On August 26, 1999, New York City was struck by a terrible rainstorm. The rain caused the streets to flood and the subway system almost came to a stop. Unfortunately, this happened during the morning rush hour. Many people who were going to work were forced to go home. Some battled to 1 a taxi or to get on a bus. Still others faced the 2 bravely, walking miles to get to work. I happened to be one of people on the way to work that morning. I went from subway line to subway line only to find that most 3 had stopped. After making my way 4 crowds of people, I finally found a subway line that was 5 . Unfortunately, there were so many people waiting to board the subway that I could not even get down the stairs to the 6 . So I took the train going in the opposite direction, and then switched back to the downtown train. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the train reached my stop. Then I had to walk several blocks in the increasingly heavy rain. When I finally got to my office, I was 7 through, exhausted and 8 . My co-workers and I spent most of the day drying off. When it was 5 ∶ 00 pm, I was ready to go home. I was about to turn off my computer 9 I received an email from Garth, my Director: I would like to thank all of you who made the effort and 10 reported to work. It is always reassuring , at times like these, when employees so clearly show their 11 to their jobs. Thank you. Garth’s email was short, but I learned more from that 12 message than I ever did from a textbook. The email taught me that a few words of 13 can make a big difference. The rainstorm and the traffic 14 had made me tired and upset. But Garth’s words immediately 15 me and put a smile back on my face.