Are things not working out in your life, despite your doing all the “right” things? Is it possible that you are holding “unforgiveness” in your heart? It is worth thinking about. What do you do when somebody hurts you? Do you want to hurt that person back, or do you hold it against them for the rest of your life? If you answered “yes” to these questions, you are like most people. 【小题1】

People don’t forgive readily, because it is easier to hate than to forgive. Some people think to forgive is a sign of weakness, but actually to forgive takes courage and effort.

Forgiveness is a gift from a generous heart. It is not a reward for good behavior. It is not based on whether the person deserves it or whether the person has asked for it. Besides, forgiveness is an act and a long-term process. 【小题2】 It is an act because it is not just the words you say, but also your actions which show if you’ve truly forgiven someone.

【小题3】 It takes a lot of energy to hate and to keep that hate in place. Hate puts unwanted stress on your body. It is a well-known fact, proven by numerous studies, that bitterness can actually make you sick. The moment those affected people forgive and let go of their hate, they will start to get well.

【小题4】 I have personal experience of this. I used to be very cynical (愤世嫉俗的) about life and didn’t forgive easily. At the time, I also struggled in every area of my life. Things just didn’t seem to work out for me. It is as if everything that could go wrong, always went wrong. That was until somebody told me to take a look at my attitude. And when I forgave those who wronged me and changed my attitude, everything else changed. It didn’t happen overnight. It took a while, but I could see and feel the difference.

My son was entering Grade 1. He was a bit nervous because he knew his best friend would not be in his new class. I explained to him that even though his best friend would not be in his class, he would still have some of his old classmates.

On the first day of school when the class list was posted, I was shocked! My son had zero former classmates in his class. None. Not one.

How could this happen?

I asked my friend who works with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board. She explained , “Many largely populated schools often shuffle(重组) the kids around each year to encourage new friendships.”

If schools are actively trying to place two best friends in different classes simply to shake things up, I think it is a blunder.

I was lucky enough to attend the same primary school all the way through. It was a small class and our group of students moved through each grade together. We felt like brothers and sisters. It was wonderful.

While it may be good to shake things up a bit in the older grades, it seems almost cruel (残忍的) to separate good friends in the younger grades without good cause.

One mom named Karen says that her son is always starting a new grade without any close friends. At first , she thought it was a good idea. Then she realized one thing-her son does not have a “best friend ”, which makes her pretty worried. In fact, she thinks that he does not have any close friends because his classmates are always changing.

Part of a school’s responsibility is to provide a safe and comfortable space for children to learn and grow. If that environment is always changing-causing terrible results- perhaps it is time to rethink this practice.

I’d done it before, and so I had no reason to believe that this time would be any different. I was sure that when I returned home from my mission trip. As always, I’d bring back nothing more than some mud on my boots. A hole or two in my jeans and, of course, a lot of great memories.

The summer before my high school graduation, I went to West Virginia with others as volunteers to repair the homes of those in need. Arriving at our destination, my group was assigned the task of rebuilding sections of a home that had been damaged by fire. No sooner had we parked on the home’s dirt driveway than we saw an excited little girl, no more than six years old, standing in the doorway of the family’s temporary home. Shoeless and wearing dirty clothes and the biggest smile I’d ever seen, she yelled, “Ma, Ma, they really came!” I didn’t know it then, but her name was Dakota, and four more days would pass before she’d say another word near me.

Behind Dakota was a woman in a wheelchair — her grandmother, we’d soon learn. I also discovered that my job that week would be to help change a fire-damaged dining room into a bedroom for this little girl. Over the following days, I noticed Dakota peeking at us every now and then as we worked. A few times, I tried talking with her, but she remained shy and distant, always flying around us like a tiny butterfly but keeping to herself.

By our fifth and final day, however, this was about to change. Before I went to work on her home on that last morning, I spoke for a moment or two with the grandmother. I was especially pleased when she told me how much Dakota loved her new room — so much. As we talked, I noticed something I hadn’t seen before — Dakota was hiding behind her grandmother.

Cautiously, she stepped into view, and I could see that just like her clothes, her face was still dirty. But no amount of soil could hide those bright blue eyes and the big smile. She was simply adorable. Slowly, she began walking toward me. It wasn’t until she was just inches away that I noticed the folded piece of paper in her tiny hand. Silently, she reached up and handed it to me. Once unfolded, I looked at the drawing she’d made with her broken crayons on the back of an old coloring book cover. It was of two girls — one much taller than the other — and they were holding hands. She told me it was supposed to be me and her, and on the bottom of the paper were three little words that instantly broke my heart. Now almost in tears, I couldn’t control myself anymore — I bent down and hugged her. She hugged me, too. And for the longest time, neither of us could let go.

I left for home early the next morning. I was returning with muddy boots and holes in my jeans. But because of Dakota, I brought back something else, too — a greater appreciation for all or the blessings of my life. I’ll never forget that barefoot little butterfly with the big smile and dirty face. I pray that she’ll never forget me either.