9. 「No,wewon』t,Mom.That』snotwhatyousaidthismorning,」theyounggirlsaidasshetuggedatherMom』sarm.
10. 「Thismorning?WhendidIsaywecouldrunthroughtherainandnotgetwet?」
11. 「Don』tyouremember?WhenyouweretalkingtoDaddyabouthiscancer,yousaid,IfGodcangetusthroughthis,hecangetusthroughanything!」
12. Theentirecrowdstoppeddeadsilent.Iswearyoucouldn』thearanythingbuttherain.Weallstoodsilently.Noonecameorleftinthenextfewminutes.Mompausedandthoughtforamomentaboutwhatshewouldsay.
13. Nowsomewouldlaughitoffandscoldherforbeingsilly.Somemightevenignorewhatwassaid.Butthiswasamomentofaffirmationinayoungchild』slife.Timewheninnocenttrustcanbenurturedsothatitwillbloomintofaith.「Honey,youareabsolutelyright.Let』srunthroughtherain.Ifgetwet,wellmaybewejustneededwashing,」Momsaid.Thenofftheyran.
14. Weallstoodwatching,smilingandlaughingastheydartedpastthecarsand.Theyheldtheirshoppingbagsovertheirheadsjustincase.Theygotsoaked.Buttheywerefollowedbyafewwhoscreamedandlaughedlikechildrenallthewaytotheircars.Andyes,Idid.Iran.Igotwet.Ineededwashing.Circumstancesorpeoplecantakeawayyourmaterialpossessions,theycantakeawayyourmoney,andtheycantakeawayyourhealth.Butnoonecanevertakeawayyourpreciousmemories.So,don』tforgettomaketimeandtaketheopportunitiestomakememorieseveryday!
15. Toeverythingthereisaseasonandatimetoeverypurposeunderheaven.Ihopeyoustilltakethetimetorunthroughtherain.
1. 她和媽媽剛在沃爾瑪購完物。這個天真的小女孩應該6歲大了,頭髮是美麗的棕色,臉上有雀斑。外面下著傾盆大雨,雨水溢滿了簷槽,來不及排走,就迫不及待地湧向了大地。
2. 我們都站在沃爾瑪門口的遮篷下。大家在等待,有的人很耐心,也有人很煩躁,因為老天在給他們本已忙碌的一天添亂。雨天總能引起我的遐思。我出神地聽著、看著老天洗刷走這世界的污垢和塵埃,孩時無憂無慮地在雨中奔跑玩水的記憶洶湧而至,暫時緩解了我這一天的焦慮。
3. 小女孩甜美的聲音打破了這令人昏昏欲睡的氣氛,「媽媽,我們在雨裡跑吧,」她說。
4. 「什麼?」母親問。
5. 「我們在雨裡跑吧,」她重複。
6. 「不,親愛的,我們等雨小一點再走,」母親回答說。
7. 過了一會小女孩又說:「媽媽,我們跑出去吧。」
8. 「這樣的話我們會濕透的,」母親說。
9. 「不會的,媽媽。你今天早上不是這樣說的。」小女孩一邊說一邊拉著母親的手。
10. 「今天早上?我什麼時候說過我們淋雨不會濕啊?」
11. 「你不記得了嗎?你和爸爸談他的癌症時,你不是說『如果上帝讓我們闖過這一關,那我們就沒有什麼過不去了。』」
12. 人群一片寂靜。我發誓,除了雨聲,你什麼都聽不到。我們都靜靜地站著。接下來的幾分鐘沒有一個人走動。母親停了一下,在想著應該說些什麼。
13. 有人也許會對此一笑了之,或者責備這孩子的不懂事,有人甚至不把她的話放在心上。但這卻是一個小孩子一生中需要被肯定的時候。若受到鼓舞,此時孩子單純的信任就會發展成為堅定的信念。「親愛的,你說得對,我們跑過去吧。如果淋濕了,那也許是因為我們的確需要沖洗一下了,」母親說。然後她們就衝出去了。
14. 我們站在那裡,笑著看她們飛快地跑過停著的汽車。他們把購物袋高舉過頭想擋擋雨,但還是濕透了。好幾個人像孩子般尖叫著,大笑著,也跟著衝了出去,奔向自己的車子。當然,我也這樣做了,跑了出去,淋濕了。我也需要接受洗禮。環境或其他人可以奪去你的物質財富,搶走你的金錢,帶走你的健康,但沒有人可以帶走你珍貴的回憶。因此,記得要抓緊時間,抓住機會每天都給自己留下一些回憶吧!
15. 世間萬物皆有自己的季節,做任何事情也有一個恰當的時機。希望你有機會在雨中狂奔一回。
DamagedGoods毀壞的美好
1. Thedustmites1dancedintherayofsunshinethatprovidedtheonlylightintherabbi』s2office.Heleanedbackinhisofficechairandsighedashestroked3hisbeard.Thenhetookhiswire-rimmed4glassesandpolishedthemabsentmindedly5onhisflannel6shirt.
2. 「So,」hesaid,「youweredivorced.NowyouwanttomarrythisgoodJewish7boy.What』stheproblem?」
3. Henestled8hisgrizzled9chininhishandandsmiledsoftlyatme.
4. Iwanttoshriek.What』stheproblem?Firstofall,I』mChristian.Second,I』molderthanheis.Third—andnotleast,byanymeans—I』mdivorced!Instead,Ilookedbackintohissoftbrowneyesandtriedtoformthewords.
5. 「Don』tyouthink,」Istuttered10,「thatbeingdivorcedislikebeingused?Likebeingdamagedgoods?」
6. Hesettledbackintotheofficechairandstretchedsothathewaslookingattheceiling.Hestrokedthescraggly11beardthatcoveredhischinandhisneck.Then,hereturnedtohisspotbehindthedeskandleanedtowardme.
7. 「Sayyouhavetohavesurgery.Sayyouhaveachoicebetweentwodoctors.Whoareyougoingtochoose?Theonerightoutofmedicalschoolortheonewithexperience?」
8. 「Theonewithexperience,「Isaid.
9. Hisfacecrinkled12intoagrin.「Iwould,too,」helockedhiseyeswithmine.「Sointhismarriage,youwillbetheonewithexperience.That』snotsuchabadthing,youknow.」
10. 「Often,marriagestendtodrift.Theygetcaughtindangerouscurrents13.Theygetoffcourseandheadtowardhiddensandbars14.Noonenoticesuntilitistoolate.Onyourface,Iseethepainofamarriagegonebad.Youwillnoticethedriftinthismarriage.You』llcalloutwhenyouseetherocks.You』llyell15towatchoutandpayattention.You』llbethepersonwithexperience,」hesighed.「Andbelieveme,that』snotsuchabadthing.Notbadatall.」
11. Hewalkedtothewindowandpeekedbetweentheslats16oftheblinds17.「Yousee,noonehereknowsaboutmyfirstwife.Idon』thideit,butIdon』tmakeabigdealaboutit.ShediedearlyinourmarriagebeforeImovedhere.Now,lateatnightIthinkofallthewordsIneversaid.IthinkofallthechancesIletpassbyinthatfirstmarriage,andIbelieveI』mabetterhusbandtomywifetodaybecauseofthewomanIlost.」
12. Forthefirsttime,thesadnessinhiseyeshadmeaning.NowIunderstoodwhyIchosetocometotalktothismanaboutmarriageinsteadoftakinganeasierrouteandgettingmarriedoutsidebothourreligions.Theword「rabbi」meansteacher.SomehowIsensedhecouldteachme,orevenlendme,thecourageIneededinordertotryagain,tomarryagainandtoloveagain.
13. 「IwillmarryyouandyourDavid,」saidtherabbi,「Ifyoupromisemethatyouwillbethepersonwhoyellsoutwhenyouseethemarriageisindanger.」
14. IpromisedhimIwould,andIrosetoleave.