I’ve always dreamed of traveling the world, but like so many others, I ended up on choosing to follow a career path instead of following my dream. I founded a company that I loved. Everything changed when I broke up with my girlfriend.

Sadness pushed me to my breaking point. It took me around three months after the break-up to finally make the decision to leave and travel the world. It was one of the hardest things I had ever done, but it was also the best choice I ever made in my life.

To this day, I still remember the day I called my parents, who are also deaf, to discuss my plans to travel the world. Both of my parents gave me their full support. They told me to go ahead and helped book my flight to Thailand.

I chose Southeast Asia as my first, and I was fortunate to spend it with my good friend Mic Dolan. We spent about six weeks backpacking through Thailand, Vietnam, and Cambodia, having fun with tiger cubs and riding elephants. There was a new adventure every day. We paused long enough in Thailand to get certified in scuba diving, which turned out to be my favorite part. After that trip, I flew to Europe to meet another friend, John Hathaway. In this part of the journey, John and I turned our travels into a full-time adventure and we shared all of our stories on the Vlog platform Seek The World.

Showing the people that I met and my readers who I am makes me more confident with what I want for my life. After meeting many deaf people, I realized that I have done one thing that everybody wants to do: I’m reaching my dream by breaking down communication barrier (障碍) and overcoming different challenges. I always find a way. And I always make things happen. I didn’t do that in the past; I’m grateful that I do now.

My mother spreads joy wherever she goes. Right now she is probably writing an encouraging note to a friend, praising someone she has come across in the hallway, or reading the newspaper to someone in her retirement community（社区）.

Growing up, my mother thought about becoming a dancer, but she didn't have the chance until retirement. Then she joined her first group, The Hot Flashes. Once she put on the tap shoes, "Dancing Grammy” was born.

There seems to be no end to her energy as she tap-dances her way into people's hearts, bringing smiles to sad places. But this is nothing new for my mother.

Being a lifetime educator, she was recognized in 2015 as her school district's Teacher of the Year. I remember her evening phone calls to her students' homes when she took a break from grading papers. They weren't the typical bad-news calls many parents would expect. Usually she was calling about something positive.

I was the youngest of seven children and life wasn't easy for my mother. I remember sitting on the back of her bike as she took me to a daycare center for low-income families on her way to Rosary College, where she was seeking an education degree. At home she was tough as she had to be. She had been strict in my childhood, but I learned from watching her. Her work ethic（道德）and determination passed down to me.

I could write a book about my mother, and probably I will someday. Better yet, we may write one together, as her dream to be a writer hasn't yet been realized. But she got one step closer by attending the Erma Bombeek Writers* Workshop in Dayton, Ohio, where she was inspired to write a book.

From mother of seven to grandmother of eighteen, my mother continues to inspire everyone she meets. She has many titles, but my favorite is Mother.

Rocky was a 65-pound dog. Rita was his eleven-year old owner. When Rocky was given to her, Rita immediately liked him. Whenever she was not in school,the two were always together and within touching distance. The family would lovingly call the pair “R and R".

But Rocky had one shortcoming. He feared water very much because of a terrible experience. When he was at the age of seven weeks long before he met Rita,he was nearly drowned by a naughty boy who had been blamed by his father.

One late afternoon,Rita's mother took R and R to a shopping area near a lake. Rita was running along the wooden bridge over the water,enjoying the beautiful scenery around. Suddenly a boy on a bicycle hit Rita. She let out a cry of pain and fell into the lake.

Rita's mother was at the entrance of a store not far away. She rushed to the lake shouting for help. Rocky seemed to forget his fear and jumped into the water to save his owner. Rocky immediately swam to Rita and held her by the shoulder's clothes with his mouth. Rita's face was quickly out of the water and she could cough.Luckily,the water was calm,they were not far from the bank,and Rocky finally reached a depth where his feet were on solid ground. He pulled Rita hard until her head was completely out of the water, and then he stood beside her, licking(舔） her face.

Rita and her family firmly believed that it was only the big dog's love for the little girl that caused him to take action that might be life-dangerous.