Growing roots

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ______ known. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t ______ lives, he was planting trees.

The good doctor had some ______ theories on planting trees. He believed in “No pains, no gains”. He never ______ his new trees, which was ______ many people. Once I asked why. He ______ that watering plants spoiled(宠坏)them, and that if you water them, each following tree generation will ______ weaker and weaker. So you have to make things ______ for them. He talked about how watering trees ______ shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in ______ of water. I came to understand that he meant deep roots were to be ______. I planted a couple of trees a few years back and I took good care of them. Two years of ______ has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows, they ______ and tremble their branches. Funny things about those trees of Dr. Gibbs’. The lack of water seemed to ______ them in ways comfort and ease never could.

I used to ______ for my sons that their lives will be easy. But ______ I’ve been thinking that it’s time to ______ my prayer. I know my children are going to meet _______, and I’m praying they will be strong. The prayer for comfort is seldom met. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots,______ when the winds blow, they won’t be ______ away.

My mom is an awesome human being just like all other moms. She knowingly and unknowingly _______ me a whole lot of things about the world.The incident which I’m going to share today determined the way I _______ everybody. 

I was four years old. One fine afternoon, my mom and I were staying outdoors, she reading and I watching a line of _______. I was never a naughty kid; in fact, I was known for keeping quiet even when things were not going my way. So I don’t remember why I did this but I disrupted (使中断) the lines of ants and I liked it when they looked so _______. I even went ahead and stepped on a couple of them! My mom saw this and she wasn’t _______ with me but she said something I still _______ today. She said, “You should never be _______ to anybody however little they are. Everybody is different and we shouldn’t treat them _______. 

I got upset when I heard this because I thought I had _______ my mom. Also my little heart started ________ the family of ants I had killed.It has been more than 25 years now and I’ve ________ so many things that have happened in my life; however. I still do my best to be kind to everybody. 

We should teach our young kids to never be mean to anybody. It makes a ________ when people praise other people for their efforts and when instead of being envious, we’re proud of people achieving their goals however ________ they may be. When you’re kind to other people, it’s a ________ that goes on. It’s the kind of ________ reaction that uplifts the whole world one heart at a time. I believe in the magic of kindness!