When I was born, one of my shoulders was higher than the other. _________ I was disabled.

The bullying(欺凌) started in the first grade. Everyone _________ it’s funny that my neck was so small. The days in school were _________ for me. Children laughed at me for “ not having a _________ ” almost every day. The emotional pain was _________ . I would come home from school and cry myself to _________ most nights. Later, my parents put me in karate(空手道) to build my confidence and to be able to _________ myself. They also inspired me to write to release the _________ I was under.

These gave me the _________ I needed to partially feel at peace. I started writing poetry to express my __________ and took part in poetry contests. When I was in the eighth grade, bullying __________ . Everyone began to admire me.

All the hardship and pain I’ve experienced would __________ a regular person, but I feel like my purpose on earth is to __________ every barrier in my life. I’ve been through __________ but with the help of family and friends, I __________ it.

My story is yet to end but I think it’s important to __________ my experiences because there may be kids out there who are __________ the same problems. I want to tell them things will be better one day if you __________ it. I want to tell them love yourself no matter what other people say, because if you don’t, then they’ll be __________ .

I hope my story can __________ them.

It was Thanksgiving. I was volunteering with my parents at a shelter for the _______. We stood behind the counter giving hot food to _______ came in. Most of our diners looked as if they had been having _______ times their clothes were old and dirty. _______, they looked in need.

Then an old man who looked anything but poor _______. He wore a new suit. I _______ what he was doing here and I was greatly surprised when he _______ the line for food. The closer he came to my service station, the more I complained. "What is this man doing here?" I asked myself. _______, he wasn't going to take the food which was meant for those who were _______ in need!

Then my ________ quietly took me to one side. She said, "You have assumed (认为) that the ________ of the people who come here must be purely physical hunger or lack of shelter or ________ etc. And this gentleman doesn't seem to have any of those ________. Perhaps his needs are emotional (情感的). Perhaps he needs comfort, friends, or just to ________ other human beings."

Her words ________ me feel like a ton of bricks hitting my head! I felt like saying "________" to the man for my wrong behavior.

About a week later, the shelter ________ a large donation (捐赠) from someone unknown. I can't help but wonder ________ it came from that man.

Now I remember my mother's lesson and try to ________ kindness whenever I meet someone, no matter how he or she ________.

Needs cannot always be seen, but kindness always makes a difference.

I used to find notes left in the collection basket of the church, beautiful notes about my homilies(讲道) and about the writer’s thoughts on the daily readings. The _______ fascinated(吸引)me. But it was a long time ______ I met the author of the notes.

One Sunday morning, I was ______ that someone was waiting for me in the office, a young woman who said she ______ all the notes. When I saw her I was ______, since I had no idea that it was she who wrote the notes. She was sitting in a chair in the office. Her ______ was bowed and when she raised it to look at me, she could barely ______ without pain. Her face was disfigured(畸形), so smiling was very ______ for her.

We ______ for a while that Sunday morning and agreed to meet for lunch after that week.

As it ______, we went to lunch several times, and we shared things about our ______. We spoke of authors we were both ______, and it was easy to tell that ______ are a great love of hers.

She suffered from a disfigurement that cannot be made to look ______. I know that her condition ______ her deeply. Yet there was a beauty to her that had nothing to do with her ______. She was one to be listened to, whose words came from a wounded ______ loving heart. She possessed a fine tuned sense of beauty. Her only ______ in life was the loss of a friend.

The truth of her life was a desire to see beyond the _______ for a glimpse of what it is that matters. She found beauty and grace, ________ befriended her and showed her what is real.