It was during a school trip to the Art Gallery of NSW that I realized I was not white.

Aged eight, rough and _________ like any child travelling to an exciting place miles away from their own home, I was seriously reminded by a teacher to _________ in one place. To ensure this happened, and that I did not escape to a closed-off exhibition area_________when her eyes turned elsewhere, she forced me to hold the hand of a quiet, modest girl in my class, the typical teacher's_________.

Already feeling incredibly self-conscious, the moment took a_________ for the worse when a fellow classmate eyed our _________ hands. With a finger pointing _________ towards us, he said, “God, I can see her hand turning _________ already.”

That night I came home and cried in the shower. My own secret purchase of a Dove beauty bar _________to wash off the thick layer of dark grime(污点） onto my skin. For the first time I was forced to confront the vast__________ between who I thought I was and who I actually was.

Race proceeded to become something I__________ with all throughout adolescence. In stories like these, the climax comes during __________, the most important period of my education. To an extent, that was true.

While race is the source of many of our struggles, it is also the __________ of our characteristics, dearest stories, and most __________ people. We have come to understand life better from our race. As people coming from an ethno-cultural(种族文化的） minority, our race informs, but does not single- handedly __________,who we are.

Though it had been a bad day in the early morning, I thought work had to be done. Filled with _______ thoughts, I got in my car to drive into town. In the few minutes it took me to travel to the _______. I made a decision. I would be careful not to _______ my bad day off to anyone else. I would be _______.

Standing in line at the bank, I was _______ talking to myself. Actually, I was _______ myself. All of the events that had made my bad day were, in fact, so very _______. I was over-reacting. I tried to _______ those who had been affected (影响) by the war, by the earthquake.

A voice broke through my mental thoughts. Somehow I had _______ finished my bank business and the teller was trying to get my ________. "Young lady," she was saying. Her eyes showed ________ as she softly said, "I don' t know what is happening inside of you, but ________ me that everything will be okay."

My hands were ________ on counter. She took her hands and placed them gently on top of mine. The ________ was quick but electric. And in that moment my world ________.

In the moment of her touch I found ________. I knew that love was being channeled through the________ of this beautiful woman directly into my heart. I knew that I am ________. I didn't say a word standing there. I ________. It was my first smile of the day. But it would not be my ________, as from that moment on my entire day was changed.

A warm handshake. A kind word. Through these, we open the power of love.

In one of my son’s favorite TV shows, Herkie, the Helicopter has to perform a good deed in order to earn a Merit Badge. Herkie spends the entire show attempting to perform a remarkable, heroic deed, only to ______ again and again. Finally, Herkie ______. However, at the end of the show, he is surprised to find he has earned the award after all by doing a ______ act.

Years ago, as my pregnancy has progressed, I’ve had more and more trouble ______. People have suggested I get a pregnancy pillow to help me find a comfortable position, but all of the pillows I saw were so ______ that they didn’t seem worth it for a few months’ relief. Finally, I spotted one on the Internet whose price was right — $10, even I was willing to ______ something for that!

When the pillow arrived, I was, ______, disappointed. It ______ exactly like a blue wedge of cheese, and it left me wondering how such an ______ product could be any help at all. But, as I didn’t want to ______ $10, I diligently took it to bed with me, jamming it under my belly as instructed on the box.

What a ______! Sleep was no longer a problem for me. And, the Cheese’s small size proved to be a(n) ______ as well, as it easily fit into my suitcase on a trip.

So often in my life, I’ve felt like Herkie, needing to perform a big awesome act to _______ And, it is easy for me to start to feel pretty useless since heroic acts are few. ______, we all have much more of an opportunity to be like the Cheese doing something small that we may not even ______, but others appreciate tremendously.