"I gave her wisdom to know that a good husband never hurts his wife, but sometimes tests her strengths and her resolve to stand beside him unfalteringly."
"And finally, I gave her a tear to shed. this is hers exclusively to use whenever it is needed."
"You see: the beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair."
"The beauty of a woman must be seen in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart * the place where love resides."
一个男孩问他的妈妈:“你为什么要哭呢?”
妈妈说:“因为我是女人啊。”
男孩说:“我不懂。”
他妈妈抱起他说:“你永远不会懂得。”
后来小男孩就问他爸爸:“妈妈为什么毫无理由的哭呢?”
“所有女人都这样。”他爸爸回答。
小男孩长成了一个男人,但仍就不懂女人为什么哭泣。
最后,他打电话给上帝;当上帝拿起电话时,他问道:“上帝,女人为什么那么容易哭泣呢?”
上帝回答说:“当我创造女人时,让她很特别。我使她的肩膀能挑起整个世界的重担,并且又柔情似水。”
“我让她的内心很坚强,能够承受分娩的痛苦和忍受自己孩子多次的拒绝。”
“我赋予她耐心使她在别人放弃的时候继续坚持,并且无怨无悔地照顾自己的家人渡过疾病和疲劳。”
“我赋予她在任何情况下都会爱孩子的感情,即使她的孩子伤害了她。”
“我赋予她包容她丈夫过错的坚强和用他的肋骨塑成她来保护他的心。”
“我赋予她智慧让她知道一个好丈夫是绝不会伤害他的妻子的,但有时我也会考验她支持自己丈夫的决心和坚强。”
“最后,我让她可以流泪,只要她愿意,这是她所独有的。”
“你看,女人的漂亮不是因为她穿的衣服,她保持的体型或者她梳头的方式。”
“女人的漂亮必须从她的眼睛中去看,因为那是她心灵的窗户和爱居住的地方。”
A Brother Like That哥哥的心愿
A friend of mine named Paul received an automobile from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it.
"Is this your car, Mister?" he said.
Paul nodded. "My brother gave it to me for Christmas." The boy was astounded. "You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn't cost you nothing? Boy, I wish . . ." He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Paul all the way down to his heels.
"I wish," the boy went on, "That I could be a brother like that."
Paul looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, "Would you like to take a ride in my car?"
"Oh yes, I'd love that."
After a short ride, the boy turned with his eyes aglow, said, "Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?"
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Paul was wrong again. "Will you stop where those two steps are?" the boy asked.
He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.
"There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs.His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I'm gonna give you one just like it . . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about."
Paul got out and lifted the lad to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Paul learned what Jesus meant when he said: "It is more blessed to give…"
圣诞节时,保罗的哥哥送他一辆新车。圣诞节当天,保罗离开办公室时,一个男孩绕着那辆闪闪发亮的新车,十分赞叹地问:
“先生,这是你的车?”
保罗点点头:“这是我哥哥送给我的圣诞节礼物。”男孩满脸惊讶,支支吾吾地说:“你是说这是你哥送的礼物,没花你一分钱?天啊,我真希望也能……”
保罗当然知道男孩他真想希望什么。他希望能有一个像那样的哥哥。但是小男孩接下来说的话却完全出乎了保罗的意料。
“我希望自己能成为送车给弟弟的哥哥。”男孩继续说。
保罗惊愕地看着那男孩,冲口而出地说:“你要不要坐我的车去兜风?”
“哦,当然好了,我太想坐了!”
车开了一小段路后,那孩子转过头来,眼睛闪闪发亮,说道:“先生,你能不能把车子开到我家门前?”
保罗微笑,他知道孩子想干什么。那男孩必定是要向邻居炫耀,让大家知道他坐了一部大轿车回家。但是这次保罗又猜错了。“你能不能把车子停在那两个台阶前?”男孩要求道。
男孩跑上了阶梯,过了一会儿保罗听到他回来了,但动作似乎有些缓慢。原来把他跛脚的弟弟带出来了,将他安置在第一个台阶上,紧紧地抱着他,指着那辆新车。
只听那男孩告诉弟弟:“你看,这就是我刚才在楼上对你说的那辆新车。这是保罗他哥哥送给他的哦!将来我也会送给你一辆像这样的车,到那时候你就能自己去看那些在圣诞节时,挂在窗口上的漂亮饰品了,就像我告诉过你的那样。”
保罗走下车子,把跛脚男孩抱到车子的前座。兴奋得满眼放光的哥哥也爬上车子,坐在弟弟的身旁。就这样他们三人开始一次令人难忘的假日兜风。
那个圣诞夜,保罗才真正体会主耶稣所说的“施比受更有福”的道理。
A Boy and His Tree男孩和树
A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and play around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap under the shadow… He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.
Time went by…The little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree.
One day, the boy came back to the tree and looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy.
“I am no longer a kid, I don’t play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.”
“Sorry, but I don’t have money…but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy was so excited. He picked all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy didn’t come back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.
One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. “Come and play with me.” The tree said.
“I don’t have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?”
“Sorry, but I don’t have a house. But you can cut off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches of the tree and left happily.
The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy didn’t appear since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.
One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree said.
“I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?”
“Use my trunk to build the boat. You can sail and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and did not show up for a long time.
Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years.
“Sorry, my boy. But I don’t have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you.” the tree said.
“ I don’t have teeth to bite.” The boy replied.
“ No more trunk for you to climb on.”
“I am too old for that now.” the boy said.
“I really want to give you something…the only thing left is my dying roots.” The tree said with tears.