孩子的守护天使

精美英语散文 [ 2006-6-23 15:10:00 | By: shuquanying ]   精选英语散文 孩子的守护天使          Once upon a time there was a child ready to be born. So one day he asked God, “They tell me you are sending me to earth tomorrow but how am I going to live there being so small and helpless?”          God replied, “Among the many angels, I chose one for you. She will be waiting for you and will take care of you.” 　　But the child wasn't sure he really wanted to go. “But tell me, here in Heaven, I don't do anything else but sing and smile, that's enough for me to be happy.” 　　“Your angel will sing for you and will also smile for you every day. And you will feel your angel's love and be happy.” 　　“And how am I going to be able to understand when people talk to me,” the child continued, “if I don't know the language that men talk?” 　　God patted him on the head and said, “Your angel will tell you the most beautiful and sweet words you will ever hear, and with much patience and care, your angel will teach you how to speak.” 　　“And what am I going to do when I want to talk to you?” 　　But God had an answer for that question too. “Your angel will place your hands together and will teach you how to pray.” 　　“I've heard that on earth there are bad men, who will protect me?” 　　“Your angel will defend you even if it means risking her life!” 　　“But I will always be sad because I will not see you anymore,” the child continued warily. 　　God smiled on the young one. “Your angel will always talk to you about me and will teach you the way for you to come back to me, even though I will always be next to you.” 　　At that moment there was much peace in Heaven, but voices from earth could already be heard. The child knew he had to start on his journey very soon. He asked God one more question, softly, “Oh God, if I am about to leave now, please tell me my angel's name.” 　　God touched the child on the shoulder and answered, “Your angel's name is not hard to remember. You will simply call her Mommy.”　　 　　上帝的完美安排：孩子的守护天使 　　从前，有个孩子马上就要诞生了。因此有一天他问上帝：“听说明天你就送我去人间了，但是，我这么弱小和无助，我在那儿怎么生活呢？” 　　上帝答道：“在众多的天使中，我特别为你挑了一位。她会守候你、无微不至地照顾你。” 　　小孩还是拿不准自己是否真的想去。“但是在天堂，我除了唱唱笑笑外，什么也不做。这就足以让我感到幸福了。” 　　“你的天使每天会为你唱歌，为你微笑。你会感受她的爱，并且因此而幸福。” 　　“如果我不懂人类的语言，他们对我说话时，我怎么听得懂呢？”孩子继续问道。 　　上帝轻轻地拍了一下孩子的脑袋说：“你的天使会对你说最最美丽、最最动听的话语，而这些都是你从未听过的。她会不厌其烦地教你说话。” 　　“如果我想与你说话怎么办？” 　　上帝胸有成竹地回答：“你的天使会将你的双手合拢，教你如何祈祷。” 　　“听说尘世有很多坏蛋，谁来保护我呢？” 　　“即使冒着生命危险，你的天使也会保护你的。” 　　“但是见不到你，我会难过的。”小孩小心翼翼说道。 　　听到这儿，上帝对着小孩笑了。“尽管我会一直陪伴你左右，你的天使仍会提起我，教你重返天堂之路。” 　　此时，天堂一片宁静，凡间的声音已可听到，小孩明白自己得赶紧上路了。 他又轻声问了最后一个问题，“哦，上帝，假如我现在就出发，请你告诉我，我的天使叫什么名字。” 　　上帝把手放在小孩的肩上，答道：“你的天使的名字很容易记住， 你就叫她——妈妈。” 　 微笑          The smile 　　"I was sure that I was to be killed. I became terribly nervous. I fumbled[1] in my pockets to see if there were any cigarettes, which had escaped[2]their search. I found one and because of my shaking hands, I could barely get it to my lips. But I had no matches, they had taken those. "I looked through the bars at my jailer. He did not make eye contact with me. I called out to him 'Have you got a light?' He looked at me, shrugged [3]and came over to light my cigarette. "As he came close and lit the match, his eyes inadvertently locked with mine. At that moment, I smiled. I don't know why I did that. Perhaps it was nervousness, perhaps it was because, when you get very close, one to another, it is very hard not to smile. In any case, I smiled. In that instant, it was as though a spark jumped across the gap between our two hearts, our two human souls. I know he didn't want to, but my smile leaped through the bars and generated a smile on his lips, too. He lit my cigarette but stayed near, looking at me directly in the eyes and continuing to smile. 　　 "I kept smiling at him, now aware of him as a person and not just a jailer. And his looking at me seemed to have a new dimension[4] too. 'Do you have kids?' he asked. " 'Yes, here, here.' I took out my wallet and nervously fumbled for the pictures of my family. He, too, took out the pictures of his family and began to talk about his plans and hopes for them. My eyes filled with tears. I said that I feared that I'd never see my family again, never have the chance to see them grow up. Tears came to his eyes, too. "Suddenly, without another word, he unlocked my cell and silently led me out. Out of the jail, quietly and by back routes, out of the town. There, at the edge of town, he released me. And without another word, he turned back toward the town. 　　 "My life was saved by a smile." Yes, the smile―the unaffected, unplanned, natural connection between people.. I really believe that if that part of you and that part of me could recognize each other, we wouldn't be enemies. We couldn't have hate or envy or fear. 　　微 笑 　　“一想到自己明天就没命了，不禁陷入极端的惶恐。我翻遍了口袋，终于找到一支没被他们搜走的香烟，但我的手紧张得不停发抖，连将烟送进嘴里都成问题，而我的火柴也在搜身时被拿走了。 “我透过铁栏望着外面的警卫，他并没有注意到我在看他，我叫了他一声：‘能跟你借个火吗？’他转头望着我，耸了耸肩，然后走了过来，点燃我的香烟。 “当他帮我点火时，他的眼光无意中与我的相接触，这时我突然冲着他微笑。我不知道自己为何有这般反应，也许是过于紧张，或者是当你如此靠近另一个人，你很难不对他微笑。不管是何理由，我对他笑了。就在这一刹那，这抹微笑如同火花般，打破了我们心灵间的隔阂。受到了我的感染，他的嘴角不自觉地也现出了笑容，虽然我知道他原无此意。他点完火后并没立刻离开，两眼盯着我瞧，脸上仍带着微笑。 　　“我也以笑容回应，仿佛他是个朋友，而不是个守着我的警卫。他看着我的眼神也少了当初的那股凶气，‘你有小孩吗？’他开口问道。 “‘有，你看。’我拿出了皮夹，手忙脚乱地翻出了我的全家福照片。他也掏出了照片，并且开始讲述他对家人的期望与计划。这时我眼中充满了泪水，我说我害怕再也见不到家人。我害怕没机会看着孩子长大。他听了也流下两行眼泪。 “突然间，他二话不说地打开了牢门，悄悄地带我从后面的小路逃离了监狱，出了小镇，就在小镇的边上，他放了我，之后便转身往回走，不曾留下一句话。 　　“一个微笑居然能救自己一条命。”“是的，微笑是人与人之间最自然真挚的沟通方式。如果我们能用心灵去认识彼此，世间不会有结怨成仇的憾事；恨意、妒嫉、恐惧也会不复存在。 　　背景介绍： 　　《微笑》是法国作家安东尼·圣艾修伯里的作品，圣艾修伯里是名飞行员，二次大战对抗纳粹时被击落身亡，之前他也曾参加西班牙内战打击法西斯分子。他根据这次经验写了一篇精彩的故事――《微笑》。他的代表作《小王子》是美国人都很熟悉的童话故事。 　　注释： 　　1. fumble：我们总是能看到爱抽烟的男人在自己的身上到处摸烟的镜头，用动词fumble（乱摸、摸索）来形容他们的动作是再恰当不过了；下文中提到的nervously fumbled for the pictures也是借用fumble来形容“主人公非常紧张地在钱包搜索照片”的情景；现在如果你看到某人在“哗啦啦”地翻书寻找他想要的内容，你就可以大胆地用fumle来描述他的动作，可以说He fumbled the pages looking for the place. 　　2. escape是个很调皮的词汇，总是“逃离这儿，逃离那儿”， 此处的escaped their search字面上就表示出“（烟）逃离了他们的搜查”，也就是“没有被他们搜走（的烟）”； 再看看I'm afraid your name escapes me. 看起来是“你的名字逃离了我”，也就是“我恐怕想不起你的名字了”。如果你是位老师，在课堂可能就会很严肃地对那些捣蛋的学生说上一句：Nothing escaped my attention.（什么都逃不过我的注意），这下，那些学生该乖乖地听课了吧。 　　3. shrug表示的动作是“耸耸肩”，比如你把一个消息告诉给自己的好友时，“她听到消息后只是耸耸肩”，你就可以描绘成She shrugged her shoulders at the news. 因为我们也经常用“耸肩”的动作来表示“不感兴趣“或“无所谓”等心态，所以shrug可以引申地表示“冷漠、无所谓、不屑一顾”等意思。比如说在法庭上，法官已经对某个贪污犯进行了判决，但是此人仍然暴跳如雷地表示抗议，那么People only shruggled at his protests.看来“人们对他的抗议只是轻蔑地耸耸肩而已了”。 　　4. dimension：如果你已经知道dimension是用来表示“尺寸、面积、大小”的，那么你就会很疑惑此处的a new dimension是什么意思。不过你要是联想一下，既然dimension表示事物的“长、宽、高”等各因素，这也就相当于事物的“各个方面”了，所以此处的a new dimension也就相当于“一个新的方面”，联系上下文，可推断出这个“新的方面”就是jailer对“主人公”态度的转变，从最初的“凶”到现在的“友好”；如果你发现了男朋友身上的一个新特点，就可以对他说到 I found a new dimension of your personality. 我保证他一定要求你把his new dimension说出来的。 我有一个梦 I have a dream 　　……I say to you, my friends, so even though we must face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.          I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed - we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. 　　I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, sons of former slaves and sons of former slave-owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. 　　I have a dream that one day, even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. 　　I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. 　　I have a dream today! 　　I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. 　　I have a dream today. 　　I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places shall be made plain, and the crooked places shall be made straight and the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. 　　This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. 　　With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. 　　With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. 　　With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to go to jail together, knowing that we will be free one day. 　　This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning-"my country 'tis of thee; sweet land of liberty; of thee I sing; land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride; from every mountain side, let freedom ring"-and if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. 　　So let freedom ring -- from the prodigious hill tops of New Hampshire, let freedom ring; from the mighty mountains of New York.Let freedom ring -- from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. 　　Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. 　　Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. 　　But not only that.Let freedom ring from the Stone Mountain of Georgia. 　　Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. 　　Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi, from every mountainside, let freedom ring. 　　When we allow freedom to ring, when we let it ring from every village and hamlet, from every state and city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children - black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, 　　Catholics and Protestants - will be able to join hands and to sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last, free at last; thank God Almighty, we are free at last." 我有一个梦         马丁.路德.金 　　……今天，我对你们说，我的朋友们，尽管此时的困难与挫折，我们仍然有个梦，这是深深扎根于美国梦中的梦。 我有一个梦：有一天，这个国家将站起来，并实现它的信条的真正含义：“我们认为这些真理是不言而喻的，即所有的人都生来平等。” 　　我有一个梦：有一天，在乔治亚州的红色山丘上，从前奴隶的子孙们和从前奴隶主的子孙们将能像兄弟般地坐在同一桌旁。 　　我有一个梦：有一天，甚至密西西比州，一个有着不公正和压迫的热浪袭人的荒漠之州，将改造成自由和公正的绿洲。 　　我有一个梦：我的4个小孩将有一天生活在一个国度里，在那里，人们不是从他们的肤色，而是从他们的品格来评价他们。 　　今天我有一个梦想！ 　　我有一个梦：有一天，阿拉巴马州将变成这样一个地方，那里黑人小男孩、小女孩可以和白人小男孩、小女孩，像兄弟姐妹一样手牵手并肩而行。 　　今天我有一个梦想。 　　我有一个梦：有一天，每一个峡谷将升高，每一座山丘和高峰被削低，崎岖粗糙的地方改造成平原，弯弯曲曲的地方变得笔直，上帝的荣耀得以展露，全人类都将举目共睹。 　　这是我们的希望，这是信念，带着这个信念我回到南方，怀着这个信念我们将能从绝望之山中开采出一块希望之石。怀着这个信念，我们将能把我们国家的刺耳的不和音，转变成一曲优美动听的兄弟情谊交响曲。怀着这个信念，我们将能工作在一起，祈祷在一起，奋斗在一起，一起赴监狱，一起为自由而挺住。因为我们知道，有一天我们将获自由。 　　将会有一天，那时，所有上帝的孩子们将能以新的含义高唱： 　　我的祖国， 　　你是自由的乐土。 　　我为你歌唱： 　　我的先辈的安葬之地， 　　让自由的声音， 　　响彻每一道山岗。 　　如果说美国是一个伟大的国家，这必须要成真。因此，让自由的声音从新罕布什尔州巨大的山巅响起吧。让自由的声音从纽约州巍巍群山响起吧，让自由的声音从宾夕法尼亚州阿拉根尼高原响起吧！ 　　让自由的声音从科罗拉多州冰雪覆盖的落基山脉响起吧！ 　　让自由的声音从加利福尼亚婀娜多姿的山峰上响起吧！ 　　但不仅如此，还让自由之声从乔治亚州的石峰上响起吧！ 　　让自由之声从田纳西州的观景峰响起吧！ 　　让自由之声从密西西比州的每一道山丘响起吧！在每一道山坡上，让自由之声响起吧！ 　　当我们让自由之声响彻之时，当我们让它从每一座村庄，从每一个州和每一座城市响起时，我们将能加速这一天的到来，那时，所有上帝的孩子们，黑人和白人，犹太人和异教徒们，基督徒和天主教徒们，将能手挽手，以那古老的黑人圣歌的歌词高唱； 　　“终于自由了！终于自由了！感谢全能的上帝，我们终于自由了！” 火与冰 Fire and Ice 　　Some say the world will end in fire, 　　Some say in ice.          From what I've tasted of desire， 　　I hold with those who favor [1] fire. 　　But if it had to perish [2] twice, 　　I think I know enough of hate 　　To know that for destruction ice 　　Is also great 　　and would suffice 火与冰　　 　　有人说世界将结束于熊熊烈焰， 　　有人则说结束于凛凛寒冰。 　　欲望如火，体会其烈， 　　则知世之归于火为我所愿。 　　但若其必两度遭逢毁灭， 　　我知恨之极至， 　　必然明了，毁灭之冰， 　　同样魁伟， 　　同样顺人心意。 美丽人生 Beauty 　　There were a sensitivity and a beauty to her that have nothing to do with looks. She was one to be listened to, whose words were so easy to take to heart.          　It is said that the true nature of being is veiled. The labor of words, the expression of art, the seemingly ceaseless buzz that is human thought all have in common the need to get at what really is so. The hope to draw close to and possess the truth of being can be a feverish one. In some cases it can even be fatal, if pleasure is one's truth and its attainment more important than life itself. In other lives, though, the search for what is truthful gives life. 　　I used to find notes left in the collection basket, beautiful notes about my homilies and about the writer's thoughts on the daily scriptural readings. The person who penned the notes would add reflections to my thoughts and would always include some quotes from poets and mystics he or she had read and remembered and loved. The notes fascinated me. Here was someone immersed in a search for truth and beauty. Words had been treasured, words that were beautiful. And I felt as if the words somehow delighted in being discovered, for they were obviously very generous to the as yet anonymous writer of the notes. And now this person was in turn learning the secret of sharing them. Beauty so shines when given away. The only truth that exists is, in that sense, free. 　　It was a long time before I met the author of the notes. 　　One Sunday morning, I was told that someone was waiting for me in the office. The young person who answered the rectory door said that it was "the woman who said she left all the notes." When I saw her I was shocked, since I immediately recognized her from church but had no idea that it was she who wrote the notes. She was sitting in a chair in the office with her hands folded in her lap. Her head was bowed and when she raised it to look at me, she could barely smile without pain. Her face was disfigured, and the skin so tight from surgical procedures that smiling or laughing was very difficult for her. She had suffered terribly from treatment to remove the growths that had so marred her face. 　　We chatted for a while that Sunday morning and agreed to meet for lunch later that week. 　　As it turned out we went to lunch several times, and she always wore a hat during the meal. I think that treatments of some sort had caused a lot of her hair to fall out. We shared things about our lives. I told her about my schooling and growing up. She told me that she had worked for years for an insurance company. She never mentioned family, and I did not ask. 　　We spoke of authors we both had read, and it was easy to tell that books are a great love of hers. 　　I have thought about her often over the years and how she struggled in a society that places an incredible premium on looks, class, wealth and all the other fineries of life. She suffered from a disfigurement that cannot be made to look attractive. I know that her condition hurt her deeply. 　　Would her life have been different had she been pretty? Chances are it would have. And yet there were a sensitivity and a beauty to her that had nothing to do with looks. She was one to be listened to, whose words were so easy to take to heart. Her words came from a wounded but loving heart, very much like all hearts, but she had more of a need to be aware of it, to live with it and learn from it. She possessed a fine-tuned sense of beauty. Her only fear in life was the loss of a friend. 　　How long does it take most of us to reach that level of human growth, if we ever get there? We get so consumed and diminished, worrying about all the things that need improving, we can easily forget to cherish those things that last. Friendship, so rare and so good, just needs our care--maybe even the simple gesture of writing a little note now and then, or the dropping of some beautiful words in a basket, in the hope that such beauty will be shared and taken to heart. 　　The truth of her life was a desire to see beyond the surface for a glimpse of what it is that matters. She found beauty and grace and they befriended her, and showed her what is real. 美丽人生          她有着一种与外表无关的灵气和美丽。她的话语轻而易举地征服了人心，她正是我们要聆听的声音。 　　很多人都说人生的真谛是个未知的概念。言词的费力诠释、艺术的着力表现还有人类那似乎永无休止的纷繁思考，三者都苦苦追寻人生的真谛。希望走近以至完全把握存在的真意可以令人十分狂热。有时候，有些人以自己笃信的真理为志趣，追寻真理甚于保全生命，于是就有舍生取义之举。然而，也有另外的一种人生，他们在寻求真谛的过程中灌溉生命。 　　过去，我常常在教堂的心意篮里面发现一些优美的小短文，有些是关于我的布道，有些是作者日常读《圣经》的感想。写这些短文的人不仅对我的一些观点加以反思，同时还会引用一些他/她曾经读过的，令他/她难忘又喜爱的诗人或者神秘主义者的话。我给这些短文迷住了。我看到了一个执着于追寻真与美的人。其珍而重之的字句，优美动人。我还感觉到好像那些字句也乐于让我们发现，它们是那么毫无保留地，慷慨地为这无名氏作者借用，而现在轮到这位无名氏来学习与人分享这些美文的奥秘。分享令美愈加闪耀生辉，在这个意义上说，其实世上唯一的真理是分毫不费的。 　　过了很久我才见到这些短文的作者。 　　一个星期天早上，我被告知有人正在办公室等我。帮我应门的年轻人说“是个女人，说留言是她放的。”看见她的时候我大吃一惊，因为我马上就认出她是我的教区信徒，只是我一直不知道那些短文是她写的。她坐在办公室的一张椅子上，两手相扣搁在大腿上，低垂着头。在抬头看我的时候，她微笑起来却十分费劲。那是一张破了相的脸，外科手术使她的脸皮绷得紧紧的，笑对她来说也是很困难的。为了去除脸上碍眼的肉瘤她接受了手术治疗，这令她吃尽苦头。 　　那个星期天早上我们聊了一会儿，并决定那个星期再找个时间一起吃顿午饭。 　　后来我们不止吃了一顿午饭，而是好几顿。每次一起吃饭的时候她都戴着帽子。我想可能是她接受的某种治疗使她掉了不少头发。我们分享了各自生活中的点点滴滴。我跟她讲我读书和成长的故事。她告诉我她在一家保险公司里已经工作多年了。她从来没有提过自己的家庭，我也没有问。 　　我们还谈到大家都读过的作家作品，不难发现她非常喜欢看书。 　　这些年我经常想起她，在这个以外表、地位和财富等虚名浮利挂帅的社会中她是怎样一路挺过来的呢？毁掉的容颜使她怎么也无法变得耀眼迷人。我知道这深深地刺痛着她。 　　如果她长得漂亮，她的生命轨迹会不会有所不同呢？有可能。不过她有种独特的灵气和美，与外表完全无关。她的话轻而易举地征服了人心，她正是我们要聆听的声音。她的隽语出于一颗受过伤却充满爱的心，就像所有人的心一样，只不过她比别人更注重对自己心灵的关注、用心去体会生活并从中学习。她拥有一种细腻的美感。她生命里唯一的恐惧就是失去朋友。 　　我们究竟要花多长时间才能达到如此高度的成熟？能否最终达到还是个未知数呢。我们老觉得身心疲惫，怀才不遇，只顾为眼前的不足忧心忡忡，却忘了珍视一些历久常新的东西。友谊珍贵而美好，只需我们用心呵护，有时候简简单单的表示就已经足够了，譬如偶尔写几句话给朋友，或者在篮子里投入一些优美动人的字条，以期大家都能分享，记住美妙的时刻、美好的感觉。 　　她生命的真谛就是要透过事物的表面一睹其真正的本质。她发现了美和上帝的慈爱，而美和慈爱也待她如友，把生命的真谛呈现给她。 我的挚友阿诺德        I recently lost my best friend Arnold in an automobile accident while moving my family to our new home in Arizona. Arnold was an 8-month-old pot belly who taught me so much about love, devotion and companionship. I am devastated by his loss, but thank God daily for blessing me with the joy of having Arnold for his short life. 　　Anyone contemplating a pot belly as a pet should know that if you are a true pet lover and devote yourself to them, a pot belly will make the most wonderful friend. You will be assured of endless hours of fascination and entertainment as you both grow together in understanding the human/pot belly relationship. Words cannot describe this relationship and it can only be fully understood by experiencing it. 　　Arnold didn't know he was a pig -- he thought he was just another member of our family -- modeling his behavior through observing me, my wife, my two daughters and our beagles. He was convinced he was loved by all; and he was, even when he was ornery trying to just get our attention. He learned his name, how to sit and how to use the litter box all in the first week we had him (at 7 weeks old!). 　　He loved to sleep on your lap as you sat on the couch watching TV. He didn't care if he grew to weigh 45lbs, he still expected you to hoist him onto your lap at precisely 8:00 pm every evening where he would fall fast asleep within seconds after snuggling his wet nose between your neck and shoulder. If you didn't respond to his initial "honks" letting you know it was his nap time, he would bump your legs with his nose until you picked him up. With his weight as it was, you couldn't hold him all evening as he preferred, so you had to slide him off onto the couch next to you where he would sleep for hours with all four legs and his nose sticking straight up in the air. He would snore as long as he could feel you next to him but would immediately wake up if you tried to leave the couch. We had hours of fun balancing objects like a salt shaker on his flat nose while he slept soundly. 　　Arnold helped me in all my chores around our five acres in the country. Just being there at my feet, interested in what I was doing made even the most mundane tasks enjoyable. When he was out roaming and foraging and you would call out his name, he would come running at top speed, honking the whole way until he got close to you where he would dodge you, zigzagging around with a few victory roles turning in circles before settling down and calmly walking up to you with his tail wagging as if to say (winking) "hah, got-cha." 　　He even helped me build a kit aircraft and a customized trailer to haul it around in. I was planning on taking him flying with me some day. He loved to play with my sockets and rolled them around on the shop floor. Just as I would struggle and get frustrated with some difficult task, Arnold would show up underneath the trailer, with his wet nose in my ear and honking -- seeming to say, "take a break and laugh with me for a while, that should make it all better." And it did, every time. God's marvelous creations minister to us in the most special ways if we can just stop for a few moments and observe them. God used Arnold to teach us this very important lesson in life which we will never forget. 　　My wife and two daughters began to say that Arnold and I were so close that he had become the son that I never had in our family. It seemed that we could no longer have any kind of conversation in our family or with our friends without Arnold being a main topic. The neighborhood kids would make appointments to come visit Arnold and couldn't wait to come over and play with him. 　　Arnold went most everywhere with us--Pet's Mart, Wal-Mart, birthday parties, Christmas vacation to Grandma's. He loved riding in the car/shopping basket and was a big hit everywhere he went. Arnold had become such an important part of our life that when we found out that our family would have to move to another state, we insisted that the contract on our new house be contingent on the homeowners' association approval of Arnold in writing before we would agree to purchasing in our prestigious neighborhood. 　　On the day we left our old home town, we had a going away lunch with our friends from church. Everyone there just had to go out to the truck where Arnold and all our other pet were and say goodbye. Arnold trusted me to take care of him and get him to his new home. Tragically, along the way, the wind blast from a semi knocked our trailers out of control and pushed our truck off a 40' bridge. We lost a big part of our family that day when our pets Arnold, Sweeti and Leanna were killed. I feel terrible for not being able to protect Arnold the way he trusted me to. However, I will be forever grateful for the fond memories of him which I will cherish forever         Thank you for reading this and allowing me to share some of Arnold's life with you. If you decide that a pot belly is the right choice for you both, I pray that you will be rewarded in the same way my family was with Arnold.         在我们搬家到亚利桑那州的途中发生了交通意外，从此我失去了我最好的朋友阿诺德。阿诺德是一只八个月大的宠物猪，是他令我更懂得爱，懂得投入和维系情谊。他的离去令我伤心欲绝，不过我还是常感谢上帝赐予我与阿诺德相处的那段短暂却快乐的时光。 　　凡是考虑想养宠物猪的人都应该知道，如果你真心疼它，全身心地伺候它，小猪就会成为你最棒的朋友。在这个与小猪一起探索相处的过程中，你一定会非常着迷，发现其中有无穷的乐趣。言语是无法描绘这种关系的，只有亲身经历才能充分体会。 　　阿诺德并不知道自己是一只猪，他以为自己就是我们家的一员，所以他会观察模仿我、我太太、我两个女儿还有我家小猎犬的一举一动。他深信我们所有人都爱他，事实的确是这样，就算有时候他会耍脾气来吸引我们的注意力。他来到我们家的第一个星期（7周大的时候）就已经学会了自己的名字，学会了怎么坐，还有怎么用那个小盒子。 　　他喜欢在你坐在沙发上看电视的时候睡在你大腿上。他也不管自己已经长到45磅重，就是要你每天晚上八点准时把他抬到你大腿上来，湿乎乎的鼻子在你的脖子和肩膀之间温存一番后，眨眼功夫这家伙就酣睡起来了。开始的时候他会“鼾鼾”地提醒你他到点休息了，而如果你没反应，他就会用鼻子撞你的脚，直到你把他抱起为止。他倒想一整晚睡在你腿上，但他这么重，你根本是受不了的，所以得把他顺势滑到旁边的沙发上，让他鼻子四脚朝天地呼呼大睡。只要他感觉到你就在他身边，他会放心尽情地打他的呼噜睡他的觉；但是一旦你想走开，他会马上醒过来。他沉睡的时候，我们会玩个游戏，在他那扁鼻子上摆像盐瓶那样的小玩艺而要保持平衡不倒，这样一玩就是几个小时，大家玩得不亦乐乎。 　　在我们那方圆五英亩的乡下地方，我做什么家务杂事阿诺德都会帮我一把。只要他挨在你脚跟，兴致勃勃地看你在忙，就足以让最索然无味的杂务变得有趣起来。他在外面溜达觅食的时候，只要你喊他的名字，他就会以最快的速度朝你奔来，“鼾鼾”地一路叫着，跑到离你不远的地方他又会跟你玩起迷藏来，左转右转地走着，绕着圈，一副凯旋而归的模样，然后才静下来慢慢走到你跟前，摇摇尾巴，好像眨着眼跟你说“哈，总算找到你啦！” 　　他还帮我一起组装了一架小型飞机和一辆运载飞机的特制拖车。我打算哪天把他带上跟我一起飞翔蓝天。他很喜欢玩那些插座零件，在工场里把它们推来推去。每当我为一些高难度的工作伤透脑筋，灰心丧气的时候，阿诺德就会从拖车的下面钻出来，湿乎乎的鼻子伸到我的耳边，“鼾鼾”地似乎在说“休息一会儿，跟我笑一会儿，然后什么事都好办啦！”果真有效，而且每次都行。只要我们能停一停，仔细看看，就会发现上帝绝妙的创造物总以最特别的方式照顾我们。上帝派阿诺德来给我们上了这人生的重要一课，我们毕生难忘。 　　我太太和两个女儿都说阿诺德跟我亲密得就像成了我儿子一样，一个我们家一直缺少的角色。家里聊天或者和朋友聊天都好像离不开阿诺德这个主题。邻居的小孩会预约来我们家，迫不及待要来和阿诺德玩。 　　我们去哪里，阿诺德几乎都跟我们在一起——宠物用品超市、沃尔马超市、生日派对，圣诞假期他还跟我们一起到奶奶家去。他喜欢坐在手推车或者购物篮里，所到之处都大受欢迎。阿诺德已经在我们生活中占据了一个重要的位置，所以当我们要搬到另一个州买房子时，我们都坚持要在合同里附上街坊邻居的联合书面允诺，同意让阿诺德在该区生活，这样我们才会考虑在那些名区里买房。 　　离开老家的那天，我们和教友一起吃了饯行午餐。在场的每个人都走到货柜车旁边，跟里面的阿诺德和我们的其他宠物告别。可悲的是，在路上一辆半拖车呼啸而过，强烈的侧风气流使我们的拖车失控，货柜继而被抛到40英尺的桥下。那天家中成员损失惨重，我们的宠物阿诺德、甜甜和莲娜都离开我们了。阿诺德如此地信任我，我却没法保护他，我真的很难受。不过，我将永远珍藏和他一起的深情片断，感激他带来的这段美好回忆。 　　谢谢你们读这篇文章，让我和你们分享阿诺德的生活点滴。拥有阿诺德，我们得益匪浅，如果你也决定要养只小猪做宠物，那我祝愿你也有一样多的收获。    What Mother Taught Me         My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done: 　　“If you're going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning!”                My mother taught me religion: 　　“You'd better pray that will come out of the carpet.” 　　My mother taught me about time travel: 　　“If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!” 　　My mother taught me logic: 　　“Because I said so, that's why!” 　　My mother taught me foresight: 　　“Be sure you wear clean underwear in case you're in an accident.” 　　My mother taught me about contortion: 　　“Will you look at the dirt on the back of your neck!” 　　My mother taught me about stamina: 　　“You'll sit there 'til all that spinach is finished.” 　　My mother taught me about weather: 　　“It looks as if a tornado swept through your room.” 　　My mother taught me how to solve physics problems: 　　“If I yelled because I saw a meteor coming toward you, would you listen then?” 　　My mother taught me about hypocrisy: 　　“If I've told you once, I've told you a million times. Don't exaggerate!!!” 　　My mother taught me about envy: 　　“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!” 　　母亲教我的 　　我母亲教我如何珍惜他人辛苦劳动： 　　“如果你们要打架，到外边打去——我刚整理好房间！” 　　我母亲教我什么是宗教： 　　“你最好祈祷那个东西能从地毯下冒出来。” 　　我母亲教我什么是时间旅行： 　　“你要是不改，我把你一把推到下周三！”(意为：不让过周末。) 　　我母亲教我什么是逻辑： 　　“为什么？因为我就是这么说的！” 　　我母亲教我什么是远见： 　　“一定要穿干净内衣，以防万一你遇到事故。” 　　我母亲教我什么是柔体杂技： 　　“你能不能看看你脖子后面的泥！” 　　我母亲教我什么是耐力： 　　“坐在那儿，直到把所有的菠菜吃完。” 　　我母亲教我认识天气： 　　“好像有龙卷风席卷过你的房间。” 　　我母亲教我如何解决物理学问题： 　　“如果我高声叫喊，是因为我看见有一颗流星正朝你俯冲而来，那你会不会听我的话？” 　　我母亲教我什么是伪善： 　　“如果我曾告诉过你一次，我实际上已告诉过你百万次——不许夸张!!!” 　　我母亲教我什么是嫉妒： 　　“这世界上有数百万不幸的孩子，他们可没有你这么好的父母。”