My brother and I were driving home together and started talking about something interesting. Without paying attention, my brother took a wrong turn.

Unfortunately, the wrong turn took us toward a bridge and, we had no way of turning back. My brother had to pay to cross. He was clearly frustrated by the mistake and the needless waste of 54.

As we drove forward, my brother noticed an old black Mustang (福特野马汽车) by the side of the road. A young guy was standing nearby trying to phone someone. I was busy trying to figure out which way we went next but my brother pulled over and asked the guy if he needed any help. And he did. He had a flat tire.

My brother helped him change the flat. We started getting to know the young man who was from a rough (粗糙的) neighborhood nearby. He said that this has been a bad week for him; earlier he had gotten into a minor (不严重的) ear accident, and now this flat on his way home from work. But he called us “a breath of fresh air” and kept thanking us because he really would have been suck if we hadn’t come along. After we had finished the job, he thanked us again and pulled out 520 to try to give it to us. “No,” I said. “We were never supposed to even get on that bridge. We took a wrong turn. But now we know why we did. It was to help you. Thank you for turning our mistake into an opportunity to serve.”

What I loved most was watching my brother throughout this process. He was able to turn his annoyance over the mistake into positive energy. He was able to see a chance to help (which I totally missed!) even in an otherwise negative situation, which can only come from a calm mind and an open heart. That was the bridge we were meant to cross.

Yan Minwen, a retired (退休的) engineer in Beijing, set up a free class to teach left-behind children in her hometown in Hebei Province.

Although Yan is not a teacher, it is a common wish of her and her husband to open such a class in the village. She told her husband that she wanted to open a class in her hometown, and her husband agreed.

However, before she set up the “small desks”, her husband fell ill and died. Yan was very sad, but she didn’t forget their wish. She rented (租) a room from her uncle, bought some used desks and chairs and started the class on March 23.

There are 19 students from Grade One to Seven in Yan’s class. Yan knows about each child well and talks about them as if they were her own grandchildren. They learn together and work together to solve problems.

“It is not about teaching, but about company (陪伴),” Yan said.

After learning that Yan is teaching in the village to help left-behind children, her old classmates send books to her every now and then to help her.

Some young people also want to help with “small desks” and Yan is always happy to see this happen. She said, “I am too old to take care of the class all by myself.” Yan wants to see more volunteers help these left-behind children and is planning to open a library in the village as soon as possible.