There are times in life when we don’t have the energy or faith to solve our problems. We can’t find the way to _________. That’s when our friends _________ us. When we are weak, they become our _________. When we are _________, they lift us up. Friends remind us through their actions that we are not _________—they stand with, pray for and comfort us. Even when some friends don’t know how to help, they _________ to be there for us.

Author Parker J. Palmer in his book, Let Your Life Speak, shares about the time he was _________ depression at home. He recalls that some people who visited him tried to _________ him up. They said, “It’s a beautiful day. Why don’t you go out and take a walk?” Although he understood their _________, it made him more depressed. Others reminded him that he was a teacher and writer who had __________ many people. They said, “Try to remember all the good you’ve done and surely you’ll feel better.” That __________, too, left him depressed.

Then one friend named Bill asked Parker’s permission to drop by his __________ in the afternoons. Bill would sit Parker in the chair, __________ his shoes and socks and for half an hour, massage (按摩) his feet. Bill found the only place in Parker’s body where he could still experience __________ and reconnect with the human race. Bill would __________ do that and almost say __________. When he talked occasionally, he would not __________ any suggestion but mirror Parker’s feelings. That simple act of __________ was what helped Parker __________ his dark time.

We are thankful to the friends who stand by us in uncomplicated ways. And we are thankful for the opportunity to be the ones who are __________ for our friends when they are in need.

I’ve been taking a bus to school for years. I found that most passengers keep to themselves and no one ever has a _________ with anyone else.

About a year ago, an elderly man entered and said _________ to the driver, “Good morning!” Most people looked up, surprised and _________, while the bus driver took it for granted and _________ responded with a grunt (哼声). The next day the man _________   and again he said in a loud voice, “Good morning!” to the driver. Another grunt. By the fifth day, the driver finally agreed to accept the elderly man and _________   him with a little cheerful “Good morning!” Then the man _________, “My name is Benny.” The driver told the man he was Ralph.

That was the first _________ any of us heard the driver’s name and soon people began to talk to each other and say _________ to Ralph and Benny. Soon Benny __________his cheerful “Good morning!” to the whole bus. Within a few days, his “Good morning!” was __________ by a whole bunch of “Good mornings” and the entire bus seemed to be more __________. People got to know each other.

“If a __________ is someone who makes something happen, Benny was the one who took a lead in showing friendship __________ us,” I thought.

A month ago, something __________ happened and Benny didn’t __________ in the bus. Everyone began to __________ about Benny and lots of people said he may have passed away. No one knew what to do and the bus got __________ again. So last week, I started to act like Benny and say “Good morning!” to everyone and the whole bus cheered up again. I guessed I was the leader now. __________ Benny could come back to see what he had started really __________ a lot.

I started collecting shopping lists around 1997. One day, I was shopping for my daughter’s birthday party in St Louis, Missouri, where we lived. After leaving the store, I_________ a yellow note in the parking lot. I picked it up and it was somebody’s shopping list. I thought, “That’s interesting. Well, whenever I see one, I will _________ it.”

People collect all sorts of things you would never _________ . It’s as if all these _________, unimportant things, when put together as a collection, suddenly become meaningful. The first list I found was nothing special. But after you see a lot of them, the odd ones_________. One says at the bottom: “NO MORE CHIPS, JESSICA.” Another one I found is a long _________ of stuff and then, in the margin (空白处), someone had written: “If you dare to_______ any more rice, I’ll hit you.”

The shopping list_________started slowly. At first it was just me and people I knew who would_______ lists for me. Then at the beginning of the 2000s, I put it online and I started receiving lists from everywhere in the world. It seemed there was a(an)__________supply (供应).

In 2012, I was__________ by a publisher who wanted to turn my collection into a book. Then I started going through all my lists,__________ ways to sort and explain them. The project is continuing, but it grows more __________ now. Technology has made shopping lists more__________, because most people use apps, like I do. I guess there might not be another__________.