有些人年纪轻轻，就能深刻领悟生命；有的人年近花甲，却仍然不知道生命的价值与意义。生命的充实，不在于年岁的长短，而在于领悟生命真谛的多少。
Two Words From the Heart 心声
Bo Sanchez
My son. The phrase felt awkward and strange the first time I said it， and I had to practice it a thousand times. I started saying the words to myself the day the ultrasound told us we were having a boy.
Finally， my son was born.
The nurse came out of the delivery room， holding a tiny， howling human being wrapped in a white sheet， his small hands and delicate fingers shaking nervously.“Baby Sanchez？”she asked， looking at the room full of expectant fathers.
I stood up， holding my breath. She showed me my baby.“My son，”I whispered. The little guy screamed，“Waaaaaaaaah！”
But in my heart， I heard him cry out，“Daaaaaaad！”I don‘t care if everyone in that room will swear they didn’t hear my baby say that.
I called him，“My son，”and he called me“Dad，”and that‘s that. People ask me，“What did I feel at that moment？”I can’t even beginto answer. I‘m a writer- yet I grope for the right words. Joyful isn’t powerful enough. Bliss isn‘t sweet enough. Peaceful isn’t calm enough. Happy isn‘t intense enough.
After my son was whisked away to the nursery， I sat down and shut my eyes. But tears escaped them anyway. Then， out of the blue， my 80- year-old father entered， and we embraced.
“Dad.”I whispered.
“My son.”My heart heard him saying.
Suddenly， the past 33 years folded into the present and I was now the baby bundled in white， with my father standing over me.
“My son.”I imagined him saying. “Daaaaaaaaaad！”I cried my little lungs out.
At that point， I knew I was going to be a great father. The old man in front of me seemed to agree. He smiled and we walked out of the room in search of the tiny human being that would change our lives for ever.
每个人都会经历新生命的降临和迎接新生命的欣喜。
参考翻译（佚名）
“儿子”，第一次说出这个词时，觉得既别扭又陌生，我只好反复地练习。从超声波检查得知我们将有一个儿子的那天起，我就一遍遍地重复着这个词。
终于，我的儿子出生了。护士从产房走出来，怀里抱着一个小人儿，他被白色被单包裹着，正在号啕大哭。他的小手和精巧的手指正有力地挥舞着。“桑切斯的孩子？”她问道，看着一屋子即将成为父亲的男人。
我屏住呼吸，站了起来。她让我看了看婴儿，“儿子，”我轻轻地说道。这个小家伙“哇……”地大叫了起来。
可是，在我心里，我听到他在叫，“爸……爸！”就算房间里所有人都发誓说他们没有听到我儿子那样叫，我也毫不在乎。
我叫他“儿子”，然后他叫我“爸爸”，就是这样。人们问我，“你那个时刻的感受是什么？”我真不知如何回答，尽管我是作家，但是，要找到合适的词汇，我还得拼命搜索。“高兴”
不够有力，“狂喜”不够甜蜜，“平和”不够静谧，“愉快”有些肤浅。儿子很快就被送到育婴室去了，我坐下来，闭上眼睛，可眼泪还是止不住地流了下来。这时，我80岁的父亲突然进来了，我们拥抱在一起。“爸爸。”我轻声道。
“儿子。”在心里，我听到他这么说。
突然间，33年前的情景仿佛又在今天重现，我成了现在裹在白色被单里的婴儿，我的父亲就站在我身边。
“儿子。”我想象着他这样说。“爸……爸！”我竭力哭喊道。
就在那个时候，我知道我将会成为一位了不起的父亲。站在我面前的这位老人似乎也认同地微笑着，我们一起走出房间，去找那个小家伙，他将会永远地改变我们的生活。
Melody of Life 生活的旋律
Anonymous
Almost everything I ever needed to know， my Mother taught me from songs. Remember this song？
I beg your pardon.
I never promised you a rose garden. Along with the sunshineYou gotta have a little rain sometime.
My Mom used to love this song when I was just a tiny young girl. Her analogy？ Life is not always fair.
I can’t count the times she‘s told me，“I never told you life was fair.”when I would rail at the obvious inequities in my life.
I look at that verse and realize， too， that without rain we might never experience the healing growth that is inevitably gleaned. What a tragedy that would be！ Even the cacti must have rain or moisture - they have simply learned to store it， to carry it through long dry spells.
How about this song？ Remember it？ Qué sera sera.
Whatever will be， will be. The future’s not ours to see. Qué sera sera...
How often she has reminded me that none of us can predict the future with much certainty！ Her point？ Everything happens for a reason and all things usually turn out for the best， though we may not understand at the time. She is， of course， right as usual.
These are not easy lessons to learn when you‘re a child. Then again， they’re difficult to believe even as an adult.
But， when you hear words like these from your parents， or in a song， you not only learn the words but you also learn to sway with the rhythm.
That is what life is all about- learning to sway with the rhythm while finding your own， perhaps offbeat， accompaniment within， to nicely complement the melody of life.
That is why I feel almost everything I ever needed to know， I learned from listening to my mother‘s sweet voice singing her favorite songs to me. I especially cherish the ones that told of her abundant love for me， her only daughter.
I now sing to my own daughter and only hope she feels the love and learns the valuable lessons my songs have to offer.
生活有时洒满阳光，有时也会细雨点点，我们无法预知未来，但我们能够坦然面对未来。
参考翻译（佚名）
几乎所有我该知道的，都是妈妈通过歌曲教给我的。记得这首歌吗？
请你原谅我未曾承诺送你一座玫瑰花园生活有时洒满阳光时而也会有细雨点点记得我小的时候，妈妈就喜欢唱这首歌。她用意何在呢？她是想告诉我，生活并非总是一帆风顺。
无数次，当我抱怨生活中的明显不公时，她都会说：“我从未告诉过你生活是公平的。”
我品读着歌词，也明白了，没有雨水，我们心灵的创伤就难以愈合，就不能体验人人都要经历的成长过程。那将会是一个怎样的悲剧啊！即使仙人掌也需要雨水和湿气的滋润--它们懂得要储存水分以度过漫长的旱季。
还记得这首歌吗？格赛拉赛拉该发生的事终会发生我们无法预知未来格赛拉赛拉……她常常提醒我，没有人能准确地预知未来！她想告诉我什么呢？那就是，每件事的发生都有其缘由，虽然当时我们可能体会不到，但一切都会向好的方向发展。当然，她的话始终都是正确的。
小孩子很难听懂这些话；而成人又对这些话持怀疑态度。但是，当你从父母那里或从一首歌中听到这样的话时，你不仅学到了这些道理，还会学到和着旋律摇摆。那就是生活的真谛--学会和着旋律摇摆，同时又找到适合自己的旋律，虽然可能不太协调，然而它却是生活旋律的有利补充。那就是为什么我觉得自己该知道的一切，都在听着妈妈甜美地哼唱那些她喜欢的歌中学到的。我倍加珍惜的那些歌诉说着妈妈对我--她唯一女儿的爱。
现在，我唱歌给唯一的女儿听，只是希望她能感受到其中饱含的爱，并从我的歌中领悟到一些有价值的东西。
Letters From Heaven 来自天堂的信
Anonymous
Charlotte and Katie’s parents died within months of each other， but every birthday the sisters receive cards from their mother with almost unbearably touching words of guidance.
There is just a small pile of no more than half a dozen cards and a couple of labels from Christmas and birthday presents. But Charlotte Matalon produces each of the items from her Special Box， which she keeps beside her bed， as if they are priceless jewels.
She looks at the card dated October 1996.“My darling Charlotte.” She reads， barely needing to look since she knows it by heart.“I am writing this card because I have recently found out that sadly I will not be with you on your 10th birthday…”
Six weeks after writing this tragic message， Debra Matalon， Charlotte‘s mother died from breast cancer. She was just 35， but she has provided a unique legacy.
Before she died， Debra wrote a birthday card to each of her two daughters， Charlotte， now 11， and 10-year-old Katie. For them to open every birthday. It is this gesture which has helped the girls come to terms with their terrible grief.
