I was preparing for dinner with my husband when our daughter Rikki stormed into the sitting room and marched to the sofa. I glanced out of the window and saw our neighbor Lexi walking slowly back to her house with her head down, looking so 1 .
"Why didn't Lexi stay longer?" I asked her.
"I don't want to play with her," Rikki complained, "I wish she would stop coming over here all the time. Her dress looks terrible and smells disgusting. Everyone in our class chooses to2 her."
"That's not her3 , Rikki. Maybe she doesn't have anyone to help her." I said.
"You see, baby," her father began to say, "I really know how she felt when you showed your4 to her because I had the same experience when I was a kid. I was the poor kid with hand-me-down clothes, the kid who others looked down on. That5 never goes away." He told her he wanted her to be kind and6 , not judgmental and hurtful. Tears were streaming down her face.
Then we 7 Lexi to come over and have dinner with us. I remembered Lexi coming in all smiles. We gathered together and soon I saw the girls talking and 8 .They had a great time. I could even see a sweet glow in Rikki's eyes.
Rikki began to think 9 from that day on. Lexi came over a few times after that. They became good friends.
Today, Rikki has a heart of gold. She is always the first to welcome those whom
others might 10 and is generous in helping others. I truly believe that day made a major difference in the person she has become today.
