Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.
"When we reach the station, that will be it! "we cry. "When I'm 18. ""When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz! ""When I put the last kid through college. ""When I have paid off the mortgage!""When I get a promotion.""When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! "
Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.
"Relish the moment "is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118：24："This is the day which the Lord hath made；we will rejoice and be glad in it. "It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. In stead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.
中文譯文：
我們的潛意識裏藏著壹派田園詩般的風光! 我們仿佛身處壹次橫貫大陸的漫漫旅程之中! 乘著火車, 我們領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、遠山上吃草的牛群、源源不斷地從電廠排放出的煙塵、壹片片的玉米和小麥、平原與山谷、群山與綿延的丘陵、天空映襯下城市的輪廓, 以及鄉間的莊園宅第!
然而我們心裏想得最多的卻是最終的目的地! 在某壹天的某壹時刻, 我們將會抵達進站! 迎接我們的將是樂隊和飄舞的彩旗! 壹旦到了那兒, 多少美夢將成為現實, 我們的生活也將變得完整, 如同壹塊理好了的拼圖! 可是我們現在在過道裏不耐煩地踱來踱去, 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壹刻!
"當我們到站的時候, 壹切就都好了! "我們呼喊著! "當我18歲的時候! ""當我有了壹輛新450SL奔馳的時候! ""當我供最小的孩子念完大學的時候! ""當我償清貸款的時候! ""當我官升高任的時候! ""當我到了退休的時候, 就可以從此過上幸福的生活啦! "
可是我們終究會認識到人生的旅途中並沒有車站, 也沒有能夠"壹到永逸"的地方!生活的真正樂趣在於旅行的過程, 而車站不過是個夢, 它始終遙遙領先於我們!
"享受現在"是句很好的箴言, 尤其是當它與《聖經·詩篇》中第118頁24行的壹段話相映襯的時候, 更是如此："今日乃主所創造；生活在今日我們將歡欣、高興! "真正令人發瘋的不是今日的負擔, 而是對昨日的悔恨及對明日的恐懼! 悔恨與恐懼是壹對孿生竊賊, 將今天從妳我身邊偷走!
那麽就不要在過道裏徘徊吧, 別老惦記著妳離車站還有多遠! 何不換壹種活法, 將更多的高山攀爬, 多吃點兒冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴, 經常光著腳板兒溜達溜達, 在更多的河流裏暢遊, 多看看夕陽西下, 多點歡笑哈哈, 少讓淚水滴答! 生活得壹邊過壹邊瞧! 車站就會很快到達!By Robert J. Hastings 李端奇譯
A Box Full of Kisses
Once upon a time, a man punished his 5-year-old daughter for using up the family's only roll of expensive gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became even more upset when on Christmas Eve, he saw that the child had pasted the gold paper so as to decorate a shoebox to put under the Christmas tree.Nevertheless, the next morning the little girl, filled with excitement, brought the gift box to her father and said, "This is for you, Daddy!"
As he opened the box, the father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction.But when he opened it, he found it was empty and again his anger flared. "Don't you know, young lady, " he said harshly, "when you give someone a present there's supposed to be something inside the package!"The little girl looked up at him with tears rolling from her eyes and said: "Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was all full."
The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around his precious little girl. He begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later. It is told that the father kept that little gold box by his bed for all the years of his life. Whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult problems he would open the box, take out an imaginary kiss, and remember the love of this beautiful child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us as human beings have been given an invisible golden box filled with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, friends and God.There is no more precious possession anyone could hold.
中文譯文：
這個故事說的是以前，壹個男人懲罰了他三歲的女兒，因為她浪費了壹卷金泊包裝紙。家裏經濟困難，當他知道女兒包了壹個盒子放在聖誕樹下時，他簡直怒氣沖天。但第二天，女兒把禮物拿到他面前說“爸爸，這是給妳的。”
爸爸為前壹天晚上的舉動而感到羞愧難當，但當他發現盒子裏什麽都沒裝時，他再壹次暴怒，對著女兒大吼道“難道妳不知道當妳送禮物給別人時，妳要放東西進去嗎？”女兒擡起臉望著他，眼眶裏滿是淚水，邊哭邊說：“哦，爸爸。那不是空盒子。我飛了好多好多個親吻進去，都是給妳的。”
爸爸驚呆了，他擁抱著女兒，祈求她的原諒。
不久以後，女兒在壹次事故中喪生。爸爸壹直把那個金盒子放在床畔，放了很多很多年。每當他心情沮喪時，他就會拿出壹個想象中的親吻，想念著那個將吻吹進盒子的孩子給他的愛。
我們每壹個人都有壹個金罐子，裏面裝滿了無條件的愛和吻，有孩子的，有家人的，還有朋友的。沒有人可以擁有比這更加珍貴的財產。
The Zen of Cat
原來很大的道理不壹定需要很難的語言去解釋，本文簡單地壹問壹答告訴我們，當身邊的人離去時，他們其實活在我們的心裏；告訴我們，生命原本是壹個無所謂開始更無所謂結束的圓圈；告訴我們，每壹段生命的結束都意味著新生命的開始。只要心中還有愛，有思念，我們就可以笑對生死，珍惜人生。——題記
The Man was very sad. He knew that the Cat’s days were numbered.The doctor had said there wasn’t anything more that could be done,that he should take the Cat home and make him as comfortable as possible.
The man stroked the Cat on his lap and sighed.The Cat opened his eyes, purred and looked up at the Man. A tear rolled down the Man’s cheek and landed on the Cat’s forehead.The Cat gave him a slightly annoyed look.
“Why do you cry, Man？”the Cat asded.“Because you can’t bear the thought of losing me？ Because you think you can never replace me？”The Man nodded “yes.”
“And where do you think I’ll be when I leave you？”the Cat asked. The Man shrugged helplessly. “Close your eyes, Man,” the Cat said. The Man gave him a questioning look, but did as he was told.
“What color are my eyes and fur？” the Cat asked. “Your eyes are gold and your fur is a rich, warm brown,” the Man replied.
“And where is it that you most often see me？”asked the Cat. “I see you…on the kitchen windowsill watching the birds…on my favorite chair…on my desk lying on the papers I need…on the pillow next to my head at night.” “Then, whenever you wish to see me, all you must do is close your eyes,” said the Cat.
“Pick up that piece of string from the floor——there, my ‘toy.’” The Man opened his eyes, then reached over and picked up the string. It was about two feet long and the Cat had been able to entertain himself for hours with it. “Now take each end of the string in one hand,” the Cat ordered. The Man did so.
“The end in your left hand is my birth and the end in your right hand is my death. Now bring the two ends together,” the Cat said. The Man complied.
“You have made a continuous circle,” said the cat.“Does any point along the string appear to be different, worse or better than any other part of the string？” The Man inspected the string and then shook his head “no.”
“Close your eyes again,” the Cat said.“Now lick your hand.” The Man widened his eyes in surprise.
“Just do it,” the Cat said.“Lick your hand,think of me in all my familiar places, think about all the pieces of string.”
The Man felt foolish, licking his hand, but he did as he was told. He discovered what a cat must know, that licking a paw is very calming and allows one to think more clearly. He continued licking and the corners of his mouth turned upward into the first smile he had shown in days. He waited for the Cat to tell him to stop,and when he didn’t, he opened his eyes. The Cat’s eyes were closed.The Man stroked the warm, brown fur, but the Cat was gone.
The Man shut his eyes hard as the tears poured down his face. He saw the Cat on the windowsill, then in his bed, then lying across his important papers. He saw him on the pillow next to his head, saw his bright gold eyes and darkest brown on his nose and ears. He opened his eyes and through his tears looked over at the circle of string he still held clutched in his hand.
One day, not long after, there was a new Cat on his lap. She was a lovely calico and white…very different from his earlier beloved Cat and very much the same.
中文譯文：
男人非常傷心。他知道貓余下的日子不多了。醫生說已經沒得治了，他只能把貓帶回家，並盡可能地讓他在剩下的時間裏過得舒服些。
男人把貓放在腿上，嘆了口氣。貓睜開眼睛，呼嚕呼嚕地叫著，擡眼看了看男人。壹滴眼淚從男人的臉頰邊滑落，落在了貓的額頭上。貓有點不高興地看了他壹眼。
“妳哭個什麽啊，夥計？”貓問道，“因為妳無法承受將要失去我的念頭？因為妳認為永遠都沒有什麽能代替我？”男人點了點頭。“是啊。”
“那麽妳認為我離開妳以後，會到什麽地方去了呢？”貓問道。男人無望地聳了聳肩。“閉上眼睛吧，夥計，”貓說。男人疑惑地看了他壹眼，但還是聽話地閉上了眼睛。
“我的眼睛和毛皮是什麽顏色的？”貓問。“妳的眼睛是金色的，妳的毛皮是濃郁而溫暖的褐色的。”男人回答道。
“那妳最常在什麽地方見到我呢？”貓問。“我經常見到妳……在廚房地窗臺上看鳥……在我最喜歡的椅子上……躺在桌子上我需要用的文件上……晚上睡在我腦袋邊的枕頭上。”“那麽，無論什麽時候妳想見我，妳只要閉上妳的眼睛就可以了。”貓說。
“把地上的那段繩子撿起來——那裏，我的‘玩具’。”男人睜開眼睛，伸手撿起了繩子。繩子大約有兩英尺（約0.6米）長，貓曾經能夠玩著繩子自娛自樂壹玩就是幾個小時。“現在用兩只手捏住繩子的兩端。”貓命令道。男人照做了。
“妳左手捏著的那端就是我的出生，而右手的那端就是我的死亡。現在把兩端連在壹起。”貓說道。男人又照做了。
“妳做出了壹個連貫的圓圈，”貓說，“這個繩子上的任意壹點同其他點有什麽不同嗎？比繩子的其他部分更好或者更差嗎？”男人審視著那根繩子，然後搖了搖頭。“沒有。”
“再次閉上妳的眼睛，”貓說，“現在舔舔妳的手。”男人驚訝地睜大了眼睛。
“照我說的做吧，”貓說。“舔舔妳的手，想想我在所有我熟悉的地方，想想所有的繩子。”
要舔自己的手，男人覺得很蠢，不過他還是照做了。他發現了貓所知道的秘密——舔爪子能讓妳平靜下來，並讓妳能夠思考得更加清楚。他繼續舔著，他的嘴角開始上翹，好多天來第壹次露出了微笑。他等待著貓叫停，可是沒等到，於是他睜開了眼睛。貓的眼睛已經閉上了。他摸了摸貓溫暖的褐色皮毛，可是貓已經去了。
男人用力地閉上了眼睛，淚如泉湧。他看到貓蹲在窗臺上，然後是他的床上，然後躺在他的重要文件上。他看到貓在他腦袋邊的枕頭上，看到他明亮的金黃色的眼睛還有鼻子和耳朵上深褐色的毛發。他睜開眼睛，透過淚水看向他依然捏在手裏的繩圈。
不久以後的某壹天，他的膝上有了壹只新的貓咪。她是壹只可愛的白色花斑貓——與之前那只他深愛的貓是那麽的不同，然而又是那麽的相同。