Four-year-old girl gives a sad older man a new lease on life

Pre discussion questions

Do you think the two in the photo know each other already?

How would you feel if a cute small girl talked to you in a public place?

When four-year-old Norah went to the supermarket to pick up cupcakes for her birthday, she met an elderly man. She would change the life and happiness off the elderly man.

She was shopping with her mother, in Augusta, Georgia, when she walked past an elderly gentleman who she was immediately drawn to.

"Her face lit up like the sun, she waved excitedly, and said, 'Hi old person! It's my “birfday” (“birfday” is how a child might pronounce the word birthday) today!'" Ms Wood wrote on Facebook.

"'Well hello little lady! And how old are you today?' he asked. They chatted for a few seconds and it was very adorable."

Norah and her mother did not know that the elderly gentleman was feeling depressed because his wife had died a few months ago.

Dan Peterson, 82, said he had been having "a day of self-pity" that day when he met the little girl.

I was just feeling very sad he said,  "But she changed it."

After that, they all walked away, but Norah asked her mother if she could have a photo with the elderly man.

The mother and daughter searched the shop and again found the elderly gentleman.

Ms Wood said Mr Peterson initially looked stunned when he was asked.

And so they posed together and then they hugged each other like they were long time friends.

Mr Peterson said it had been "the best day I've experienced in a long time".

Speaking to the four-year-old girl, he said: "You've made me so happy, Ms. Norah"

In the weeks since the three met, Norah has fostered a special relationship with the man she now calls "Mr. Dan".

He plans to spend a day around Thanksgiving with Norah, her parents and family.

Norah and "Mr. Dan's" story has since gone viral over social media.

To go from quiet days with not much happening to suddenly having a fan club with thousands of members must feel amazing, wrote Ms Wood on Facebook.

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=2, B=1, C=8, D=4, E=3, F=7, G=5, H=6

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1.      Enjoying my job everyday gives me a new lease on life after my last job that I hated.

2.      He was drawn to the beautiful woman he saw across the room.

3.      Puppies are adorable.

4.      It is a pity that the new Samsung phone has problems, because it is a very good phone.

5.      She was stunned to hear that the singer from the band died suddenly.

6.      Young girls love to pose together for photos.

7.      My parents fostered me to have respect for older people.

8.      Psy’s new video went viral.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1.      Would a vacation give you a new lease on life? What do you think you would need to have a new lease on life?

2.      Why do you think the little girl was drawn to a stranger in a supermarket in this story?

3.      Do you find children adorable? What do you find adorable?

4.      Do you sometimes feel pity for yourself? If you feel pity, what do you do?

5.      Describe a time you felt stunned to hear something or some news?

6.      Do you like posing for photographs? Why or why not?

7.      What good things do you want to foster in your thinking or life?

8.      What is a video that has gone viral do you love?