As she walked around the huge department store, Edith reflected how difficult it was to choose a suitable Christmas present for her father. She wished that he was as easy to please as her mother, who was always delighted with perfume.

Besides, shopping at this time of the year was a most disagreeable experience: people trod (踩) on your toes, poked (捅) you with their elbows and almost knocked you over in their haste to get to a bargain ahead of you.

Partly to have a rest, Edith paused in front of a counter where some attractive ties were on display. “They are real silk,” the assistant assured her, trying to tempt her. “Worth double the price.” But Edith knew from past experience that her choice of ties hardly ever pleased her father.

She moved on reluctantly and then quite by chance, stopped where a small crowd of men had gathered round a counter. She found some good quality pipes on sale—and the prices were very reasonable. Edith did not hesitate for long: although her father only smoked a pipe occasionally, she knew that this was a present which was bound to please him.

When she got home, with her small well-chosen present concealed in her handbag, her parents were already at the supper table. Her mother was in an especially cheerful mood, “Your father has at last decided to stop smoking.” She informed her daughter.

One night in April, Corey Simmons got on the New York City subway, heading from Manhattan to Brooklyn to pick up his son from his grandmother. Simmons knew he needed to open the green folder (文件夹) on his legs, because inside lay his son’s math worksheets that father and son were supposed to complete together.

His son, who was in third grade, had just failed a test on fractions (分数). Simmons, 40, was never great at math. He wasn’t sure he remembered much about fractions. He opened the folder and started on a problem, but wasn’t sure if he was doing it correctly.

Just then, a man got on the train and sat next to him.

“He looked like a professor or something,” Simmons said.

“He looked kind of smart… like he knew something about math.”

Like most New Yorkers, Simmons did not often talk to other people on the subway. This time, he shared his problem with the stranger. To his surprise, the man offered to help.

The two men worked through the math problems. The stranger helped Simmons understand how to do the math, so he could later teach his son.

The moment was captured (捕获) by Denise Wilson, who was heading home from her job and saw the pair doing homework. She posted the photo on Facebook. “I really love seeing things like this especially in New York,” she wrote. “To be a dad… and put his pride aside and learn from a complete stranger… it was so cool.”

Simmons said he wasn’t afraid to ask for help so he could help his son. “You have to ask questions to get information. I’m not shy to ask,” he said. “I was letting him know ‘I need help, you know, your assistance would be great here on the train.’”

The 20-minute subway lesson gave Simmons high hopes that his son would pass the next test. “He’s going to knock it out of the park,” Simmons said.

My mother, a nurse at Stony Brook University Hospital, worked at night so that she could come home in time to send me to school.She'd sleep during the day and be ready when we returned home before heading out again in the evening.This went on for 23 years.She never complained (抱怨).No matter how tired she was, she always had enough energy to be my mom.

She often had to work on holidays, even on New Year's Eve, which made me unhappy.However, before holidays she always decorated the inside and outside of our house.She'd also have cookies baking in the oven, a holiday­themed movie in the VCR, and music playing throughout our house for us.But when it was time to go to work, there was no room for debate."Why do you have to work on this day of all days?" I'd ask sadly."They need me, too, dear son," she'd say.

For a long time I didn't understand why she should care so much about those sick strangers.Recently, as my grandmother became ill, I found myself spending more time in the hospital.The scenes I saw in the hospital made me see the different side of my mother.The nurses checked the heart, blood and oxygen levels to make sure patients were comfortable.They lifted patients in and out of bed and helped them to the bathroom.Beyond their duties, the nurses showed consideration(体贴) for each patient.

What I saw helped me understand why my mother was devoted to her occupation (职业).I was filled with more admiration for my mother.