When I was young, I was crazy about stories of magic. I _________ myself in the books where wizards (术士) battled with the powers of darkness in _________ worlds. I was glad when they _________ in bringing peace and happiness to their lands. Like most of the readers of these stories, I wished for magical powers for myself. I wanted to be able to _________ make my pain disappear, make my _________ go away and have power over this world.

As I got older, however, I _________ that there was no such thing as magic and the cruel reality of life came up. I _________ through a long period of poverty (贫穷). I had daily _________ from a back injury that I never really recovered from. I felt _________ when my father was diagnosed (诊断) with cancer, I still sometimes __________ of magic but with time going by, even that disappeared.

Then one day, I discovered a(n) __________ kind of magic. This magic grew stronger in my heart and mind day by day and year by year. This magic was called LOVE, It __________ me to those who __________ me and those I love in this world. Though it didn’t __________ my poverty and my back pain and cure my father’s disease, it helped me see the beautiful, loving, and joyful souls (灵魂) around me. It didn’t make me a wizard but it helped me to drive away the darkness with my own __________.

It was snowing in the midwinter, in a rural highway outside of town. Pepper and Cooper, a pair of beagles (小猎犬) walked with great difficulty through the ________ night. Cooper, a father-to-be ________ the roadside for a spot, where his struggling companion might rest safely. Her way was made ________ by the new life growing inside her. They needed a ________, dry place safe from the bitter wind.

That December night, Gus Kiebel was driving home from work when he ________ the pair in the flash of his headlights. Feeling curious and ________, he parked his truck and ________ the animals. Gus ________ down and stretched out his hands to the beagles, which made no effort to ________. He ________ the dogs on the passenger seat of his truck. Then he ________ his phone and called the number from the dogs’ tags. A man answered and immediately grew ________ and impatient when Gus told him why he was calling. ________, the man declined to ________ the dog. These beagles were ________, no home at all in this world. Then he called his wife Katie. “You can’t put them back in the ________,” she said. “Bring them home.”

Without enough ________ for two more dogs in their small house, the next day, Katie took them to a shelter nearby. In the days following, Katie phoned the shelter ________ to check up on Pepper and Cooper. Soon after Christmas, the beagles were ________ - as a pair, by a loving family. This touching story speaks to the best of our nature. And when kindness and love overcome ________ and neglect (忽视), it can feel like the greatest miracle of all.