When most toddlers can speak small sentence and use about 200 words, my three-year-old Kimber knew only fifty small words. She expressed herself in different ways. _______ ways! She pointed, climbed, gestured, cried and even learned baby sign language. But Kimber did not use _______ if she could help it. Kimber was tested, and we discovered she had _______ delay. Later, we learned this was _______ processing and executive function disorders, which made it very _______ for her to learn new sounds, letters and pronunciations. _______, Kimber was smart enough to _______ that she didn’t say words the same way as everyone else. If she couldn’t say words right, she didn’t want to say them at all and she hated to be _______ so she didn’t use words ever.

That _______ one hot summer day while we were visiting a friend. My friend had a litter of kittens ________ to give to good homes most of the kittens hid in the closet when my ________ toddler approached them, but one little grey one did not ________ , soon, they played together, when it was time to leave, my friend suggested we take kitty home. ________ Kimber had the kitten over her shoulder and its paws were ________ her shirt, I agreed. The next morning, I saw the most amazing thing. She was talking! “good kitty. Lie down.” Kimber said, petting the cat my eyes were filled with tears as I witnessed the ________. That charming cat inspired Kimber to overcome her own ________ and us the words she knew! I sat ________, listening to her taking to her new little pet. “Kitty, come here. It’s time to play!” seven words in a ________ from Kimber’s lips were all that I needed to hear. Kitty never went back to my friend. He won his ________ in our home. He was the perfect pet to help Kimber through his ________ love and acceptance.

Martin is a certified personal trainer for more than 30 years. He recently ______ a nonprofit organization, Fit2Give, to provide free personal training to ______ communities. Not everyone can attend a group exercise class — some need a one-on-one ______.

“The trainers will be paid; that’s why we’re taking ______,” Martin says. “We’re paying for their certification and their ______ and their ability to establish a ______ relationship with someone.”

Martin’s own ______ to fitness started when he was young. Later, he was attracted to weights and started visiting the gym. “While I was ______ at the gym, a supervisor suggested I take the exam and become a trainer,” he ______. “They loaned me their book. I took the exam. I ______.”

Martin has been supporting people’s fitness goals, which brings Martin ______. He says one client who lost 100 pounds through ______ diet and exercise. “At her weigh-in, her family was there, and they came up to me in ______ and said, ‘We thank you so much. Our mom, she’s like a ______ person.’ It was ______ to me that not only had I affected her, I had affected her family. That warmed my heart.”

The Power of Fresh Starts

Thirty years ago, I began my first year of teaching in Grade 2.One of the most unforgettable _________ was a little boy who had a serious ADD(多动症).I had no_________in dealing with such a case, and I_________the year studying how to help him become a(n)_______learner.There were many disappointing moments, but there was something_________about the boy who moved excitedly around my classroom.

_______the end of the school year came near, I heard a talk. The Grade 3 teachers were_________of having Stephen the following year. I considered it a lot, and I_________that I would be the best person to_________Stephen into Grade 3.My headmaster looked at me in________, but he agreed to my plan.

I will never forget that day when Stephen came to ask__________he was in my class again.I looked him in the eye and said, “Well, Stephen, you’re in my__________because I asked for you.” The little boy looked surprised.“You did? Why?” he asked.“Because I like you and want to keep ________with you,” I answered.

Stephen just__________at me.After a few moments, he__________and walked back to his seat.We never spoke of it again, but the two of us had many ________learning breakthroughs(突破) that year.I believe those__________ were more of a result of Stephen’s knowing that I had put his previous year’s mistakes behind him.

Now I come to know that when I__________for one, I can improve his soul.Each season is a new beginning, a new way of thinking. Many students ________a new start and are determined to act upon it.We need to pay attention to even the smallest__________that students are looking for help.