Let go and be happy - Reader's Digest (Essentials II) (The world's best-selling classic essays)

Author: Dongfang Xiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Losing the 9-year-old brother of Betty Anne, Daniel, and the 7-year-old brother, Tim, joined the "Pioneer Club" organized by the church, which was a weekly children's activity. The sister, father, and Betty were all teachers in that activity. That year, the brothers came to Betty to complain. They said that a boy named John always troubled them. John was 11 years old and an adopted child. He was in Betty's father's class at the time and was the kind of kid who always caused trouble. Worse, he didn't think his behavior was wrong at all and even thought his father was targeting him. He often picked on the brothers, threw their hats on the ground and scolded them, or else kicked them and quickly ran away. Sometimes, he even used rough language to. Everyone thought he was a problem student and found him very troublesome. After learning about this, her mother bought a bag of cotton candy from the town a few days later. "These candies are for John," she told Daniel and Tim. "For whom? Who are you saying it's for?" "For John," the mother explained. "To be kind to an enemy gives you the chance to defeat him. To be good to John? People really couldn't imagine it. He was just too mischievous. But this week, every boy who would be joining the 'Pioneer Club' would have two pieces of cotton candy in their pockets—one for themselves and one for John.
Betty was about to go to work and accidentally heard Tim saying, "Come, John. This candy is for you." On the way home, Betty asked Tim what John's reaction was. Tim shrugged, "He seemed surprised, then said thank you, and ate the candy."
A week later, one day, John rushed toward Tim, and Tim tightened his hat, ready to confront John. But John didn't touch Tim at all; he just asked, "Hey! Tim, do you still have candy?" "No!" Tim breathed a sigh of relief, reached into his pocket, and gave him a piece of candy.
From then on, John would come to Tim every week asking for a piece of candy. And Tim always remembered to bring two pieces—one for himself and one for John. At the same time, Betty used another method to "defeat my enemy."
Once, Betty and John brushed past each other in the hallway, and Betty saw a look of disdain on his face. He was about to open his mouth to say something, but Betty said first, "Hi! John," and gave him an exaggerated smile. He was surprised, shut his mouth, and Betty continued on her way.
From then on, whenever Betty saw him, she would smile at him and say, "Hi! John," giving him no chance to say anything rude. Later, he began to respond to Betty with simple greetings as well. He hadn't bothered the brothers in a while, and he wasn't as rough with Betty either. Betty's father even started to see him in a new light.
John is now a good kid, completely different from the one a year ago. Betty thought that the reason for such a big change was that someone had given him a chance.
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