As a boy, John Kerr wanted to be a park ranger (护林员). 1 , he spent four decades at a public broadcasting's station in Boston. He 2 at the age of 65 without any particular post-career goal in mind.
After several lazy weeks, he drove to visit his family by Yellowstone. On the way he 3 stopped at the Yellowstone Park Foundation, which raised funds for the national park. As it happened, the foundation was 4 people to educate park guests on wolves. Kerr 5 for an internship (实习).
To say that Kerr stood out in the intern crowd is a massive 6 . Most interns were college and even high school students. But, in a sense, he had been 7 for this since his youth. His outdoor adventures with his grandfather had given him a love of 8 , and he once volunteered at the local fire department on 9 calls.
From his internship, he 10 a ranger sooner, educating park visitors, making for safe 11 between guests and animals, and responding to medical emergencies. He 12 his job of what he describes as one in the most beautiful places, and moments when he treats a visitor to an 13 look at one of the park's wolves or bears through his telescope, an 14 that can move visitors to tears.
"These are 15 and all-too-rare moments, recalls Kerr. "I never forget them. "
I was 17 years old. Along with a dozen other boys I had made a long trip to Iowa in order to see a college that I was thinking of 1 . Now I was there and I was feeling sad and 2 . I was missing my family and the Appalachian mountains of my home. I loved 3 in the forests there. I loved how the 4 turned a thousand shades of green in the spring and then became a sea of red. 5 . and orange in the fall. I loved the 6 of countless wild flowers that grew in our meadows(草地). These things were a 7 of me.
Here in Iowa everything was 8 . The grass looked burnt and brown. All that I could smell was a 9 of corn, mud, and pigs. I walked outside the dormitory of the college and sat on a 10 . I closed my eyes and 11 being back home again. When I opened my eyes, however, I saw something that 12 my soul. It was a beautiful sunset. Gold, red, purple and pink clouds all 13 together in a picture. It was so huge that it took my breath away. It made our mountain sunsets seem 14 by comparison. I 15 that I had been foolish and judgmental(武断的). This place had its own special beauty. This place too was a part of God's 16 .
Over the years to come 1 17 something else. Each of us has a special beauty 18 . Each of us has our own unique 19 and abilities. Each of us has a beautiful, powerful love that only we can share. And God wants us to share it. May your life always shine 20 .
I stopped at the top of the hill, my right foot pressed back against the coaster brake (脚刹) on my bicycle. All I needed to do was to1 my foot, and I would be swept down the hill. But I 2 . To my 12-year-old eyes, the hill was a mountain and the slope was 3 steep, which prevented me taking up the challenge.
When I returned to my hometown more than three decades later with my friends Dave and Scott, we 4 to the base of the hill and walked our bikes 5 . We stood once more at the top of that hill, looking down from the edge, but this time with a 6 set of eyes. To our surprise, now the 7 seemed more obvious, even larger than we'd imagined as kids. We knew that once we started down, there was no stopping or 8 . And right at the bottom of the hill, we would have to turn left to 9 dumping into the stream.
Dave went first. Then I was next. My heart was pounding. I 10 on the bike for a moment. Then I released the brake and yielded myself to 11 . I skidded to a stop next to Dave. Scott followed. The three of us spent several minutes laughing, draining off the adrenaline (肾上腺素) . We had 12 the childhood challenge of riding our bikes down the steep hill.
We didn't know it then, but we'd face many similar 13 over the years — leaving home, getting married, moving to a different town, starting a new job, and many others — that would cause us to pause at the 14 and collect our courage 15 we launched ourselves down the trails of our lives.
Last year while I was in Madrid, Spain, my back hurt. So I went to the local hospital for an examination.
I was 1 to a small room, and soon a surgeon came to 2 me. He told me to remove my 3 and he gave me a gown (罩衣) which hardly 4 anything.
He then asked me in Spanish if I was embarrassed. "Si, unpoco (Yes, a little)", I replied with my face turning red. He looked at me as though 5 me and then he quickly 6 down the passage (走廊).
Soon he reappeared with a group of 7 students, and again asked the same question in Spanish. Now I was feeling 8 , and shouted in English, "Yes, I'm extremely 9 ." Then a female doctor in the group held my arm gently and 10 in perfect English, "I think I see the 11 . My tutor wants to take a 12 of your back—an X-ray—so he wants to know if you are 13 a baby. You see, embarazada means pregnant in Spanish."
No sooner had she told me this than I realized the 14 of the misunderstanding. We all had a 15 , although I must admit that I felt rather stupid as well.