The Two Stories(一)

The First Story:

     After the birth of my second child,I got a job at the restaurant.Having worked with an experienced waitress for a few days,I was allowed to wait tables on my own.All went well that first week.When saturday night came,I was luckily given the tables not far from the kitchen.However,I still felt a little hard to carry the heavy trays.     

    Before I knew it,the restaurant was full of people.I move slowly,minding every step.I remember how happy I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables,it looked different from the one I was trained on.It had nice handles,which made it easier to move around.I was pleased with everything and I began to believe I was a natural at this job.    

    Then,an old man came to me and said,"Excuse me.dear,my wife and I loved watching you work.It seems your tray stand has been vary useful to you,but we are getting ready to leave now,and my wife needs her walker back."     

    At first his message did not get across."What was he talking about!"Then I got it.I had set my trays on his wife's orthopedic walker(助步器).I stood frozen as ice,but my face was on fire.I wanted to get into a hole and hide.    

   Since then,I have learned from many mistakees such as the one I just described,I have learned to be more careful and not to be too sure of myself.

The Second Story:

     There was a story many years ago of a school teacher-Mrs. Thompson. She told the children on the first day that she loved them all the same. But that was a lie. There is the front row was a little boy names Teddy Stoddard. He didn't play well with the other children and he always needed a bath. She did not like him.     

    There Mrs. Thompson got to know that Teddy was actually a very good boy before the death of his mother. Mrs. Thompson was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when, like all her other students, Tedddy brought her a Christmas present too. It was his mother's perfume.      Teddy said, "Mrs. Thompson, today you smell just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she stopped teaching reading, writing and math. Instead, she began teach children.  

    Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. The boy's mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he improved. By the end of the sixth grade, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class.

     Six years went by before she got a note from Teddy. He wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life. He went to college. Mrs. Thompson got two more letters from him with the last one signed, Theodore F.Stoddard,M.D.

     The story doesn't end there. On his weeding day, Dr.Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Than you, Mrs. Thompson, for believing in me. You made me. You made me feel improtant and show me that I could make a difference."

   Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference, I didn't know how to teach until I met you."