英語美文賞析

Relishthemoment

可是我們終究會認(rèn)識到人生的旅途中并沒有車站，也沒有能夠“一到永逸”的地方！

生活的真正樂趣在于旅行的過程，而車站不過是個夢，它始終遙遙領(lǐng)先于我們！

Tuckedawayinoursubconsciousisanidyllicvision.Wcseeourselvesonalongtripthatspans

thecontinent.Wcarctravelingbytrain.Outofthewindows,wcdrinkinthepassingsceneof

carsonnearbyhighways,ofchildrenwavingatacrossing,ofcattlegrazingonadistanthillside,

ofsmokepouringfromapowerplant,ofrowuponrowofcornandwheat,offladandsand

valleys,ofmountainsandrollinghillsides,ofcityskylinesandvillagehalls.

我們的潛意識里藏著一派田園詩般的風(fēng)光！我們仿佛身處一次橫貫大陸的漫漫旅程之

中！乘著火車，我們領(lǐng)略著窗外流動的景色：附近高速公路上奔馳的汽車、十字路口

處招手的孩童、遠(yuǎn)山上吃草的牛群、源源不斷地從電廠排放出的煙塵、一片片的玉米

和小麥、平原與山谷、群山與綿延的丘陵、天空映襯下城市的輪廓，以及鄉(xiāng)間的莊園

宅第！

Butuppermostinourmindsisthefinaldestination.Onacertaindayatacertainhour,wewill

pullintothestation.Bandswillbeplayingandflagswaving.Oncewegetthere,somany

wonderfuldreamswillcometrueandthepiecesofourliveswillfittogetherlikeacompleted

jigsawpuzzle.Howrestlesslywcpacetheaisles,damningtheminutesforloitering—waiting,

waiting,waitingforthestation.

然而我們心里想得最多的卻是最終的目的地。在某一天的某一時刻，我們將會抵達(dá)進

站！迎接我們的將是樂隊和飄舞的彩旗！一旦到了那兒，多少美夢將成為現(xiàn)實，我們

的生活也將變得完整，如同一塊終于拼好了的拼圖！現(xiàn)在我們在火車的過道里不耐煩

地踱來踱去，咒罵火車的拖拖拉拉！我們期待著，期待著，期待著火車進站的那一刻!

“Whenwereachthestation,thatwillbeit!”wecry.

“WhenI'm18?

"WhenIbuyanew450SLMercedesBenz!”

“WhenIputthelastkidthroughcollege.0

"WhenIhavepaidoffthemortgage!n

“WhenIgetapromotion."

“WhenIreachtheageofretirement,Ishalllivehappilyeverafter!*'

“當(dāng)我們到站的時候，一切就都好了！"我們呼喊著！“等我18歲的時候！”“等我

有了一輛新450sL奔馳的時候！”“等我供最小的孩子念完大學(xué)的時候！”“等我償清

貸款的時候！”“等我官升高任的時候！”“等我到了退休的時候，就可以從此過上

幸福的生活啦！”

Soonerorlater,wemustrealizethereisnostation,nooneplacetoarriveatonceandforall.

Thetruejoyoflifeisthetrip.Thestationisonlyadream.Itconstandyoutdistancesus.

可是我們終究會認(rèn)識到人生的旅途中并沒有車站，也沒有能夠“一到永逸”的地方！

生活的真正樂趣在于旅行的過程，而車站不過是個夢，它始終遙遙領(lǐng)先于我們！

“Relishthemoment"isagoodmotto,especiallywhencoupledwithPsalm118：24:"Thisisthe

claywhichtheLordhathmade;wewillrejoiceandbegladinit."Itisn*ttheburdensoftoday

thatdrivemenmad.Itistheregretsoveryesterdayandthefearoftomorrow.Regretandfear

aretwinthieveswhorobusoftoday.

“享受現(xiàn)在”是句很好的箴言，尤其是當(dāng)它與《圣經(jīng)?詩篇》中第118頁24行的一段話

相映襯的時候，更是如此：“今日乃主所創(chuàng)造；生活在今日我們將歡欣、高興！”真

正讓人發(fā)瘋的不是今日的負(fù)擔(dān)，而是對昨日的悔恨及對明日的恐懼！悔恨與恐懼是一

對李生竊賊，將今天從你我身邊偷走！

Sostoppacingtheaislesandcountingthemiles.Instead,climbmoremountains,eatmoreice

cream,gobarefootmoreoften,swimmorerivers,watchmoresunsets,laughmore,cryless.Life

mustbelivedaswegoalong.Thestationwillcomesoonenough.

所以不要在過道里徘徊了吧，別老惦記著你離車站還有多遠(yuǎn)！何不換一種活法，多去

爬爬山，多吃點兒冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴，經(jīng)常光著腳板兒溜達(dá)溜達(dá)，去河流里游游泳，多

看看夕陽西下，多點歡笑，少點淚水！生活得一邊過一邊瞧！車站就會很快到達(dá)。

Ifthebirdreturned倘若鳥兒回還

我甚至孤身一人住在離家?guī)子⒗镞h(yuǎn)的城市，強迫自己獨立，一切都由自己動手。但把

我放在船上等于剝奪了我所獲得的一切，而我不想讓自己感到懦弱無助。

Charlessawthembothatthesametime:asmallwhitebirdandthegirlwheelingdownthewalk.

Thebirdglideddownwardandrestedinthegrass;thegirldirectedthechairsmoothlyalongthe

sunlit,shadowywalk.Shestoppedtowatchtheducksonthepondandwhensheshovedthe

wheelsagain,Charlesstoodup."MayIpushyou?"hecalled,runningacrossthegrasstoher.

Thewhitebirdflewtothetopofatree.

查爾斯是在同一時刻看到他們倆的：一只白色的小鳥和坐著輪椅沿著小徑悠然而來的

女孩。小鳥滑翔而下，棲息在草地上；女孩則平穩(wěn)地駕著輪椅，穿行在陽光下婆娑的

樹影之間。她停下來看了看池塘里的鴨子，當(dāng)她再次用手推動輪椅時，查爾斯一下子

站了起來?！拔襾硗颇愫脝?？”他一邊喊道，一邊穿過草地朝她奔去。那只小鳥嗖地

飛上了樹梢。

Itwasmosdyhewhotalkedandheseemedafraidtostopforfearshe'daskhimtoleaveherby

herself.Nothinginherfacehadsupportedtheideaofhelplessnessconveyedbythewheelchair,

andheknewthathisassistancewasnotviewedasafavor.Heaskedthecauseofherhandicap.

大部分時間都是他在喋喋不休，他似乎害怕話一停，她就會請他離開，好讓她獨自呆

著。從她的臉上看不出有任何緣于輪椅的無助表情，因而他知道，他的幫助并沒有被

看作是一種恩惠。他問起她致殘的原因。

“ItwasanautomobileaccidentwhenIwas12,"Amyexplained.

“我12歲那年出了一場車禍，”艾米解釋說。

Theywentforlunch,andhewouldhavefeltawkwardexceptthatsheknewcompletelyhowto

takecareofhcrsclE

他們一起去吃午餐。幸好她能完全照料自己，不然他可就尷尬了。

“Doyoulivewithsomeone?'1heaskedthenextdaywhentheymet.

你和什么人住在起嗎？第二天見面時他問。

“Justmyself,**sheanswered.Askingthequestionmadehimfeeluneasybecauseofhisown

lonelinesseventhoughhewashopingforthisanswer.

“就我自己，”她答道。盡管他希望得到這樣一個答案，但是問這個問題仍然讓他有

些不安，因為他自己也過得很孤獨。

Hecametoliketofeelthewhitehandlesinhisgrasp,towalkbetweenthetwowhite-rimmed

metalwheels.Andhegrewalmostmorefamiliarwiththeslightwaveatthebackofherhairthan

withhereyesorhermouth.Once,hesaidtothewaveatthebackofherhair,nIhopeI'mthe

onlychair-pusherinyourlife,“butshehadonlysmiledalitdeandhereyeshadadmitted

nothing.

他開始喜歡把輪椅的白色手柄握在手里的感覺，喜歡在那兩只鑲有白邊的金屬輪子中

間推車行走。他對她披在身后的、微微起伏的長發(fā)愈加熟悉，幾乎超過了對她的眼睛

和嘴唇的熟悉程度。有一次，他對著她波浪一般起伏的長發(fā)說：“真希望我是你生命

中惟一為你推輪椅的人。”但她只是莞爾一笑，眼里沒有任何表示。

ShecookeddinnerforhimonceinJune.Heexpectedhertobeproudofherabilitytodo

everythingfromherseatinthewheelchair-andwasfaintlydisappointedtoseethatshewould

notfeelprideatwhatwas,forher,simplyamatterofcourse.Hewatchedhisownhandpickup

thesaltshakerandplaceitononeofthehigherunusedshelves,andawaitedherpleafor

assistance.Hedidn'tknowwhyhe'ddoneit,butthelookinhereyesmadehimrealizehowcruel

hisprankwas.Tomakeherforgetwhathe'ddone,hetoldheraboutthelittlewhitebirdinthe

park.

6月里，她曾為他燒過一頓晚餐。她坐在輪椅上樣樣事情都能做，他以為她會為此而自

豪的，但她僅僅把這視為一件理所當(dāng)然的事，并無自豪感可言。發(fā)現(xiàn)這一點后，他不

免有些悵然若失。他望著自己的手拿起鹽瓶，把它放到一塊較高的、不常用的碗柜擱

板上，然后等著她請求幫助。他不明白自己為什么要這樣做，但她的眼神讓他意識到，

他的惡作劇有多么殘酷。為了讓她忘掉他剛才的蠢行，他跟她談起了公園里的那只小

白鳥。

"I'veseenit,too,**shesaid."Ireadapoemonceaboutalittlewhitebirdthatcametorestona

windowsillandtheladywholivedinthehousebegantoputoutfoodforit.Soontheladyfellin

love,butitwasamismatchedlove.Everydaythelittlebirdcametothewindowandthelady

putoutfood.Whentheloveaffairwasover,thelittlewhitebirdneverreturned,butthewoman

wentonputtingoutthecrumbseverydayforyearsandthewindjustblewthemaway.”

“我也看見了，"她說?！拔以?jīng)讀過一首詩，詩中的小白鳥經(jīng)常飛來棲息在一戶人

家的窗臺上，女主人開始拿出食物喂它。很快，女主人便愛上了這只鳥兒，可這場愛

戀并不般配。小鳥每天飛到窗前，女主人便每天捧出食物。戀情結(jié)束之后，小白鳥一

去不返，可女主人連著幾年日復(fù)一日地把面包屑放到窗臺上，任風(fēng)把它們吹走。

InJulyhetookherboatingfrequendy.Themostawkwardevent,shefelt,wasgettinginandout

oftheboat.ForCharles,however,theseMfreighthandlings,Hasshecametocallit,seemedtobe

thehighlightoftheoutings.Intheboatshefelthelpless,unabletomovearound,sittinginone

spot.Also,shewasunabletoswim,shouldtheboatturnover.Charlesdidn'tobserveher

discomfort;shedidnotehowmuchheenjoyedbeingincontrol.Whenhecalledforheroneday

inearlyAugust,sherefusedto.

7月里，他時常帶她去劃船。最令她感到不自在的是只能由查爾斯把她抱上抱下，她稱

之為“貨物裝卸”。但對查爾斯而言，那樣的時刻仿佛就是他們戶外活動的最精彩部

分。她在船上感到很無助，只能坐在一個地方，沒法四處活動。而且如果翻船，她可

不會游泳。查爾斯對她的不安不予體察。她卻發(fā)現(xiàn)了他是多么喜歡控制別人。8月初的

一天，他來喊她去劃船，她說什么也不肯去。

Theywould,instead,shesaid,goforawalkinwhichshewouldmoveherselfbythestrengthof

herownarmsandhewouldwalkbesideher.

她建議他們不妨出去散散步，這樣她可以憑自己的臂力推動自己，他則可以走在她身

邊。

“Whydon'tyoujustrestyourarmsandletmepushyou?"

“你為什么不讓自己的胳膊輕松一下，讓我來推你呢？”

“No.”

不用。

“Yourarmswillgetsore14.Tvebeenhelpingyoudoitforthreemonthsnow.”

“你的胳膊會酸的。三個月來一直是我在推你呀！”

nIwheeledmyselffor12yearsbeforeyoucamealong."

“可在你出現(xiàn)之前，我推了自己12年?！?/p>

“ButIdon'tlikehavingtowalkbesideyouwhileyoupushyourself!*'

“但我不愿你自己推自己而我卻只能袖手旁觀！”

“Doyouthink1likedsittinghelplessinyourboateveryweekendforthepasttwomonths?"

"你以為過去兩個月的每個周末，我就喜歡無可奈何地坐在你的船上嗎？”

Heneverconsideredthisandwasshockedintosilence.Finallyhesaidquietly,HIneverrealized

that,Amy.You'reinawheelchairallthetime-Ineverthoughtyou'dmindsittingintheboat.

It*sthesamething."

他從未考慮過這個問題，一時間驚訝得說不出話。最后他平靜地說道："我從未意識

到這一點，艾米。你一直坐在輪椅里——我沒想過讓你坐在船上你會介意。我以為這

是一回事?！?/p>

“Itisnotthesamething.Inthischair,Icanmovebymyself;IcangoanywhereIneedtogo.

ThatboattrapsmesoIcan'tdoanything-Icouldn*tevensavemyselfifsomethinghappened

andIfellout.*'

“這不是一回事。坐在輪椅里，我能自己行動，需要去哪兒就可以去哪兒。而那條船

卻困住了我，讓我無計可施——萬一發(fā)生什么事，我掉到了水里，我甚至連自救都不

會。

"ButI'mthere.Don'tyouthinkIcouldsaveyouorhelpyoumoveorwhateveritisyouwant?”

“可是有我在呀！難道你認(rèn)為我救不了你，不能幫你活動或是干你想干的任何事嗎？”

“Yes,butCharles-thepointisfvcspent12yearslearningtomanagebymyselfIevenliveina

citythat'smilesfrommyfamilysoI'llhavetobeindependentanddothingsformyself.Being

placedintheboattakesallthatI*vewonawayfromme.Can'tyouseewhyIobjecttoit?Idon't

wanttofeelhelpless.H

“你能。可是，查爾斯——問題在于我花了12年的時間才學(xué)會自理。我甚至孤身一人

住在離家?guī)子⒗镞h(yuǎn)的城市，強迫自己獨立，一切都由自己動手。把我放在船上等于剝

奪了我所獲得的一切。難道你不明白我為什么反對你那樣做嗎？我不想讓自己感到懦

弱無助?！?/p>

AstheywentdownthepathCharlesselfishlyonlythoughtofhisownneeds,finallyhelost

controlandsaid,“Amy,Ineedtohaveyoudependentuponme.**Hegrabbedthewheelchair

andpushedheralong.ShehadtoletgoofthewheelsorinjureherselfHecouldnotseethe

angerinhereyes,anditwasjustaswellforitwasanangerhewouldnothaveunderstood.

他們沿著小路繼續(xù)往前走著，最后他失去了控制，說：“艾米，我需要你依賴我。”查

爾斯只在心里自私地想著自己的需要。他一把抓過輪椅，推著她飛跑起來。結(jié)果她只

得把手從輪子上放開，以免傷著了自己。他看不到她眼眸中的憤怒，這樣也好，因為

那種憤怒不是他所能理解的。

Shewouldnotanswerhertelephonethenextmorningbutinhismailthatafternooncamean

envelopethatheknewhadcomefromAmy.Thehandwritingwasnotbeautiful,butitwas

withoutquestionhers.Insidewasonlyacardonwhichshehadwritten:

第二天早上，她不愿接他打來的電話。不過下午，在他收到的郵件中有一封信，他知

道那準(zhǔn)是艾米寫來的。字寫得并不漂亮，但無疑是她的筆跡。里面只有一張卡片，她

在上面寫道：

Ifyouwantsomethingbadlyenough,

Youmustletitgofree.

Ifitcomesbacktoyou,

It'syours.

Ifitdoesn't,

Youreallyneverhaditanyway.

(Anonymous)

如果你渴望愛情，

就必須給它自由。

倘若鳥兒回還，

它就不再飛走。

若它去無影蹤，

你從未真正擁有。

(無名氏)

Heranoutofhisapartment,refusingtobelievethatAmymightnolongerbeinherhome.As

hewasrunningtowardsherapartment,hekepthearingaroarinhisears:"Youmustletitgo

free;youmustletitgofree."

他沖出公寓大樓，不相信艾米會搬家。他朝她的公寓狂奔而去，一路上只有一個聲音

不絕于耳：“給它自由；你必須給它自由！”

Buthethought:Ican*triskit,sheismine,can'tgiveherachancenottobelongtome,can'tlet

herthinkshedoesn'tneedme,shemustneedme.OhGod,Ihavetohaveher.

但是他想：我不能冒這個險，她是我的；我決不能放手，決不能讓她不屬于我，決不

能讓她以為她不需要我；她一定需要我。哦，上帝，我必須得到她！

Butherapartmentwasempty.Somehowinthehoursovernight,shehadpacked-byherself

-andmovedbyherself.Theroomswerenowimpersonal;theircoldstillnesscouldnotrespond

whenhefelltothefloorandsobbed.

然而她的公寓空空如也。她一定是在頭天夜里花了幾個小時打好行裝——自己動手

一獨自離去。此刻，房間里不再有任何生命的氣息。他倒地啜泣，回答他的只有一

片陰冷的寂靜。

BythemiddleofAugusthehadheardnothingfromAmy.Hewentoftentotheparkbut

avoidedlookingforthewhitebird.

到了8月中旬，他依然沒收到艾米的任何消息。他時常去公園，但總是小心翼翼地不去

尋找那只小白鳥。

Septembercameandhadalmostgonebeforehefinallyreceivedaletter.Thehandwritingwas

withoutquestionhers.Thepostmarkwasthatofacitymanymilesdistant.Hetoreopenthe

envelopeandatfirstthoughtitwasempty.Thenhenoticedasinglewhitefeatherhadfallen

fromit.Inhismind,thewhitebirdroseinflightanditswingsletflyonefeather.Wereitnotfor

thefeather,noonewouldhaveknownthatthewhitebirdhadeverbeen.ThusheknewAmy

wouldnotbeback,anditwasmanyhoursbeforeheletthefeatherdropoutofhishand.

9月不覺來臨，又即將悄然逝去，他終于收到了另一封熟悉的來信。無疑是她的筆跡。

郵被標(biāo)明寄自另一個遙遠(yuǎn)的城市。他撕開信封，最初還以為里面空無一物，隨后才發(fā)

現(xiàn)有一根從信封中飄落的潔白羽毛。他的腦海里幻化出那只小白鳥，它振翅飛翔，一

片羽毛從它的翅上抖落。倘若不是鳥兒在離去時留下這片羽毛為證，有誰會知道小白

鳥曾經(jīng)來過？他幡然醒悟：艾米再也不會回來了。不知過了多久，他才讓那根羽毛從

手中悄然滑落。

BrokenTrust破碎的信任

我很氣憤，難道這才是真實的的商人之間的關(guān)系？難道商場中的人都?xì)埧崆覠o情？友

善不過是我的幻覺，只有傻瓜才會相信人與人之間的信任……

It*snevergoodnewswhenyourbusinessadvisercallsoutoftheblueandsays,“Wes,wcneed

totalk.”

That'swhathappenedtomeonespringmorningnotlongafterI'darrivedatmyoffice.Iowna

smallagencythathandlesspeakingengagementsandliteraryrightsforChristianentertainers,

authorsandleaders.Istartedthebusinessinmy20sanditgrewtoaboutadozenemployees,

earningmeenoughtoprovideacomfortablelivingformyfamilyandtosendmykidstocollege.

Thatyear,though,thecompanyhitaroughpatch,soI'dhiredabusinessconsultanttogiveme

someideasforimprovement.He'stheonewhocalledthatAprilmorning.

HWes,nhesaid,“yourcompanyisinmoretroublethanyouknow.Weneedtogettogether.

Soon.”

BeforeIcouldaskwhatwaswronghetoldmehehadalreadybeenintouchwithmybankerand

myaccountant."Howaboutwemeetatyourhousetonight?"Istammeredoutanokayand

spenttherestofthedayinaknot.

Thatevening,Ken,theconsultant,Ed,my

banker,andTom,myCPA,satdowninmylivingroom.Normallytheywerelaid-backSouthern

guys.Tonighttheylookeddeadlyserious.Tompulledoutsomespreadsheetsandother

documents.HWes,nhesaid,**doyourealizehowdeeplyyourcompany*sindebt?**

Myeyeswidened.AwhilebackI'dtransferredmuchoftheday-to-dayrunningofthecompany

totwopeopleItrusted.Onewasmychiefoperatingofficer.TheotherwasTim,myvice

president.Timhadjoinedthebusinesseightyearsearliersoonaftergraduatingcollege.The

COOhadbeenwithme14years.Wewereateamandclosefriendsbesides.Mostweekswe

spentfarmoretimewitheachotherthanwedidwithourfamilies.

Ed,thebanker,said,**Wes,I'vebeengettingthesephonecallsfromTimaskingquestionsabout

thecompany'saccountsIdidn'tthinkwereproper/*

“Didyouknowaboutthislineofcredit?1'Edcontinued,pointingtoapaperwithmysignature

authorizingtheloanforasubstantialsumofmoney.Ididn'trememberagreeingtoborrowthat

much.

“Takealookattheseexpenses,"Kensaid,indicatinghigh-pricedhotelroomsandrestaurant

billsTimandtheCOOhadchargedtothecompany.

Ifeltthecolordrainfrommyface.Whatonearthwasgoingon?Yes,thepastyearhadbeen

difficultatwork.Iwasinmy50sandeagertodialback,butIoftendisagreedwithwhereTim

andtheCOOwantedtotakethecompany.Still,noneofourargumentseversuggestedeitherof

themwantedtodeceiveme.

“Thebottomline,Wcs,nsaidKen,"isit'sprettycleartheseguysarctakingadvantageofyou.Wc

needtodosomemoreresearch,butattheveryleastyou'regoingtohavetolettheseguysgo.

Legalchargesmayevenbeinorder.”

Iwasstunned.Thethreeofthemwentoversomemorefiguresthentoldmetolielowtillwe*d

gatheredenoughdocumentationtomakeaclearcasefordismissal."Inthemeantimewe're

goingtohavetofigureouthowtogetyourcompany'sfinancesbackinorder/1saidTom.

“You'reinaprettydeepholeandit'lltakesomedoingtoclimbout.1'

TheyleftandIstumbledupstairs.Mywife,Linda,wasgettingreadyforbed.Itoldher

everything.Herfaceturnedashen.nWes,nshesaid,HIcan'tbelieveit.Thoseguysareourfriends.

Theybetrayedyou!Why?',

Ishookmyhead.UntilLindausedthatwordIhadn'tthoughtofitasbetrayal.Thesemenwere

amongmybestfriends.Forsomereasonthey*dtakenadvantageofmytrustanddrainedmoney

fromthebusinesswe*dworkedsohardtobuild.Maybetherewassomeexplanation.Maybeit

wasn'tsoutterlyawful.

ThenextmorningintheofficeIknewitwasthatawful.Shockanddismaymust'vebeenwritten

allovermyfacebecausetheminuteIsaidhellotoTimandtheCOOtheystiffenedandgave

eachotheralook.Thecompany'sofficesweresmall,atwo-storybrickbuildinginacomplex

outsideNashville.Myofficewasdownstairs.Theothertwoguysworkedonthesecondfloor.

ThatdayandthedaysfollowingIsatatmydesklisteningtotheprofoundsilenceupstairs.The

officewasunbearablytense.

Astreamofshockingrevelationscamefrommyadvisers.TheycompiledpaperworkonTim

first.ThedayIletTimgoIcalledhimintotheconferenceroomwithKenandme,laidoutthe

evidenceandsaid,“Tim,we'vecometotheendoftheroadhere.Iknowwhat'sbeenhappening

andthecompany'sinrealtrouble.Ineedtofireyou,effectiveimmediately.MTimdidn'tsaya

wordexceptthatheneededtogetsomethingsfromhisdesk.Onthewayouthesurreptitiously

turnedoffhiscomputer,effectivelylockingitsinceonlyheknewthepassword.Hedidn'tsay

goodbye.

Withthehelpofacomputerexpert,wegotintoTim*scomputeranddiscoveredthefullextent

ofwhatheandtheCOOhadbeenupto.They'daimedtodrainresourcesandclientsfrommy

companyintoanewshadowcompanythey'dcreated.Theyintendedtoputmeoutofbusiness

thenwalkawaywithmyclients.InowhadenoughevidencetofiretheCOO.ThedayIplanned

tolethimgo,heresigned.Iimmediatelywenttoseealawyer.Thelawyer,surprisingly,toldme

thatthoughIcouldsuebothmensuccessfully,hewouldn*trecommendit.

"It'lleatupyearsofyourlifewhenyoushouldbeworkingtorepairyourcompany,"hesaid.A

lawyer,willinglyturningdownbusiness!MaybeitwasasignfromGod.

ExceptIdidn'twanttohearfromGod.IwasovertheinitialshockandnowIwasjustangry.

Bitterlyangry.TimandtheCOOevenhadthenervetosetuptheirnewcompanyrightacross

theparkinglotfrommyoffice!WhathadIdonetodeservethis?

Ithou如tbackoverallouryearstogether,ourgoodtimesintheoffice,ourcelebrationswhen

wclandedaparticularlybigclient.Iknewtheychafedatmyauthority,especiallywhenIstarted

handingthemmoreresponsibility.Theydidn'tlikemeweighinginonalltheirdecisions.Butit

wasmycompany!I'dbuiltitandIhadarighttosaywhereitshouldgo.No,Isimplyneededto

admitthatthiswastherealityofhumanrelationships,especiallyinbusiness.Peoplewere

cutthroat,kindnesswasanillusionandtrustwasforfools.

Iwentonlikethisformonths.OnedayIfoundmyselfdrivingalong1-40,returningto

NashvilleafterdroppingoffmydaughteratcollegeinKnoxville.Therollinggreenhills

unspooledoutthewindowanditseemedlikeIwasheadingfromnowheretonowhere.Ifelt

weighteddownandalone.Alonewithmyanger.

Ioftenstayeduplateatnightporingoverfinancialdocuments.SometimesIscreamedatthe

wall.MyrelationshipwithLindawasstrained.Iwasterseandgrimattheofficetoo.Itwasno

waytolive,butwhatwasIsupposedtodowheneverydayIpulledintoworkandsawmy

formerfriends'carsparkedrightacrossthelot?Surelynooneexpectedmetoforgivethem?

Themomentthatthou如tenteredmymindIfeltakindofstillingofmyheart.Forgiveness.I'd

heardplentyofsermonsaboutforgiveness.Heck,I'dscheduledplentyofspeakersonthetopic.

Butsenselessbetrayalbyclosefriends?Whocouldforgivesomethinglikethat?

Thehillsrolledby,silentandserene.Iheardnovoice,feltnopresence一indeed,I'dneverfelt

emptier.Yetallofasuddenaprayercameunbiddentomylips:"Lord,fillmyemptinesswith

yourpresence."1spokethosewordsanditwasasifafilmwasimmediatelyliftedfrommyeyes.

Notonlywasforgivenesspossible,itwasrequired.Itwastheonlywaytofilltheemptinessand

stoptheanger.ForgivenesswasthepresenceofGod.IwouldhavelaughedexceptIwasso

dismayed.IknewwhatIhadtodo.Ijustdidn*tknowhowtodoit.

Infact,ittookmethreeyears,aChristianmen'sretreatandafinalface-to-facemeetingwith

Timtoreachthatplaceofforgiveness.AlongthewayIletgoofmyself-righteousnessand

admittedthatI'dbeenunfair,expectingtwosubordinatestotakethereinsasInearedretirement

andyetstillfollowmydirection.Thatdidn*texcusetheirbetrayal,butitfeltrigjitto

acknowl-edgemyownroleinourfailedrelationship.

IreadthosepowerfulwordsinMatthew,MLoveyourenemies,'*andIrealizedthatintheendI

hadtoforgivebothmenwhetherornottheyeverapologized.Iopenedmyheartto

reconciliation.

SometimelaterTimgotintouchwithme(Istillhaven'theardfromtheCOO).Bythatpoint

theirnewbusinesshadfounderedandTimwasatlooseends.1didn*tofferhimajob,though

mycompany'sbackonsoundfinancialfooting.WhatIofferedwasfriendship.We'restillin

touchandIcanhonesdysayIholdnobitternesstowardeitherman.

樂觀的父親AFather'sInfluence

I文章來源：英語點津|文章錄入：隨心飛揚|收集整理：宏興英語教學(xué)網(wǎng)|更新時間：2011-12-9

I

父親用實際行動告訴我：笑對人生的人比起在曲折面前悲悲戚戚的人更能得到快樂的

垂青。

Thewisdommy77-year-oldfatherhaspassedontomecamemorethroughosmosisthan

lectures.Pinningdownadad'sinfluencetoonetruethingislikesayingthatthefinalinningisall

thatmattersinabaseballgame一wheninreality,it'severyplayupuntilthenthathasgottenthe

teamtowhereitis.Andmydadhasbeentheresincethefirstpitch.FrommakingHthebest

pancakesyoukidshaveevereaten"onSaturdaymornings,toassuringtearfulteenagersstudying

forfinalsthatalltheyneededwasagoodnight'ssleepandeverythingwouldbebetterinthe

morning,mydad'sdoggedoptimismshinesthrough.ItisabigpartofthereasonIrecovered

afterapelvis-smashingaccident,whenIwasrunoverbyatruck:MyfatherassumedthatI'dbe

joggingwithhimagain.

Hewouldalsobethefirsttonotethatagrandslambythelastbatterinatwo-rungamecan

changeeverything.Inthathe'sarealist.ButthethingaboutDadisthathebelievesheistheguy

whowillhitthatballoutoftheparkintheclutchplay.Eventhoughhisfirstgreat-grandchild

wasbornayearandahalfago,he'sstillthatkidonthebenchsaying,“Putmein,Coach."

Oldagehasn'tslowedhim,mainlybecausehedoesn'tthinkalmost-80isold.Ishouldhave

takenaphotoofmydadswimminginthelakeinfrontofourcabininAlaskalastsummerto

showyouwhathelookslike.Heisstrong,baldandabout5'10H,150pounds,withalongFrench

nose,blueeyesandagreatsmile.Hehadcomeforavisitandwastrainingforacharityswim

acrosstheHudsonRiverinNewYork,wherehelives.Heworehiscustom-fittedwetsuit(itzips

uptheback,sowehadtohelphimintoit),buthestillgotsocoldthatwhenIhauledhim,leaky

goggleswereallfoggedupandIfearedhe*ddieofhypothermia.Wewarmedhimbystokingthe

woodstoveandparkinghim,wrappedinasleepingbag,asclosetotheopenovendooraswe

couldwithoutcookinghislegs.

“Oh,comeon,itwasn'tthatbad,"he'llsay,whenhereadsthis.wasfine."Whichhewas.He

alwaysis.HedidcompletetheHudsonswimamonthlaterinNewYork,buttoldmeoverthe

phonethatnexttimehe*llmakesurehiswetsuitfitscorrectly(inhaste,hepulleditonbackward)

andbuynewgoggles.(TheyfilledupwithwaterandhebumpedintoPeteSeeger'smoored

sailboat-thefolksingeristherace'sorganizer.)

Ifyouaskmyfatherwhetherornothislifehasbeenhard,hewillsayheisaluckyguy.Notina

Hollywoodway-hemeansthekindofhappinessthatcomesfromsharingawell-cookedfamily

meal,takingagoodlongrunorgrowingaperfecttomato.DidImentionthatheusedtorun

marathonsbeforehiskneereplacementsurgery?He'stheonewhoconvincedmeIcoulddoit,

too.*'Anyonecanrunamarathon/'hesaid,"aslongasyouputinyourtimetraining."

Myfatherwasbornin1933.HisLondonchildhoodtookaturnatthebeginningofWorldWar

II:HisfatherenlistedintheFrenchArmyandwascapturedbytheGermansandspentthewar

inaprisoncamp.MydadandhismotherandsisterwereshippedofftoNewJerseytolivewith

relatives.Hismothersufferedfromdepression,andDadwenttoboardingschoolinNew

Englandfromthesixthgradeon.

YetinallDad'sdinnertablestories,andtherehavebeenmany,heturnedthemintogreat

stories.

ThesedaysthefavoritesayingofthefamilypatriarchhisgrandchildrenhavedubbedPapaBob

is"Andsoitgoes/*fromthewriterKurtVonnegut.Herepeatsitoften,especiallywhenhehas

sufferedasetback一anythingfromspraininganankleskiingtofacingmymother'sdeath.

Duringherillness(shehadleukemia)hedidhisbesttocheerherup.Mysister,wholivesnext

doortoDad,sometimescomplainedthathewasindenial.

Whatgoodwouldithavedoneanyoneifmyfatherhadembracedthesorrowoflosinghiswife

of49yearsjustashewasthinkingaboutretiringtospendmoretimewithher?Sometimes

wishingdaysarchappycanmakethemso.Asmuchasitdrovehisdaughterscrazy,I'msuremy

mother'slastmonthswerebetterbecausemyfatherwasplanningafamilyvacationwithallthe

grandkidstocelebratetheir50thweddinganniversary-

Andhonesdy?Heknewwhatwashappeningandchosetofaceitwithoutunduesadnessorfear.

WhenIwas10,aneighborwashitbyadeliverytruckandkilledwhileridingherbicycletoplay

attheschoolballfields.Afewweeksafterthatfuneral,DadandIplayedcatchinthebackyard.

“Twohands,keepyoureyeontheball,"hecoachedaswetosseditbackandforthoverthe

clothesline.(I*vebeenfollowingthatadviceallmylife.Awomancoulddoworsethankeepher

eyeontheballofwhatmattersinlifeandholdontoittightly,withtwohands.)Anyway,Iasked

himwhythatawfultruckhadkilledmyfriend.Itwassounfair.Dadsaid,"Life'snotfair."He

didn*tsayitwithanybitternessatall.HesaiditlikeSatchelPaigesaid,MYouwinafew,youlose

afew.Somegetrainedout.**Evenanoptimistlikemydadunderstandsthatsomethingsdon't

turnoutright.Thedifferenceis,heknowsitisyourresponsetohardtimesthatcounts,andhis

isalwaystolandonhisfeet