I learned how to accept life as it is from my father.1. he did not teach me acceptance when he was strong and healthy, but rather when he was2and ill .
My father was3a strong man who loved being active. But a terrible illness4all that away. Now he can no longer walk. And he must sit quietly in a chair all day. Even talking is5. One night, I went to visit him with my sisters. I told them about one of my beliefs. I said that we must very often give things up6we grow our youth, our beauty, our friends, but it always7that after we give something up，we gain something new in its place. Then suddenly my father spoke up, “But, Peter, I gave up8!What did I gain?” I thought and thought, but I could not think of anything to say. 9he answered his own question: “I10the love of my family.” I looked at my sisters and saw tears in their eyes along with hope and thankfulness.
I was also11by his words. After that, when I began to feel irritated (恼怒的) at someone, I would remember his words and become12. If he could replace his great pain with a feeling of love for others, then I should be13to give up my small irritations. In this14，I learned the power of acceptance from my father.
Sometimes I15what other things I could have learned from him if I had listened more carefully when I was a boy. For now, though I am grateful for this one gift.
