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。
My Irreplaceableirreplaceable adj.不能调换的，不能代替的 Treasure
Recently I gave a dinner party for some close friends. To add a touch of elegance to the evening，I brought out the good stuffstuff n.原料，材料，素材资料 vt.塞满，填满，填充-my white Royal Crown Derby china with the fine blueandgold border. When we were seated，one of the guests noticed the beatup gravy boat Id placed among the newers，better dinnerware. “Is it an heirloomheirloom n.传家宝，相传动产？” she asked tactfully.
I admit the piece does look rather conspicuousconspicuous adj.显着的. For one thing，it matches nothing else. Its also old and chipped. But that little gravy boat is much more than an heirloom to me. It is the one thing in this world I will never part with.
The story begins more than 50 years ago，when I was seven years old and we lived in a big house along the Ohio River in New Richmond，Ohio. All that separated the house from the river was the street and our wide front lawn. In anticipation of high water，the ground floor had been built seven feet above grade.
Late in December the heavy rains came，and the river climbed to the tops of its banks. When the water began to rise in a serious way，my parents made plans in case the river should invadeinvade vt.侵略，侵袭，拥挤 our house. My mother decided she would pack our books and her fine china in a small den off the master bedroom.
The china was not nearly as good as it was old. Each piece had a gold rim and a band of roses. But the service had been her mothers and was precious to her. As she packed the china with great care，she said to me，“You must treasure the things that people you love have cherished. It keeps you in touch with them.”
I didnt understand，since Id never owned anything I cared all that much about. Still，planning for disaster held considerable fascinationfascination n.魔力，入迷，魅力，迷恋，强烈爱好 for me.
The plan was to move upstairs if the river reached the seventh of the steps that led to the front porch. We would keep a rowboat downstairs so we could get from room to room. The one thing we would not do was leave the house. My father，the towns only doctor，had to be where sick people could find him.
I checked on the rivers rise several times a day and lived in a state of hopeful alarm that the water would climb all the way up to the house. It did not disappoint. The muddy watermuddy water泥浆水，浑水 rose higher until，at last，the critical seventh step was reached.
We worked for days carrying things upstairs，until late one afternoon，the water edged over the threshold and rushed into the house. I watched，amazed at how rapidly it rose.
After the water got about a foot deep inside the house，it was hard to sleep at night. The sound of the river moving about downstairs was frightening. Debris had broken windows，so every once in a while some floating battering ram-a log or perhaps a table-would bang into the walls and make a sound like a distant drum.
Every day I sat on the landing and watched the river rise. Mother cooked simple meals in a spare bedroom she had turned into a makeshift kitchen. She was worried，I could tell，about what would happen to us. Father came and went in a small fishing boat. He was concerned about his patients and possible outbreaks of dysenterydysentery n.［医］ 痢疾，pneumoniapneumonia n.［医］ 肺炎 or typhoidtyphoid n.［医］伤寒症 adj.伤寒的，斑疹伤寒症的.
Before long，the Red Cross began to pitch tents on high ground north of town. “We are staying right here，” my father said.
As the water continued to rise，I kept busy rowing through the house and looking at the furniture that had been too big to move upstairs. I liked to row around the great cozy couch，now almost submerged，and pretend it was an island in a lake.
One night very late I was awakened by a tearing noise，like timbers creaking. Then there was the rumbling sound of heavy things falling. I jumped out of bed and ran into the hallway. My parents were standing in the doorway to the den，where we had stored the books and my mothers beloved china.
The floor of the den had fallen through，and all the treasures we had tried to save were now on the first floor，under the stealthilystealthily adv.暗地里，悄悄地 rising river. My father lit our camp light，and we went to the landing to look. We could see nothing except the books bobbing like little rafts on the water.
Mother had been courageous，it seemed to me，through the ordeal of the flood. She was steady and calm，and kept things going in good order. But that night she sat on the top of the stairs with her head on her crossed arms and cried. I had never seen her like that，and there was a sound in her weeping that made me afraid. I wanted to help her，but I couldnt think of what I could possibly do. I just knew I had to figure out something.
The next morning，after breakfast，I did a geography lesson and then mother said I could go downstairs and play in the boat. I rowed once around the downstairs，avoidingavoid vt.避免，消除 the mess of timberstimber n.木材，木料 in the hall where the terrible accident had occurred. The books had begun to sink. I stared down into the dark water and could see nothing. It was right then that I got the idea.
I made a hook from a wire coath anger and carefully fastened it to a weighted line. Then I let it sink and began to drag it slowly back and forth. I spent the next hour or so moving the boat and draggingdragging adj.拖曳用的，拖延的 my line-hoping to find pieces of my mothers lost treasure. But time after time the line came up empty.