The five children in Larrane Leech’s day care group were outdoors early, painting landscapes under the dizzy sun. By 10 a. m., it was time to find shade, so Larrane decided they would walk down to the river.

“We’re going to pick berries now, ” she announced. A nature lover, Larrane insisted they spend as much time as possible outdoors.

Larrane handed each child an empty jar and called for Pal, her one-year-old German shepherd (德国牧羊犬). The group made its way over the dusty road and then onto a dirt path through the trees. They stopped at the first berry bush and got busy picking berries, cheering and talking excitedly.

A young cougar (美洲狮)cocked an ear toward the birdlike chatter and sniffed the air. Stepping over the thick carpet of pine needles, the cougar moved quietly toward the children.

Larrane sensed the children suddenly go quiet. She looked up to see the back end of a cougar, the size of Pal, standing over one child, Mikey. The sight of the cougar near her kids immediately froze Larrane. Larrane couldn’t tell whether Mikey had been bitten. Her mind racing wildly, she darted toward the cougar. Desperately intending to grab its tail, she shifted aim at the last minute and seized the cougar by the neck. She shook it from side to side. Instantly, the cougar wheeled toward Larrane. Growling and hissing, it stretched up high and brought its paws down upon the head of the woman. Although still in its youth, it had all the teeth and muscle a cougar needs to pull down a victim three times its size. This animal was capable of killing her.

Now aware of the danger, the other four children screamed and ran behind Larrane.

Larrane rushed to Mikey, who lay quietly on the ground.

How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Think before you act and do not spoil (损坏) what you have by desiring what you don’t have. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.

There was once a young man who was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had wanted a beautiful sports car, and knowing his father had much money, he told him that was all he wanted.

With Graduation Day coming, the young man waited for signs that his father had bought the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his room. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped (包装) gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound (皮革精装的) Bible (圣经), with the young man’s name decorated in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, “With all your money, you give me a Bible?” He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible. He didn’t want to see his father forever.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business.

Deep sadness and regret filled his heart when he went into his father’s house alone.

When I was a child growing up in the Netherlands, I often begged my mother to tell me this story about an experience her family had at the end of World War II.

During the terrible last winter of the German occupation, food was scarce in the Netherlands. People were so hungry that they began to eat small animals and many things not normally considered edible (可食用的), including tulip bulbs (郁金香球茎), which could be cooked like potatoes.

For centuries, my mother’s family had owned a highly successful tulip business, which provided jobs for many in our village. But the war shut their business down, and during the winter of hunger, my grandfather, Albert, donated all his tulip bulbs to feed the hungriest villagers. For years, Albert had been trying to grow a black tulip. By careful selection, he was very close. So he guarded these few bulbs carefully to prevent people from stealing them for food.

One day, it was announced that the war was over. But there was much destruction and the Dutch people still faced dangers. My grandfather looked at his pale, thin children and realized that the hunger could continue for a long time, so he made his decision. He seized a shovel (铁铲) and went into the garden. There he found my mother, Vivian, who was just seven years old, looking nervous. Over her shoulder, Albert saw a band of Germans coming toward them down the street. He whispered to Vivian to run inside the house and began digging for his bulbs. But it was too late. Someone had already stolen them. Angry and desperate, Albert ran toward the street screaming, “They have stolen my tulip bulbs!” Vivian, watching from the doorway, cried out and ran to stop her father. Before she could reach him, Albert stumbled and fell, badly hurting his leg.