When I was growing up I do not recall hearing the words “I love you” from my father. When your father never says them to you when you are a child, it gets tougher and tougher for him to say those words as he gets older. To tell the truth, I could not honestly remember when I had last said those words to him either. I decided to set my ego aside and make the first move. After some hesitation, in our next phone conversation I blurted out the words, “Dad… I love you!”
There was a silence at the other end and he awkwardly replied, “Well, same back at ya!”
I chuckled and said, “Dad, I know you love me, and when you are ready, I know you will say what you want to say.”
Fifteen minutes later my mother called and nervously asked, “Paul, is everything okay?”
A few weeks later, Dad concluded our phone conversation with the words, “Paul, I love you.” I was at work during this conversation and the tears were rolling down my cheeks as I finally “heard” the love. As we both sat there in tears we realized that this special moment had taken our father/son relationship to a new level.
A short while after this special moment, my father narrowly escaped death following heart surgery. Many times since, I have pondered the thought, if I did not take the first step and Dad did not survive the surgery, I would have never “heard” the love.
The big rocks 大石塊如果忙於瑣事，那麼這些無關緊要的小事就會充斥你的生活，你永遠沒辦法騰出有質量的時間來處理你的大 事和要事。所以，鎖定目標，把精力放在最重要的事情上面，別讓過多的鎖事壓得你一事無成。
The big rocks
大石塊
One day an expert in time management was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration those students will never forget. As he stood in front of the group of high-powered over-achievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz.” Then hepulled out a one-gallon, wide-mouthed Mason jar and set it on the table in front of him. He then produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time, into the jar. When the jar was
filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked, "Is the jar full?" Everyone in the class said, "Yes."
一天，一名時間管理專家在對一羣學習商業的學生講話時，爲了論證一個論點，他用了一個令學生們永遠難忘的 表述方式。站在這羣出類拔萃的學生面前，他說：“來，做個小測試。”他拿出一個一加侖的廣口玻璃瓶，放在他們面前的桌上。接着他拿出一小堆拳頭大小的石 塊，小心翼翼、一塊一塊地放進瓶子裏。等石塊裝滿到瓶子，再也塞不下時，他問：“瓶子滿了嗎？”大家都說：“滿了。”
He replied, "Really?"
他問：“真的滿了嗎？”
He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel, then dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the space between the big rocks.
他伸手到桌下提出一桶碎石，將碎石倒進瓶子裏，搖晃瓶子讓碎石漏進石塊的間隙裏去。
He asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
他又問學生：“瓶子裝滿了嗎？”
By this time the class was on to him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
這時學生們領悟過來了。“可能還沒滿吧!”一個學生回答說。
"Good!" he replied.
“好！”他說道。
He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in the jar and it went into all the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel. Once more he asked the question,"Is the jar full?"
他伸手從桌底下拎出了一桶沙，把沙往瓶子裏倒，沙子塞滿了石塊與碎石的縫隙，他又一次問：“滿了嗎？”
"No!" the class shouted.
“沒滿！”全班學生大聲回答。
Once again he said, "Good!"
再一次，他說道：“好！”
Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?" One eager student raised her hand and said, "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if
you try really hard you can always fit some more things in!"
然後他又拿出一大罐水往瓶子裏倒，一直倒到水升到瓶口高。他看着學生們問：“這個演示說明了什麼？”一個學生急忙舉手說：“說 明瞭：不管時間安排得多緊，只要你想辦法，總是可以見縫插針地做更多的事情。”
"Good answer, but no," the speaker replied, "that’s not my point. The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don’t put the big rocks in first, you’ll never get them in at all. What are the ’big rocks" in your life? In my life they are my children... my wife... my loved ones... my education... my dreams... charities and worthy causes... teaching or mentoring others... doing things that I love... time for myself... my health... Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you’ll never get them in at all."
“回答得好，不過，”專家說：“這不是我想說的。這個例子告訴我們一個事實：如果你不是先放大石塊，以後 它們就永遠擺不進去。你生活中的‘大石塊’是什麼呢？在我的生活中，那就是我的孩子、妻子、所愛的人、學習、夢想、善行和有價值的事業、教導他人、做我喜 歡做的事、留給自己的時間、健康，等等。要記住，必須先放“大石塊”，否則它們永遠放不進去。”
If you sweat the little stuff then you’ll fill your life with little things to worry about that don’t really matter, and you’ll never have the real quality time you need to spend on the big,important stuff ：the big rocks.
如果你奔忙於瑣事，那麼這些無關緊要的小事就會充斥你的生活，讓你成天操心，你就永遠沒辦法騰出有質量的時間來處理你的大 事和要事（大石塊）。
The Missed Blessings 錯過的祝福我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因爲他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好？不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是那道等待着你去開啓的幸運之門!
The Missed Blessings
錯過的祝福
A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.
從前，有位年輕人即將大學生畢業。數月來，他一直渴望得到某汽車商產品陳列室中的一輛跑車。他知道，他那富有的父親肯定買得起這輛車，於是，他便跟父親說他很想得到那輛漂亮的跑車。
As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautiful wrapped gift box. Curious, but somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold. Angrily, he raised his voice to his father and said, "With all your money you give me a Bible?" He then stormed out of the house, leaving the Bible.
在畢業典禮即將來臨的日子裏，年輕人等待着父親買下跑車的消息。終於，在畢業典禮那天上午，父親將他叫到自己的書房，並告訴他，有他這麼出色的兒子自己感到非常自豪而且非常愛他這個兒子。接着，父親遞給兒子一個包裝精美的禮品盒。年輕人感到好奇，但帶着些許失望地打開禮品盒，卻發現裏面是一本精美的精裝本《聖經》，上面以金子凸印着年輕人的名字。看罷，年輕人怒氣衝衝地向父親大喊道：“你有那麼多錢，卻只給我一本《聖經》？”說完，便丟下《聖經》，憤怒地衝出房子。
Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and a wonderful family, but realizing his father was very old, he thought perhaps he should go to see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make the arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.
多年以後，年輕人已事業有成。他擁有一所漂亮的房子，一個溫馨的家庭。但當得知父親年事已高，他想，或許應該去看看他。自從畢業那天起他就一直不見父親。就在起程時，他收到一封電報——父親已逝世，並已立下遺囑將其所有財產轉給兒子。他要立即回父親家處理後事。
When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still new Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. As he was reading, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words... "PAID IN FULL".
在父親的房子裏，他突然內心感到一陣悲傷與懊悔。他開始仔細搜尋父親的重要文件，突然發現了那本《聖經》——還跟幾年前一樣嶄新。他噙着淚水打開《聖經》並一頁一頁地閱讀着。忽然，從書的背面掉出一把鑰匙。鑰匙上掛着一個標籤，上面寫着一個汽車經銷商的名字——正是他曾渴望的那輛跑車的經銷商。標籤上還有他的畢業日期及“款已付清”的字樣。
How many times do we miss blessings because they are not packaged as we expected? Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; but remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
我們多少次地與祝福擦肩而過，僅僅因爲他們沒有按我們想象中的樣子包裝好？不要在渴望得到沒有的東西時損壞你已經擁有的東西，但要記住一點：你現在所擁有的恰恰正是你曾經一心渴望得到的。
Sometimes we don't realize the good fortune we have or we could have because we expect "the packaging" to be different. What may appear as bad fortune may in fact be the door that is just waiting to be opened.
有時，我們並沒有意識到我們已經擁有或本該擁有的好運，僅僅因爲它的外表與我們想象中的有所不同。其實，表面上看起來像是壞運氣的東西或許正是等待開啓的幸運之門。
美文賞析:The Scars of Love 愛的傷疤
傷疤，聽起來總有點令人心寒，但你可曾想過有些傷口是一些不想放棄你的人造成的。在你掙扎的過程中，那些愛你的人爲了拉住你，纔在你身上留下了的傷疤。
The Scars of Love 愛的傷疤Some years ago on a hot summer day in south Florida a little boy decided togo for a swim in the old swimming hole behind his house.
幾年前的一個炎炎夏日，在美國佛羅里達州南部，有個小男孩爲貪圖涼快，決定去自家房子後面一個形成已久的深水潭中游泳。
In a hurry to dive into the cool water,he ran out the back door,leavingbehind shoes,socks,and shirt as he went. He flew into the water,notrealizing that as he swam toward the middle of the lake,an alligator wasswimming toward the shore. His mother - in the house was looking out thewindow - saw the two as they got closer and closer together. In utterfear,she ran toward the water,yelling to her son as loudly as she could.
因爲迫不及待地想投入到清涼的水中，他飛快地從後門跑了出去，邊跑邊脫掉鞋子、襪子和襯衣，把它們隨手拋在了身後。他一頭扎進了水裏，絲毫沒有意識到自己遊往潭中心的同時，一隻美洲鱷也正在朝岸邊游來。小男孩的母親當時在屋子裏透過窗子向外看着，發現那隻美洲鱷正向她的孩子步步逼近。她極度驚恐起來，一邊迅速奔向水潭，一邊聲嘶力竭地朝自己的孩子呼喊着。
Hearing her voice, the little boy became alarmed and made a return to swimto his mother. It was too late. Just as he reached her,the alligatorreached him.
聽到她的呼喊，小男孩才猛然意識到了危險，立即掉頭向岸邊的母親游去。可這時已經無濟於事。他的手勉強剛夠到他的母親，鱷魚也已經接觸到了他。
From the dock, the mother grabbed her little boy by the arms just as thealligator snatched his legs. That began an incredible tug-of-war betweenthe two. The alligator was much stronger than the mother, but the motherwas much too passionate to let go. A farmer happened to drive by, heard herscreams, raced from his truck, took aim and shot the alligator.
母親在岸上拼命地拽緊兒子的手臂，而此時美洲鱷也死死地咬住孩子的腿不放。爲了爭奪小男孩，母親和鱷魚之間儼然展開了一場讓人難以置信的.拔河較量。美洲鱷的力氣顯然要比母親強大得多，但是母親挽救兒子的堅定信念讓她無論如何也絕不放手。就在這萬分危急的關頭，一位農夫恰巧駕車經過，一聽到孩子母親的尖叫便飛速從卡車上跳下，瞄準鱷魚並開槍將其射殺。
Remarkably, after weeks and weeks in the hospital, the little boy survived. His legs were extremely scarred by the vicious attack of the animal and, on his arms, were deep scratches where his mother's fingernails dug into his flesh in her effort to hang on to the son she loved.
值得慶幸的是，經過在醫院數週的搶救治療，小男孩居然存活了下來。鱷魚兇殘的襲擊在他的腿上刻下了觸目驚心的傷痕。不僅如此，他的雙臂上也留下了深深的抓痕，那是在生死關頭母親爲了牢牢抓住摯愛的兒子，以至於手指甲都掐入了兒子的肉中所留下的。
The newspaper reporter who interviewed the boy after the trauma, asked if he would show him his scars. The boy lifted his pant legs. And then, with obvious pride, he said to the reporter. But look at my arms. I have great scars on my arms, too. I have them because my mom wouldn't let go.
事後，這位死裏逃生的小男孩接受了一位報社記者的採訪。當記者問他是否願意讓大家看看他身上的傷疤時，小男孩挽起了自己的褲腿，腿上深深的疤痕暴露無遺。緊接着，他滿臉自豪地告訴記者，“大家還是看看我的手臂吧，我的手臂上也有好多傷疤呢。這是媽媽不放開我，在救我的時候留下的。”
You and I can identify with that little boy. We have scars, too. No, not from an alligator, or anything quite so dramatic. But, the scars of a painful past. Some of those scars are unsightly and have caused us deep regret.
看了這個小男孩的故事後，人們都能感同身受。其實我們每個人身上都有傷疤。只不過並不是被鱷魚咬的，或任何如此戲劇性事件所造成，而是過往的痛苦經歷所留下的。那些傷疤是如此難看，讓人深感懊悔。
But, some wounds, my friend, are because God has refused to let go. In the midst of your struggle, He's been there holding on to you.
但是，我的朋友，你可曾想過有些傷口是一些不想放棄你的人造成的。在你掙扎的過程中，那些愛你的人爲了拉住你，纔在你身上留下了這些傷疤。
美文欣賞:Holding the hands of time 牽着時光的手
有人說，一旦開始喜歡回憶，那人便老去了。你覺得呢?! 時光如流水，別把太多的時間用在回憶過去，牽着時光的手，一起勇敢前進吧，因爲路在前方！
Holding the hands of time 牽着時光的手Blow-off vision of the rain, so that you are left with a brilliant tle time in my fingers, without any regrets, open stemmed bloom ripples. Blunt rolling thick liquid eternal, but you and I, were dispersed in which period of Acacia leaves.
吹斷目光的雨，讓虹的光輝帶你離去。時光穿梭在我指間，無悔地綻放開朵朵漣漪。鈍厚的流質綿延永恆，而你我，被衝散在其中，相思無絕期。
Inexplicable always feel like the time within the next few precious memories will be stripped from me, more than once dreamed that his standing in a dark empty space, only one track at the foot stretch into thedistance, such as the long past your time and ultimately disappear In myfield of vision at the end.
總是會莫名地感到時間在抽絲剝繭般的將寶貴的回憶從我身上剝離，不止一次夢見自己站在一片空曠黑暗的空間裏，腳下只有一條鐵軌伸向遠方，冗長如過往的光陰，最終消失在我的視野盡頭。
I am afraid to lose, I fear this time, and I love it but memories. I could not forget the sweat on the pitch with the sway of the brothers, forget accompany me cry close friend, and forget the bright Star of that everynight, and those words have touched me deeply.
我害怕失去，我對時間如此的恐懼，而我卻又那麼的熱愛回憶。我忘不了球場上一起揮灑汗水的兄弟，忘不了陪我一起哭泣的知己，忘不了那一夜夜璀璨的星空，和那些令我感動至今的話語。
Those people, those things, such as bursts of light rain in the lake left ring Watermark four dispersed to each other to melt each other's impact; if the horizon is still experiencing Qianwanyinian quiet shining star, notvery bright, but clearly made . - They do not know how much to spend withme during the day bright and silent night.
那些人，那些事，如細雨在湖面留下的陣陣環型水紋四散開來彼此消融，彼此撞擊;如經歷千萬億年仍在天邊寂靜閃光的星，不甚明亮，卻又清晰無比。——它們陪我度過不知多少明媚的白天與沉默的夜。
In my memory, the third year is not gray, because I remember thoseblessings are not what love is bearing fruit, I still remember holding alot of my friends and I hope to see sunrise and sunset, finally it isyellow everywhere.
在我的記憶中，高三不是灰色的，因爲我記得那些不被祝福的愛情是怎樣的開花結果，還記得我與朋友抱着一大堆的希望看日出日落，最後卻是黃花遍地。
Youth is the eye lotus spring, third year is that this eye expansion of bubbling spring season. I, however, a strong smell in the bubble years of the Problem taste. I do not exclude these, but too much pressure to do away much fun. Unfortunately, after the college entrance examination, even the pressure would become the memories, be my third year living memory of the dead evidence. In the time before we are so powerless, the only left on just the eye springs, and we have no regrets of the oath, I hope day after day, year after year, when I re-turn to this page , people still.
青春是眼忘憂泉，高三是這眼泉水膨脹冒泡的季節。而我卻在泡泡裏嗅到了濃厚的習題的味道。我並不是排斥這些，但過大的壓力確實帶走了不多的樂趣。只可惜，大學聯考過後，連壓力也會成爲回憶，成爲我緬懷逝去的高三生活的證據。在時間面前我們是如此的無力，唯一能留下的，就只是那眼泉水和我們曾經無悔的誓言，但願日復一日，年復一年，當我重新翻到這一頁時，人心依舊。
I have seen one another chilling words: Some people say that once you start like the memories of those people will get old. I only admit mature, do not believe they have been growing old. My friends are growing up day by day, and was young and the mature, how can I not had time to grow on the outline of the first to hoary?
曾經看過一句另我毛骨悚然的話：有人說，一旦開始喜歡回憶，那人便老去了。我只承認自己的成熟，不相信自己已經老去。我的朋友們正在一天天地長大，成熟並且風華正茂着，我怎麼可以沒來得及成長就率先蒼老了輪廓?
"Heaven Rain in green and so on, and I am waiting for you, the moonlight was recovered, the faint opened the outcome." Jay melancholy voice has been completely different from the business for the time Sentimental, Bard will be the years the pace of a camel inscribed into the blue and white porcelain in that respect.
“天青色等煙雨，而我在等你，月色被打撈起，暈開了結局。”杰倫憂鬱的嗓音已經完全不同與剛出道時的青澀，吟遊詩人般地將歲月的腳步鐫刻進那一尊青花瓷器。
Our future? Friends ah, I will time the other end, waiting for you.
我們的未來呢?朋友啊，我會在時間的另一頭，等你。
美文賞析:The Importance of Being Silly 難得糊塗
糊塗被人認爲沒主見，不糊塗被人覺得難以相處——‘難得糊塗’在於糊塗的時機，什麼時候糊塗取決於你不糊塗的程度。世界是多彩的，每個人都有屬於自己的顏色。爲什麼一直都要標榜着最聰明的自己呢？人生難得糊塗哦~給心靈一個歇腳的理由吧!
The Importance of Being Silly 難得糊塗We all, at one time or another, have pretended to be a rock star, singing and dancing along to our favorite song. Most of us have done this in the privacy of our own room when we were kids and as adults, in the privacy of our homes. Me? I love to do that when I drive! I turn on the radio, find a song that I can sing along too and pretty soon my arms are in the air and I am moving along to the rhythm. Most of the time, I do this on my way to work.
我們每個人，在不同時期，都曾經像一個搖滾歌星那樣，伴着我們最愛的那首歌又唱又跳.很多人在小時候，甚至是已長大成人，都曾在我們自己房間和家裏類似的隱祕空間裏這樣過。我呢？我喜歡在開車的時候這樣！打開收音機，找一首會唱的歌，很快我就會張開雙臂，隨着節奏起舞。大部分時候，我在上班的路上這麼做。
Yes, that is true. I will be in my nice work clothes, jamming while driving or stopped at a traffic light. I get weird looks from some people and others laugh. Personally, I love to get lost in the rhythm of a song which leads me to share with you the importance of being silly!
是的，那是真的。我會穿上我漂亮的工作服，在堵車和遇到交通燈時，有人就會用奇怪的眼神看着我，或者笑我。對我個人而言，我喜歡沉浸在一首歌的節奏中，由此我願和你們分享：爲人糊塗貴在何處。
The definition for the word silly, according to the dictionary is: stupid, foolish and nonsensical. I know many people do not want to look foolish. So they walk around all serious, which in all honesty, is foolish!
糊塗一詞在字典中的定義是：愚蠢的，傻，荒謬的。我知道很多人都不想被人看作愚笨。所以他們在生活中始終一臉嚴肅，而這在本質上纔是真正的愚笨。
No one is perfect, I repeat: no one is perfect. I don’t care how educated, how thin, how beautiful, how simple, how frugal, how rich, and so on… No one is perfect! So why pretend to be something you are not?
人無完人，我重申一次：沒有人是完美的。我不在乎一個人學識多深，身材多好，外表多美，思想多淺薄，生活多儉樸，多富有，等等……人無完人！那麼，爲什麼要僞裝成我們實際上本不是的呢？
Life is so short… You never know when this beautiful journey will be over, so why waste a single second on being so full of rigidity? Here is a quote by Souza, that I think says it all and is a great recipe for life:
人生何其短暫……你不會知道這美好的征程何時會結束，那麼，爲什麼要浪費一分一秒，讓自己變得棱角分明？這裏引用索薩的話，我覺得她一語中的，是人生的一大祕方：
“Dance as though no one is watching you, Love as though you have never been hurt before, Sing as though no one can hear you, Live as though heaven is on earth.”
跳舞吧，就像沒有人欣賞一樣，
去愛吧，就像沒有受到傷害一樣，
唱歌吧，就像沒有人傾聽一樣，
生活吧，就像今天是最後一天一樣。
When we were kids, we had no idea of what limitations were and we had no care in the world so we could do things without worrying about how we appeared to others. However, as we grew up, we lost that childlike innocence.
當我們還是孩子，我們天不怕，地不怕，無憂無慮，所以我們可以不在乎自己再別人眼中的形象去做事情。然而，當我們長大，我們失去了那種天真爛漫。
So don’t lose the child that still lives within you. The next time you feel down, go turn on your favorite song, and sing and dance along like there is no tomorrow. Or watch something that makes you laugh. Laughter is the best medicine to whatever ails you and nothing is better than laughing so hard that your tummy hurts. Trust me, you will feel a whole lot better, and who doesn’t want to feel good?
所以，不要丟失你心中那個小孩。下次你感到沮喪時，去打開你最愛的那首歌吧，隨之歌唱起舞，就像沒有明天一樣。或者看點能讓你笑的東西。笑聲是除去任何煩惱良方，沒有什麼比笑到肚子疼更好的事了。相信我，你會好受很多，誰又不想讓自己好受呢？
