I remember meeting him one evening with his pushcart. I had managed to sell all my papers and was coming home in the snow. It was that strange hour in downtown New York when the workers were pouring homeward in the twilight. I marched among thousands of tired men and women whom the factory whistles had unyoked. They flowed in rivers through the clothing factory districts, then down along the avenues to the East Side.

I met my father near Cooper Union. I recognized him, a hunched, frozen figure in an old overcoat standing by a banana cart. He looked so lonely, the tears came to my eyes. Then he saw me, and his face lit with his sad, beautiful smile-Charlie Chaplin’s smile.

"Arch, it’s Mikey," he said. "So you have sold your papers! Come and eat a banana."

He offered me one. I refused it. I felt it crucial that my father sell his bananas, not give them away. He thought I was shy, and coaxed and joked with me, and made me eat the banana. It smelled of wet straw and snow.

"You haven’t sold many bananas today, pop, "I said anxiously.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I do No one seems to want them."

It was true. The work crowds pushed home morosely（愁眉苦脸的）over the pavements. The rusty sky darkened over New York buildings, the tall street lamps were lit, innumerable trucks, street cars and elevated trains clattered by. Nobody and nothing in the great city stopped for my father’s bananas.

"I ought to yell," said my father dolefully. "I ought to make a big noise like other peddlers, but it makes my throat sore. Anyway, I’m ashamed of yelling, it makes me feel like a fool. "

I had eaten one of his bananas. My sick conscience told me that I ought to pay for it somehow. I must remain here and help my father.

"I’ll yell for you, pop," I volunteered.

"Arch, no," he said," go home; you have worked enough today. Just tell momma I’ll be late. "

But I yelled and yelled. My father, standing by, spoke occasional words of praise, and said I was a wonderful yeller. Nobody else paid attention. The workers drifted past us wearily, endlessly; a defeated army wrapped in dreams of home. Elevated trains crashed; the Cooper Union clock burned above us; the sky grew black, the wind poured, the slush burned through our shoes. There were thousands of strange, silent figures pouring over the sidewalks in snow. None of them stopped to buy bananas. I yelled and yelled, nobody listened.

My father tried to stop me at last. " Nu," he said smiling to console me," that was wonderful yelling, Mikey. But it’s plain we are unlucky today! Let’s go home."

I was frantic, and almost in tears. I insisted on keeping up my desperate yells. But at last my father persuaded me to leave with him.

Susan Casado felt well prepared to have a birthday party of 15 to 20 guests for her son, Shemy, who celebrated his fourth birthday on Saturday. But after none of the boy’s friends arrived, she never expected she’d be hosting nearly 100 surprise guests at her home.

Susan tells Yahoo Lifestyle that she was disappointed when her brother was the only person to show up at the party at first. After seeing that she had tears in her eyes, however, Shemy’s uncle connected with a local Facebook group to call for more people to join the celebration. Moments later, a woman arrived at Susan’s home asking for the birthday boy, although the family had never met her before.

As people continued to arrive, the mother realized that her brother had something to do with it, and was then shown a Facebook post that he made to advertise the party.

After more unexpected guests continued to arrive, however, Susan began to worry about the amount of food that she had prepared. “I felt so embarrassed,” she explains. But guests didn’t care about the food and drinks. Instead, they told the birthday boy’s mother that they were there to “make Shemy’s day”, which even got better once the guests of honor arrived from St. Johas County Fire Rescue.

“My first thought was,” Is everybody okay? Is anybody hurt? And then they said, “We’re coming here to say happy birthday to Shemy, Susan says, ”They said, We brought you a big toy, we brought you a fire truck.”

Susan went on to explain that although Shemy has Down’s syndrome (唐氏综合症) and isn’t able to say much, he does express his happiness with laughter and hugs.” He hugs when he feels happy, so when people came in to meet him, we took pictures together and he hugged them. This is the way that he says thank you.”

When Susan asked her brother why he went through the extra effort to make sure that his nephew’s party was amazing, she says that he told her, “He should have a good birthday.” As for the firefighters who attended, they told the family that it’s all part of the job. One of the firefighters, Jeremy Robshaw, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that they just wanted to “bring a smile” to Shemy’s face.

During my elementary school years, I used to compare（比较） my mom with my best friend Tiffany’s mom.     

Tiffany’s mom always gave her lots of money to buy the most fashionable clothes and favorite food. Her mom allowed her to do anything she liked. I really admired Tiffany. My mom didn’t give me much pocket money and she always told me that I should behave myself. I was annoyed with her.

Whenever I didn’t get what I wanted, I would complain to my mom, Tiffany’s mom would give her that! I wish she were my mom. Every time, my mom would calmly say “Poor Tiffany”. I couldn’t understand her. “She shouldn’t be feeling sorry for Tiffany!” I thought. “She should be feeling sorry for me.”

One day, I couldn’t help saying to Mom, “Poor Tiffany? Lucky Tiffany! She gets everything she wants! Why do you feel sorry for her?” I burst out crying.

My mom sat down next to me and said softly. “Yes, I do feel sorry for her. I have been teaching you a lesson that she will never be taught.”

I looked up at her. “What are you talking about?”       

Mom said with care, “One day she will really want something. Maybe she’ll find out that she can’t have it. Her mother won’t always be around to give her money, and what’s more, money can’t buy everything.”   

She continued, “I have taught you valuable lessons by not giving you everything you want. You’ll know how to look for bargains（便宜货） and save money, but she won’t. You’ll understand that you need to work hard to get the things that you want but she won’t. When Tiffany is a grown woman, she’ll wake up one day and she will be wishing that she had a mom like the one you’ve got. Life lessons are more important than modern clothes and delicious food.”

It took some time, but I eventually understood my mom’s words. Now I am a happy and successful woman.