My struggles started in seventh grade when I began passing out. I had many medical check-ups and finally found one that helped. My average blood pressure was about 80/60 on a good day. To this day, I continue to battle this problem.

Then, two years ago, I was diagnosed (诊断) with fibromyalgia, a muscle disease that is not really helped by medication. It’s like having a pulled muscle when the disease attacks. It can last as long as three months. I was bedridden for a month. Cold weather, rain, or physical or emotional stress can cause the pain,

It’s hard enough to be a healthy teenager and go through the typical changes with friends, family, school, etc. Add to that missing two to three months of school a year, and it can make things very difficult. The hardest part was on the outside I looked normal like everyone else; however, on the inside, I was in horrible pain. Some classmates had passed their comments on me thinking that since my physical appearance was fine, I must be OK. The judgment hurt me more than anyone will ever know.

I battled with depression (抑郁) as well, because I felt like an outsider. I longed to be normal and healthy. I even developed an eating disorder. In the beginning, I had lost a lot of weight. For the first time, I felt like I was attractive because I was skinny. I was receiving more attention than ever. I would still feel depressed, though, because of all that was going on in my life. I would eat a lot hoping the stress would go away. But then I would throw up the food so I would still look good. Luckily, I overcame these problems with the help of my family and a wonderful job.

My mother stuck by me and encouraged me in all my time of need.

I found a purpose knowing I had something to give to these elderly people.

An anonymous (匿名的) person’s rude note was sent to a struggling neighbor. Prior to receiving the unpleasant letter last month, Randa Ragland and her family had been facing a variety of tough challenges. Her husband had lost his job; she had been diagnosed with some health issues; but worst of all, her 3-year-old son Jaxen had been diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma just before his birthday. Jaxen had already suffered seven surgeries and been hospitalized more than 20 times.

Being a desperate Mom, Ms. Ragland had to care for her little one attentively and tried to get in contact with the “best doctor in the world for this condition”. She and her husband travelled all the way state after state to give her little one a fighting chance. Exhausted and worn out, she found the sparkle (火花) of the hope for lighting the messy situation was to go out.

On top of all of this, she opened her mailbox in Pinson, Alabama, to find an unaddressed note from a neighbor criticizing her for the state of her lawn. The note said that since her yard had fallen into disrepair, its appearance was “affecting the resale value” of their homes and that Ragland needed to “do better.”

At first, she felt a little angry. But so much had been going on with her and her family. She just didn’t have the energy to be more negative.

She posted a photo of the note on Facebook as a means of encouraging her friends to have patience with their own neighbors because we never know what hardships someone might be going through.

Unexpectedly, her post was shared by dozens of people.

Ms. Ragland had never met any of these people before in her life.

The Trouble With Chores (家庭杂务)

The twins, Jenna and Jeff, were good at most things. Their dad was good at most things, too. But there was one thing the twins and Dad were not good at—that was chores. It wasn’t that Dad and the twins didn’t want to do their chores. It was just that they always seemed to have reasons not to do them. And they had such good excuses.

“You’re right, my dear,” said Mum. “The grass does need cutting. But a spider has spun a wonderful web on the lawn mower and I haven’t the heart to put all her hard work to waste.”

“Mum,” said Jenna, “I know it’s my week to put up my cards. It’s just that I’m waiting for them to dry. They’ll be easier to scoop up that way.”

“Mum,” said Jeff, “may I skip setting the table tonight? There’s a TV show on the Ice Age, and I have to do a report on the Beast of Baluchistan.”

There were also the endless quarrels about who did what and who got the easy job. Mum sighed. If only Dad and the twins were as good at doing their chores as they were at arguing about them, life would be easier. Talking of chores, Mum thought instead of pushing them for chores, it would be a lot easier to do them herself. And that was what she did. She put away all cards and set and cleared the table. She chased the dust bunnies from under the furniture and cleaned up the twins’ messy room.

The twins did pick up and put away things occasionally. Dad did cut the grass once in a while. Not surprisingly, things began to slide. Everybody got a little unhappy, especially Mum, who spent much time doing chores. Something had to be done. But what?