their lives are still evident, ________ into the laughter and hearts of family and friends. They weren’t celebrities and won’t be remembered in history books. Yet they ________ of their own, by creating simple beauty in everyday life and by ________ challenges without complaining. That is truly the best remembrance(回忆) of all.

Some of the greatest problems we face today are concerned with the gradual destruction (破坏) of our environment through overuse of our _________. So my family do what we can. We take cloth bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don’t have to _________.

But when I’m the only one with a cloth bag in line at the grocery store, I ask myself: Does it do any good?

I recently found the answer from flamingos (火烈鸟). These beautiful birds gather in _________ groups of a thousand or more. Every year, when the time comes for migration (迁徙), a few flamingos start the process by _________ from the lake. But _________ of the others seem to notice, so the tiny group returns.

However, the next day they _________ again. This time a few more struggle along with them, but the vast majority _________ no attention, so these pioneers come back.

The trend continues for several more days. Every time a few more birds join in but, _________ the thousands of others still take no notice, the great migration plan is once again _________.

Then one day, things __________. The same small group of birds takes wing and a tiny number more join in, just as before. This time their total number is enough to tip the balance (扭转局势). As one, the whole group takes flight and the migration __________.

A few can make a __________. It’s true that all of the great problems of the world have been solved because of the __________ efforts of a few.

If you believe in a cause (事业), don’t __________. Others will someday notice and __________ we will solve even our greatest problems.

A young girl is smiling at me from a picture frame on my desk as I write this. She is my child I _______ sponsored from the Philippines. Even though I have never met her in person, she has found a _______ place in my heart. It doesn’t _______ me much to help her, about a dollar a day._______, millions of people in this world live on less. The _______ that helping her gives me, however, is beyond _______. It connects me to her, to life,_______ to love.

I can still _______ the first time that I decided to help a child overseas. It was many years ago. I was only a teenager myself and had a little extra _______ each month. I didn’t feel like ________ anything, though. We had ________ everything we had in a house fire a few years before.________ that had taught me a lot. I had learned that I didn’t need a lot of “stuff” to be ________. I had also read a lot about the ________ of children in poor countries around the world. It seemed like a far better thing then to give what I could to help them. With my Mom’s love and ________, I soon found a few organizations like Children International that were ________ others around the world. It felt so good being able to reach out and help another ________. It felt so good being able to make even one life better. I could feel the compassion and ________ growing within me and beginning to change me.

Empathy (同情) does change us. It helps us to ________, to be kind, and to make this world a ________ place.