A Box of Kisses - 一盒吻

A Box of Kisses

The story goes that some time ago, a man punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper.  Money was tight and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the Christmas tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, "This is for you, Daddy."

He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found the box was empty.  He yelled at her, "Don't you know that when you give someone a present, there's supposed to be something inside it?"

The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said,"Oh, Daddy, it is not empty.  I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy."

The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged for her forgiveness.

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.

 一盒吻

故事发生在很多年前。一个家庭家里经济拮据，当女儿试图用金色包装纸包装一个没用的盒子时，做父亲的大发雷霆，并斥责了她。

第二天早上，小女儿把盒子递到父亲的面前说:“这是送给您的礼物，爸爸。”

父亲顿时围昨天的失态感到惭愧。他打开盒子，却发现里面空空如也，便再一次勃然大怒。他冲着孩子嚷起来:“你不知道送别人礼物的时候，里面要装东西的吗？”

小女儿抬头望着他，眼里噙满了泪水:“哦，爸爸，它不是空的，我把很多个亲吻放进了盒子里。都是给您的，爸爸。”

父亲一下子全明白了，他搂住小女儿，请求她的原谅。

不久之后，一场事故夺去了孩子的生命。据说这个父亲一直把空盒子放在床边，保存了多年。

每当他灰心丧气的时候，就取出一个想象的吻，重温孩子送给她的纯真的爱。。。

我们都曾收过空盒子，里面装满了来自亲人、朋友、孩子或上帝无私的爱与亲吻。

世上没有比这更珍贵的礼物了。不要假装它没有打动你，让我们学会珍惜，再用心把空盒子传递出去。

The Pastor and His Son

The Pastor and His Son

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the Pastor and his eleven-year-old son would go out into their town and hand out Gospel Tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as well as pouring down rain.

The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest clothes and said, 'OK, dad, I'm ready..'

His Pastor dad asked, 'Ready for what?'

'Dad, it's time we gather our tracts together and go out."

Dad responds, 'Son, it's very cold outside and it's pouring down rain.'

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, 'But Dad, aren't people still going to Hell, even though it's raining?'

Dad answers, 'Son, I am not going out in this weather.'

Despondently, the boy asks, 'Dad, can I go? Please?'

His father hesitated for a moment then said, 'Son, you can go. Here are the tracts, be careful son.'

'Thanks Dad!'

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. This eleven year old boy walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody he met in the street a Gospel Tract.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone-chilled wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk to the front door and rang the doorbell. He rang the bell, but nobody answered.

He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven-year-old trooper turned to leave, but something stopped him.

Again, he turned to the door and rang the b ell and knocked loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there on the front porch!

He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.

Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly asked, 'What can I do for you, son?' With radiant eyes and a smile that lit up her world, this little boy said, 'Ma'am, I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but I just want to tell you that *JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU* and I
came to give you my very last  Gospel Tract which will tell you all about JESUS and His great LOVE.'

With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave. She called to him as he departed. 'Thank you, son! And God Bless You!'

Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the pulpit.

As the service began, he asked, 'Does anybody have testimony or want to say anything?'

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her feet.

As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her face, 'No one in this church knows me. I've never been here before.

You see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last! Sunday, being a particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to live.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and broken-hearted I was about to leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs startled me. I thought, I'll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go away.'

I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started knocking loudly.

I thought to myself again, 'Who on earth could this be? Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.' I loosened the rope from my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked, I could hardly believe my eyes, for there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to you!

The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice, 'Ma'am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU.' Then he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.

As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn't be needing them any more.

You see-- -I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to personally say THANK YOU to God's little angel who came just in the nick of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.'

There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was seated.

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably.

Probably no church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son... Except for One.

Our Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world. He received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a throne far above all principality and power and every name that is named.

Blessed are your eyes for reading this story.

The Scar - 伤疤

The Scar

A little boy invited his mother to attend his elementary school's first teacher-parent conference. To the little boy's dismay, she said she would go. This would be the first time that his classmates and teacher met his mother and he was embarrassed by her appearance.

Although she was a beautiful woman, there was a severe scar that covered nearly the entire right side of her face. The boy never wanted to talk about why or how she got the scar.

At the conference, the people were impressed by the kindness and natural beauty of his mother despite the scar, but the little boy was still embarrassed and hid himself from everyone. He did, however, get within earshot of a conversation between his mother and his teacher, and heard them speaking.

"How did you get the scar on your face?" the teacher asked.

The mother replied, "When my son was a baby, he was in a room that caught on fire. Everyone was too afraid to go in because the fire was out of control, so I went in. As I was running toward his crib, I saw a beam coming down and I placed myself over him trying to protect him. I was knocked unconscious but fortunately, a fireman came in and saved both of us." She touched the burned side of her face. "This scar will be permanent, but to this day, I have never regretted doing what I did."

At this point, the little boy came out running towards his mother with tears in his eyes. He hugged her and felt an overwhelming sense of the sacrifice that his mother had made for him. He held her hand tightly for the rest of the day.


伤疤

有个小男孩邀请他的母亲去参加学校举办的第一次家长会。令他沮丧的是，妈妈竟然答应去。同学们和老师将是第一次见到妈妈，但是，妈妈的相貌令他感到难堪。虽然母亲非常漂亮，但她整个右脸几乎被一块严重的伤疤覆盖了。小男孩从来不曾想问母亲伤疤的来历。

家长会上，小男孩妈妈的善良和蔼以及天生丽质给人们留下了深刻的印象，没有人在意她脸上的那块伤疤。但是，小男孩却感到局促不安，他藏起来不与人打照面。尽管如此，他还是能听到妈妈和老师的谈话，能听见他们谈话的内容。

“您脸上的伤疤是怎么来的?”老师问道。

小男孩的妈妈答道：“儿子很小的时候，他的房间突然着火了。大家都不敢进去，因为火势失控了。我进去了。就在我跑向他的婴儿床时，我看到一根房梁就要倒下来，我扑到他的床上，想护住他。房梁把我砸晕了。幸运的是，消防员冲了进来，救了我们。"她摸着脸上的伤疤，说："这块伤疤会永远留在脸上，但是直到今天，我从没为我做的事后悔过。”

听到这里，小男孩走了出来，满含热泪奔向妈妈，拥抱着她。母亲为自己作出的牺牲让他内心激动无比。那天后来，小男孩紧抓妈妈的手不曾松过。

Red Marbles - 红弹珠

Red Marbles

I was at the corner grocery store buying some early potatoes. I noticed a small boy, delicate of bone and feature, ragged but clean, hungrily appraising a basket of freshly picked green peas. I paid for my potatoes but was also drawn to the display of fresh green peas. I am a pushover for creamed peas and new potatoes. Pondering the peas, I couldn't help overhearing the conversation between Mr. Miller (the store owner) and the ragged boy next to me.

'Hello Barry, how are you today?'
'H'lo , Mr. Miller.. Fine, thank ya. Jus' admirin' them peas. They sure look good.'
'They are good, Barry. How's your Ma?'
'Fine. Gittin' stronger alla' time.'
'Good. Anything I can help you with?'
'No, Sir.. Jus' admirin' them peas.'
'Would you like to take some home?' asked Mr. Miller.
'No, Sir. Got nuthin' to pay for 'em with.'
'Well, what have you to trade me for some of those peas?'
'All I got's my prize marble here.'
'Is that right? Let me see it' said Miller.
'Here 'tis. She's a dandy.'
'I can see that. Hmmmmm, only thing is this one is blue and I sort of go for red. Do you have a red one like this at home?' the store owner asked.
'Not zackley but almost..'
'Tell you what. Take this sack of peas home with you and next trip this way let me look at that red marble.'Mr. Miller told the boy.
'Sure will. Thanks Mr. Miller.'

Mrs. Miller, who had been standing nearby, came over to help me.
With a smile she said, 'There are two other boys like him in our community, all three are in very poor circumstances. Jim just loves to bargain with them for peas, apples, tomatoes, or whatever. When they come back with their red marbles, and they always do, he decides he doesn't like red after all and he sends them home with a bag of product for a green marble or an orange one, when they come on their next trip to the store.'
 
I left the store smiling to myself, impressed with this man. A short time later I moved to  Colorado, but I never forgot the story of this man, the boys, and their bartering for marbles.

Several years went by, each more rapid than the previous one. Just recently I had occasion to visit some old friends in that Idaho community and while I was there learned that
Mr. Miller had died.

They were having his visitation that evening and knowing my friends wanted to go, I agreed to accompany them. Upon arrival at the mortuary we fell into line to meet the relatives of the deceased and to offer whatever words of comfort we could.

Ahead of us in line were three young men. One was in an army uniform and the other two wore nice haircuts, dark suits and white shirts...all very professional looking. They approached Mrs. Miller, standing composed and smiling by her husband's casket. Each of the young men hugged her, kissed her on the cheek, spoke briefly with her, and moved on to the casket.
 
Her misty light blue eyes followed them as, one by one; each young man stopped briefly and placed his own warm hand over the cold pale hand in the casket. Each left the mortuary  awkwardly, wiping his eyes.
 
Our turn came to meet Mrs. Miller. I told her who I was and reminded her of the story from those many years ago and what she had told me about her husband's bartering for marbles... With her eyes glistening, she took my hand and led me to the casket.
 
'Those three young men who just left were the boys I told you about. They just told me how they appreciated the things Jim 'traded' them. Now, at last, when Jim could not change his mind about color or size ......they came to pay their debt.'
 
'We've never had a great deal of the wealth of this world,' she confided, 'but right now, Jim would consider himself the richest man in Idaho.'
 
With loving gentleness she lifted the lifeless fingers of her deceased husband. Resting underneath were three exquisitely shined red marbles.
  
The Moral:
We will not be remembered by our words, but by our kind deeds.
Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath....

红弹珠

我正在百货商店的一个角落里挑选早熟的马铃薯，这时我注意到一个瘦骨凌寻的小男孩，身穿洗得很干净的粗布衣裳，极为卖力地叫卖着一篮子刚摘下的新鲜豌豆。

我买了马铃薯的单了，不过还是被那些新鲜豌豆吸引住了。谁叫我是一个容易被漂亮的豌豆和新鲜的马铃薯所征服的人呢。

心里想着这些豌豆，我不禁听到了一些米勒先生（百货商店的主人）和这个紧挨着我的粗衫男孩之前的对话。
“喂，巴里，今天怎么样啊？”
“你好，米勒先生。托你的福，不错呢，我刚才还在夸赞这些豌豆呢，它们看起来的确不错”。
“是啊，不错。巴林，你妈妈怎么样？”
“还好，比以前好一些啦”。
“那就好，有需要我帮忙的地方吗？”
“哦，没有，先生。我还是继续吆喝我些豌豆去吧”
“你要不要带些回家呀？"米勒先生问道。
“不用了，先生，我可付不起账喔”。
“这样，你有什么可以用来跟我交换那些豌豆的吗？”
“我这儿所有的家当就是我得奖的弹珠了”
“是吗？让我看看”米勒先生说道。
“这就是，它可是上好的弹珠。”
“我看得出来。嗯，只有一个问题便是这个是蓝色的，而我特别想要红色的。你家里有跟这个一样的红色的弹珠吗？”这家店主人问道。
“不会一模一样，不过也差不多”
“听着，把这一袋豌豆带回家吧，下次来的时候把那个红色的弹珠带过来吧”。米勒先生告诉这个男孩。
“一定会的，谢谢你。米勒先生”。

站在附近的米勒太太走过来帮我的忙。

她笑着：我们这个社区还有另个两个像他一样的男孩子，他们三个都是生活在非常贫穷的环境里。当他们回去取来红色的弹珠后，吉姆乐于便宜卖给他们豌豆、苹果、马铃薯等等。他们也经常这样做。当他们下次再来的时候，他便决定他不喜欢红色的了，让他们用绿色或橙色的弹珠换回那些食物。

我暗自笑着离开了那家商店，同时这个男人也给我留下了深深的印象。不久后我便搬到了科罗拉多州。但是我一直没有忘记过这个男人，这些男孩和他们用弹珠易物的故事。

几年过去了，时间的流水冲淡了之前的记忆。前不久我有机会去看一起在爱达荷州社区的一些老朋友，却听说米勒先生已经过世。他们将在那天傍晚举行他的葬礼，我的朋友们也会去。我答应陪他们一同前往。在到达殡仪馆之前，我们排队与亡者的亲人问候，尽力说些话安慰她们。

在队伍的前面，有三个年轻男人。其中一个穿着制服，另外两个理着很不错的发型。穿着黑色的礼服和白色的衬衣。他们看起来都很棒。他们走近镇静而面带微笑着站在她丈夫棺木旁的米勒太太，每个男士都过去拥抱她，亲吻她的脸颊，简短地安慰她后，再站到棺木前。

她泪眼朦胧的淡蓝色眼睛一直追随着他们。他们一个跟着一个，每个年轻人都在遗体前暂停，并伸出自己温暖的手握了握在棺木里的那双已经苍白冰冷的手。然后每一个都木然地离开殡仪馆，还一边擦拭着泪水。

当轮到我们见到米勒太太的时候，我告诉她我是谁，并且跟她提到她曾告诉过我的那个她丈夫用食物换得弹珠的很多年前的故事。她的眼睛一亮，拉着我到棺木前。

“这些都是那三个年轻人留下的，他们就是我曾经跟你提到的那些男孩子。他们刚刚告诉我，他们十分感激吉姆同他们所做的"交换"。而今，当吉姆最终不能再改变对颜色和大小的主意时，他们前来偿还所欠他的东西。”

“我们从来没有做过这世上如此大笔财富的买卖，"她说道，“但是现在，吉姆一定会认为自己是全爱达荷州最富有的人”。

她怀着爱意，轻柔地抬起她已故丈夫的已没有生命力的手指，下面躺着三颗精致无比的闪亮的红色弹珠。

别人不会记得我们所说的话，却会铭记我们的善意，生命并非因我们存在而完整，却在我们结束的那一瞬间而永恒。 
    

你给别人的不一定是他真正想要的

亨特先生是一位富有同情心的绅士，与许多高傲的富翁不同，每次穷人向他乞讨时，他总是乐于施舍，如果时间允许，他还时不时地请那些饥渴难耐的可怜人吃顿便饭。附近的穷人都很尊敬他，那些穷苦的孩子们更是把他当成最好的朋友。 　　

这天，亨特先生在街上散步，忽然听到有人叫他的名字，是一个孩子的声音。他回头一看，瑞安，一个经常找他玩的穷孩子，正在微笑着看着他。 　　

亨特笑了，走过去道：「瑞安，今天没去送牛奶吗？」
「已经送完了，亨特先生。」
「哦，找我有事吗？」
「是的，亨特先生。嗯，是这样的，您可以把那只小电动车送给我吗？就是上星期被我们玩坏了的那只。」瑞安有些忸怩地说。
「哦，可是它已经修不好了，这样，我买一辆新的给你吧。」
瑞安说：「不，亨特先生，我只想要那只旧的，可以吗？」
「不必客气的，可爱的小瑞安。」亨特笑道，「也许你不想玩电动车了？嗯，我那里还有一个崭新的旋转木马，是最新式的玩具，孩子们都喜欢的，要不你拿去吧。」
「不，亨特先生，」瑞安窘得脸都红了，「我只要那只旧的电动车就可以了，它对我很重要。」
「如果你坚持的话，当然可以。我去把那辆旧电动车拿给你。」

一会儿，亨特把电动车拿来交给了瑞安，瑞安向他道过谢，快乐地跑开了。 　　

回到家中，亨特把这件事当成趣谈告诉给妻子听。 「真是个奇怪的孩子。」他最后说。

妻子听完，沉思了一阵，说：「先不要说他奇怪呀，或许，那确实是有原因的呢。」

「什么原因呢，不要新的，却喜欢旧的？」亨特想了一阵，便去忙别的事了。 　　

几天后，亨特在街上又遇到瑞安。瑞安再次为那天的事道谢。亨特笑道：「不必客气的，小家伙。不过，我可以问一下吗？你要它做什么用呢？它已经不能动了。」

「是这样的，亨特先生。前几天是弟弟的生日，而他那辆遥控坦克昨天坏掉了，我想把电动车上的零件拆下来，把小坦克修好，这样他会很高兴的。结果确实如此。」瑞安的笑容像阳光一样灿烂。 　　

「可是，送给他一辆新的不是更好吗？我说过可以买一辆新的送给你。」

「不一样的，亨特先生。那辆遥控坦克是弟弟五岁生日时，爸爸送给他的礼物，是他最喜欢的玩具呢。我把它修好后，弟弟一整天都很高兴，抱着它不肯放手，连姐姐给他买的新玩具都几乎没玩呢。」


很多时候，我们在表示对某人友善时，总喜欢把自己最好的东西给他~~
可是我们却忘了，那也许并不是他最需要的东西~~

Don't Wait For That Brick To Be Thrown

The Brick

A young and successful executive was travelling down a neighborhood street, going a bit too fast in his new Jaguar. He was watching for kids darting out from between parked cars and slowed down when he thought he saw something. As his car passed, no children appeared. Instead, a brick smashed into the Jag's side door! He slammed on the brakes and backed the Jag back to the spot where the brick had been thrown.

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and pushed him up against a parked car shouting, "What was that all about and who are you? Just what the heck are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?"

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, mister...please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," He pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face and off his chin, the youth pointed to a spot just around a parked car. "It's my brother, "he said. "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up."

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." Moved beyond words, the driver tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a linen handkerchief and dabbed at the fresh scrapes and cuts.

A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. "Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful child told the stranger. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home.

It was a long, slow walk back to the Jaguar. The damage was very noticeable, but the driver never bothered to repair the dented side door. He kept the dent there to remind him of this message:

"Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!"

God whispers in our souls and speaks to our hearts. Sometimes when we don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at us. It's our choice to listen or not.

生命中的砖头

有一位开着新Jaguar的年轻总裁，经过住宅区的巷道的他被一个小朋友丢了一块砖头打到了车门。
他很生气的踩了煞车并後退到砖头丢出来的地方。他跳出车外 抓了那个小孩把他顶在车门上说：“你为什麽这样做，你知道你刚刚做了什麽吗？”接着又吼道：“你知不知道你要赔多少钱来修理这台新车，你到底为什麽要这样做？”

小孩子求着说：“先生，对不起，我不知道我还能怎麽办？我丢砖块是因为没有人停下来。”
小朋友一边说一边眼泪从脸颊落到车门上，他接着说：“因为我哥哥从轮椅上掉下来，我没办法把他抬回去。”
那男孩啜泣着说：“你可以帮我把他抬回去吗？他受伤了，而且他太重了我抱不动。”

这些话让年轻总裁深受感动，他抱起男孩受伤的哥哥 帮他坐回轮椅上，并拿出手帕擦拭他哥哥的伤口，确定他哥哥没有什么大问题。

那个小男孩感激地说：“谢谢你，先生，上帝保佑你。”

然后他看着男孩推着他哥哥回去。

年轻总裁慢慢地、慢慢地走回车上。他决定不修它了。他要让那个凹洞时时提醒自己。

“不要等周遭的人丢砖块过来了，自己才注意到生命的脚步已走得过快。”

当生命想与你的心灵窃窃私语时，若你没有时间。你有两种选择：倾听你心灵的声音或让砖头来砸你！重新思考着老问题：是否曾因为生活太快、太忙碌而忽略了我所爱的人。然后让他们开始怀疑起我是不是真的爱他们呢？

A Miracle For A Dollar and Eleven Cents - 购买奇迹

 

A Miracle For A Dollar and Eleven Cents

A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes.

Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door.

She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it!

'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice. I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting  for a reply to his question.

'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really, really sick ... and I want to buy a miracle.'

'I beg your pardon?' said the pharmacist.

'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?' 'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you,' the pharmacist said, softening a little.

'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.'

The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?' 'I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. 'I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money.'

'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago.  'One dollar and eleven cents,' Tess answered barely audibly. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.'

'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents - the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.' He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents.  Let's see if I have the miracle you need.'

That well dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well.

Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. 'That surgery,' her Mom whispered 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?'

Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost ... one dollar and eleven cents ... plus the faith of a little child.


购买奇迹

坚定的信念能够创造奇迹!

一个8岁的孩子听到她的父母正在谈论她的小弟弟。她只知道他病得非常利害，但是，父母没钱为他医治。他们正准备搬到一所小一点的房子里去住，因为支付了医药费之后，他们已付不起现在的这所房子的房租。现在，只有一个费用昂贵的手术，才能救她的小弟弟的命。但是，他们借不到钱。

当她听到爸爸绝望地低声对眼中含着泪的妈妈说“现在，只有奇迹才能救他了”的时候，这个小女孩回到她的卧室里，把藏在壁橱里的猪形储蓄罐拿出来。她把里面的零钱全部拿出来倒在地板上，仔细的数了数。然后，她把这个宝贵的储蓄罐紧紧地抱在怀里，从后门溜出去，走过6个街区，来到一家药店里。她从她的储蓄罐里拿出一个25美分的硬币，放在玻璃柜台上。

“你想要什么?”药剂师问。

“我是来为我的小弟弟买药的，”小女孩回答道，

“他病得很厉害，我想为他买一个奇迹。”

“你说什么？”药剂师问。

“她叫安德鲁，他的脑子里长了一个东西，我爸爸说只有奇迹才能救他。那么，一个奇迹需要多少钱?”

“我们这里不卖奇迹，孩子。我很抱歉。”药剂师说完后，伤心地对小女孩笑了笑。

“我有钱买它，如果这些钱不够，我还可以想办法再多弄些钱，只要你告诉我奇迹需要多少钱。”

此时，药店里还有一位衣着考究的顾客。他俯下身，问这个小女孩：“你的弟弟需要什么样的奇迹?”

“我不知道。”她抬起泪眼模糊的双眸看着他，“他病得很重，妈咪说他需要手术。但是爸爸付不起手术费，他说只有奇迹才能救我弟弟，所以我把攒下来的钱全部都拿来买奇迹了。”

“你有多少钱?”那人问。

“1美元11美分，不过我还可以想办法多弄到一些钱。”她的声音轻得几乎听不见。

“噢，真是巧极了．”那人微笑着说，“1美元11美分——这正好是为你的小弟弟购买奇迹的钱。”

他一只手接过她的钱，另一只手牵起她的小手。他说：“带我到你家里去，我想看看你的小弟弟，见见你的父母。让我们来看一看我是不是有你需要的那个奇迹。”

那位衣着考究的绅士就是专攻神经外科的外科医生卡尔顿?阿姆斯特朗。手术完全是免费的。手术后没多久，安德鲁就回家了，很快恢复了健康。

“那个手术，”她的妈妈轻声说，“真是一个奇迹。我想知道它到底值多少钱?”

小女孩微笑了。她知道这个奇迹的确切价格：1美元11美分，加上一个小女孩坚定的信念。

The Three Question Personality Test

Blogthings - "The three Question Personality Test" Quiz

 

***Your Personality Is Rational (NT)***

You are both logical and creative. You are full of ideas.
You are so rational that you analyze everything. This drives people a little crazy!

Intelligence is important to you. You always like to be around smart people.
In fact, you're often a little short with people who don't impress you mentally.

You seem distant to some - but it's usually because you're deep in thought.
Those who understand you best are fellow Rationals.

In love, you tend to approach things with logic. You seek a compatible mate - who is also very intelligent.

At work, you tend to gravitate toward idea building careers - like programming, medicine, or academia.

With others, you are very honest and direct. People often can't take your criticism well.

As far as your looks go, you're coasting on what you were born with. You think fashion is silly.

On weekends, you spend most of your time thinking, experimenting with new ideas, or learning new things.

    

What Kind of Bagel Are You?

 

Blogthings - "What Kind of Bagel Are You?" Quiz

 

Are you a virtuous whole wheat bagel? Or a funky blueberry bagel?

***You Are a Cinnamon Raisin Bagel***

You are warm, loving, and genuinely selfless.

You enjoy comforting other people, and you easily fall into the roll of caretaker.

Of all the types, you're the most likely to be an excellent cook.

You tend to have something delicious for breakfast that you've cooked up for everyone.

Laundry Tips

 

**==> L a u n d r y ~ T i p s  <==**


White vinegar:
Eliminate soap residue by adding 1 cup of white vinegar to the washer's final rinse.
Vinegar also breaks down uric acid, so adding 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water is especially good for babies' clothes.
To get wool and cotton blankets soft and fluffy as new, add 2 cups white vinegar to a full tub of rinse water.


Baking soda:
1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda per wash load makes clothes feel soft and smell fresh.
You can cut the amount of chlorine bleach used in your wash by half when you add 1/2 cup baking soda to top loading machines or 1/4 cup to front loaders.


To whiten yellowed silk or wool:
Mix 1 tablespoon white vinegar in 1 pint of water.
Sponge with this solution and rinse.
Wash as usual.


Chocolate stains:
Use club soda.
Soak stain with club soda before washing.


Cola stains:
Use white vinegar.
Apply undiluted vinegar directly to the stain within 24 hours.
Wash as usual.


Perspiration stain:
Sponge stains with a weak solution of white vinegar or lemon juice.


To remove smoky odor from clothes:
Fill your bathtub with hot water.
Add 1 cup white vinegar.
Hang garments above the steaming bath water.


Cornstarch:
For homemade laundry starch, dissolve 1 tablespoon cornstarch in 1 pint cold water.
Place in a spray bottle.
Shake before using.
Clearly label the contents of the spray bottle.

哈雷妈妈（2005）

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Indie Music
Artist:	陈小霞

最近因正在搬家，所以翻箱倒柜地整理东西，才惊觉发现我竟然有那么多的CD/VCD，有些忘了重复买了又买，有好些都还没听过或看过的。

就如这张大概是三、四年前发行，陈小霞的“哈雷妈妈”创作专辑吧。我想只听了几次就忘记搁在哪个角落了，现在寻获再次重听，还是那么回味无穷。

不必多介绍大家也认识陈小霞这位知名音乐女作家。她制作过歌曲数不尽，如王菲的“曖昧”，陳奕迅的“十年”、“谢谢”，林良乐的 “溫柔的慈悲”，莫文蔚的"他不愛我", 南方二重唱的"不告而別”，等等都是经典歌曲，到最近郭静的“在树上唱歌”，陈小霞创作的歌曲感动了许多人，也捧红了许多天王天后。

专辑的封面照，是陈小霞与当时18岁的女儿一同拍的照片，十分温馨。专辑取名为“哈雷妈妈”，据了解，“哈雷”代表着某种自我坚持与勇于尝试，“妈妈”代表着温柔的关怀与对生命的热爱。合之“哈雷妈妈”便是在回忆之中获得抚慰，学习勇敢，懂得感激、继续热爱。这也是陈小霞专辑取名“哈雷妈妈”的重要意念。

陈小霞的声音与另一个唱作歌手陈冠倩类似，低沉中带些沙哑，以吟唱式的唱法，有点懒散又舒服的感觉。

喜欢这两首曾发生在你我身上的故事的歌曲，都带点伤感：再也找不回遥远一张张纯真童年的脸的“查无此人”和“想欲返去”中寻找十六岁的快乐。

这首“猫”的曲子与编曲，非常的特殊，开始和结尾以钢琴来演绎那只“圆圆的屁股肥肥的脚营养太好”猫咪一惯的从容懒散，在恰好不过了。

喜欢的歌曲：暗舞、查无此人、想欲返去（闽南语）、猫

专辑歌曲列表：

.01. 苦果
.02. 暗舞
.03. 查无此人
.04. 哈雷妈妈
.05. 天使的侧脸
.06. 心疼
.07. 清楚
.08. 十三岁半
.09. 想欲返去
.10. 陌生小镇
.11. 猫

猫
词:李子恒　曲:陈小霞　

有一只猫她正在长高什么都想咬　
圆圆的屁股肥肥的脚营养太好
她望着窗外的野猫跳过那古堡　
她小小瞳孔开始放大竖起黑毛
飞岩走壁多逍遥这窗内太无聊　
那堡的神话诱惑着小猫
一只期待长大的小猫

跳上了屋顶开始她轻狂的年少　
瘦瘦的脸颊吃得再糟也不弯腰
她翻过一道又一道荒芜的墙角　
她看着远方突然感觉有点寂廖
太多自由却让它往黑暗牢里跳　
有月亮就不睡觉执迷的野猫
一只寻寻觅觅的野猫

穿过生命的圈套她突然被套牢
不管结果好不好再变不回小猫　
终究要变成一只老猫
终于这只猫看起来有一点苍老　
旧伤疤旁边长了一层灰白的毛
她冷眼看着窗外的猫在耍什么宝　
她眯着眼睛心里暗笑其实我了
低头黏一黏小猫品尝生命味道
抬头看看白云飘沉默的老猫　
一只不再流浪的老猫
一只开始会笑的老猫


查无此人

作词:姚若龙
作曲:陈小霞
编曲:洪晟文

寄一份问候给远方的童年
想念那张满是纯真的脸
可以哭过就笑从不曾算计
幸福离的多遥远
寄一份心情给久违的青春
想念那个敢爱敢恨的人
相信忠于感觉会快乐一些
宁可受伤不肯说谎言
查无此人他们说查无此人
童年只剩一张黑白的照片
提醒我在逃离保护以前
我有过一个简单
却又美好的世界
查无此人他们说查无此人
青春只剩一段未完的爱恋
偶而像被风卷起的黄叶
落在心口上像一滴
被忍住的泪

查无此人


暗舞


想欲返去


哈雷妈妈的官方网站：http://harleymama.gogorock.com/

慢慢等（2009）

Rating:	★★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Indie Music
Artist:	韦礼安

韦礼安在台湾也是另一个歌唱比赛出身，拿了冠军之后，他选择了继续学业，是位相当有潜质的创作人。

韦礼安这名字对经常在网上听创作歌曲的朋友们来说，或许应该不会感到陌生。韦礼安自2006年在著名的创作人聚集的网站streetvoice上，开始上传自己的创作作品，引起广大迴响，成绩斐然。至目前为止作品已累积了100多首，其中还包括了许多他曾替好些歌手，如刘若英、范玮琪、张韶涵、郭静，等写过的歌。

原本因为喜欢这EP的简单封面，喜欢那只小鸟，喜欢听创作歌曲，所以买了这张韦礼安weibird首张个人全创“慢慢等” EP。后来一听之下，更加喜欢他的声音，他的创作才华。

他的音质十分特殊，听了很舒服，很顺耳。对于转音的技巧掌握得相当好。尤其在“好天气”这首歌里，他的转音传音唱功，表现得一览无遗，十分的出色。

这张EP，收录两首网友最喜爱的创作曲“慢慢等”、“好天气”和5首创作DEMO版，包括了曾替其他歌手所写的歌的DEMO版）。

专辑歌曲列表：

.01. 慢慢等
.02. 好天气
创作Demo
.01. 慢慢等 (Demo)
.02. 好天气 (Demo)
.03. 知道 (Demo)
.04. 小眼睛 (Demo)
.05. 重来 (Demo曲名：高丽菜)

韦礼安官方网站 http://www.weibird.com


慢慢等


好天气

LaLa徐佳莹 首张创作专辑 （2009）

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Indie Music
Artist:	徐佳莹

我购买这张专辑春纯粹是因我看到“首张创作专辑”和那张清纯的脸蛋。后来才获悉她是台湾超级星光大道第三季总冠军得主，LaLa徐佳莹。2009年以创作才女之姿态推出首张创作专辑。

徐佳莹虽然娇小玲珑，但声线却非常嘹亮清澈。曲式上，主歌節奏步調通常較快，副歌則多為明朗。

专辑中，印象比较深刻的就是“身骑白马”这一首歌。歌曲间中一段穿插以闽南语唱出，融入了台湾歌仔戏的元素，相当耳目一新，充满了地方色彩。

“没锁门”是MSN10周年形象主题曲，相当轻快而歌词带调皮的一首歌曲。喜欢歌词中的“不必下跪也能orz”。

"失落沙洲" 和“一样的月光”是LaLa难得的抒情歌曲。旋律十分悦耳动听。"失落沙洲" 叙述的是失恋的心情，而“一样的月光”是叙述初恋的心情。觉得这两首歌曲，如果能再注入多一些些power在副歌部分，唱得更放一点，融入多一点感情在里头，更会把失落与心慌的感觉呈现出来，那会更触动人心。

但不可否认，她的创作是受到肯定，希望以后能再接再厉带来更多的创作能量和音乐原始的感动，呈现给大家更优越的创作音乐与惊喜。

喜欢的歌曲：失落沙洲，一样的月光，身骑白马，没锁门

专辑歌曲列表：

.01. 喔伊细
.02. 圆舞曲
.03. VIP
.04. 失落沙洲
.05. 白旗
.06. 身骑白马
.07. 一样的月光
.08. 明知故犯
.09. 出口
.10. 哼情歌
.11. 没锁门

身骑白马


失落沙洲

城市 （2009）

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Music
Genre:	Indie Music
Artist:	张悬

这是一张记录时代的专辑，也是在时代里被记录的一张专辑。这也是张悬目前较成熟

一直以来，张悬与别的歌手不同，或许是因为她很清楚她要的是什么。和上两张专辑截然不同，张悬这次找來身边几个好夥伴，Base - 鸡毛，Guitar - 衫特，Drum - 凯同，组织了Algae乐团，做一些不同于浅谈清唱而是接近摇滚乐的专辑。就只因为单纯的喜欢音乐，他们花了八个月的时间，一手包办所有的词曲，编曲，制作，专心筹备录制完成了这一张属于他们Algae“城市”的专辑。

其实我不太喜欢听摇滚歌曲，总觉得好好的一把声音，被HeavyMetal给掩盖了，很可惜。但无可厚非，的确很佩服与欣赏她的文字创作，一遍一遍的反复仔仔细细聆听每一首歌的歌词后，深深地被打动，因我们都生活在同一个时代里，所以多多少少她很贴切地道出了我们的生活心情写照。

但这首带点摇滚曲风的“Beautiful Woman”，我却超喜爱。很轻快，很有自由的感觉，虽然是因同志朋友而产生创作这首歌的灵感，但歌曲却没刻意宣导或宣传什么，只是轻描淡写地唱出城市里应该追逐的“认同与爱”。

我还是喜欢“南国的孩子”这类的歌曲。歌里采用简简单单的吉他伴奏，轻描淡写地道出那些满怀抱负，从异地来到城市打工的年轻人的心声。

“巷口”是一首尝试以钢琴伴奏，温柔及优美的歌曲。歌中似乎感觉到有种对生活的无奈与失落的心情。喜欢歌词中这一句“孤独中的快乐不能用来解决失落”。

喜欢的歌曲：关于我爱你，Beautiful Woman，南国的孩子，巷口

专辑歌曲列表：

.01. 关于我爱你
.02. Beautiful Woman
.03. selling
.04. 南国的孩子
.05. 岛屿云烟
.06. 就在
.07. Stay-牡蛎之歌
.08. 城市
.09. Love，New Year
.10. 巷口


关于我爱你



南国的孩子

今晚，我哭了 I cried tonight

 

今天朋友的生日，我应该感到高兴。

明天我即将回国，我应该感到兴奋。

但不知为什么，我哭了，今晚，我竟然哭了，一个人在酒店房间里，哭了一个小时。

自去年十月以来，我没这样稀里哗啦地大哭一场了。。。

是一种失落，还是一种发泄，又或是一种解脱？我不知道。

我开始哭是因为我无法从网上收听到我喜欢听的“聆听夜语”节目。

我又不是第一次无法收听节目，之前的都一一能“熬过”，但就是今晚，我被打败了。

我不求家财万贯，不求成名利就，不求朋友成群，只求能顺顺利利地听我所爱听的节目，难道这是一种奢侈的要求吗？为什么这样微不足道，小小的要求，上帝都不能让我如愿以偿呢？

原本是搭今晚的飞机回国，但时间与节目撞击，因不想错过夜晚节目，就安排明天回国。

傍晚赶紧离开客户的地方回酒店，买钟点上网，但谁知，广播台的服务器还是无法连接得上，我从七点就开始尝试，直到八点，八点十五分，我开始崩溃了，我突然像泄了气的气球，一击无法收拾，一边哭一边继续尝试。直到十点，我放弃了。

或许无法听到“聆听夜语”只是促使我哭的所谓“导火线”，而真正原因是这几个月来的紧张压迫生活，让我接二连三地不停奔波劳累，喘不过气来，压抑许久的压力怒气无法释放出来，因此，借此机会把它们全都发泄出来。

对不起，我不想这样的。

今晚没有“聆听夜语”的陪伴，周围显得一片死寂，冷清。。。

Today, a friend's birthday, I should be happy.
Tomorrow I am going home, I should be excited.
But I do not know why, I cried tonight, alone in the hotel for an hour.

Since October last year, I had not been crying so badly. . .
Is a loss, or a vent, or a relief? I do not know. . I started to cry just because I was unable to listen to my favourite program from the Internet.

This is not the first time I can not listen to the program, I was able to "get through" everything, but tonight, I was defeated.

I do not seek wealthiness, do not hope for success on the fame and fortune, do not wish to have bunches of friends, but just simple as able to listen to the program every night. Is it really a luxury request? If not why does God unable to fulfill my tiny request?

I changed my return flight from tonight till tomorrow so that I would not miss the program. I left the customer place earlier so as to rush back to hotel to subscribe to internet access service and listened to program. However the broadcasting stations was down and not available for connection. I started trying the connection from 7:00 pm till 8:00 pm, 8:15 pm, and I began to collapse, as though like a deflating balloon, started to pour out.

Unable to listen to program might be just one of the reasons that brings me to tears, it could be the tension over the past few months, one after another non-stop exertion, unable to breathe, long suppressed anger and pressure, therefore, taking this opportunity to vent out all of them

I am so sorry about this emotional thing.

 

Hello..Busy..Sick..SeeYou

 

 

To all my dearest friends who still remember me, :)
First of all I would like to thank you all for the March birthday wishes.

There is nothing better than receiving those warm wishes from all of you, Thanks n Hugs.

Trust me I have not forgotten you at all, just because of my health problem and also that I am tied up with work, can't even have my own time to do my own things and the things that I like to do.
Remember I ever mention about my new place, now it is still not completed yet as I am always not around to finish it.
I can't have the luxury time to come here as often as I wish to.
I have so many things in my mind, so many thoughts that I want to share with you but ... I just hope to find some time in June to fulfill them all.

Mid Dec - End Dec : Sydney
Mid Jan - End Jan : Philippines
Mid Feb - Mid Mar : Philippines
Mid Mar - Mid Apr : Indonesia
End Apr - Early May : US
Early May - End May : Indonesia
End June - Mid July : Malaysia

Looking at the schedule, you might not believe it, but it is true, that is my travel schedule for the past few months, and next month. I have not been resting well, but traveling from one place to another, rushing for 1 customer to another. The crazy tight schedule, work task, stress and pressure have been killing lots and lots of my brain cells...and I fall sick again... I am having cough, flu, sore throat, back ache and today even worst having gastric, have been lying on hotel bed for the whole day. :(

Next week will be a busy week again and will require to work at odd hours again (some days in the day time and some days in the night throughout)...sigh...

Take care my dear till we meet again.

Love always,
Dreamz

I just want to read ...

 

Why?

Why do I work?

Why do I need to work?

Why do I need to work so hard?

 

Why do I need to work so hard and make myself so busy and unhappy?

 

Why?

 

Why should I spend more than one third of my precious limited 24 hours doing the job that does not give me the fulfillment, enjoyment and achievement feelings anymore?

 

I don't like to play politics in company, I won't do any sweet talk to anyone.

 

Please don't always blame on others and jealous of female colleagues, it is not that I am good, but more of you should upgrade and improve yourselves to take up the challenge.

 

I am not interested at all. If you want anything, just take it. I won't be bothered.

 

I have been struggling for past few months and just started to walk out from the misery, I really don't wish to be beaten by it so fast.

 

I just want to live a simple life, having more time on my own doing the things that I really like reading, drawing, listening to music.

 

You may think that I am crazy, but I just can't help it.

 

Is it true that when one is unhappy, stressed or depressed, he/she tends to spend money buying thing that he/she likes to release the stress and unhappiness?

 

Following are some books that I have bought within last 5 months, and have read quarter of them.

These few days I started to buy again ...

 

 

 

What an ailing start for the New Year

 

Sunday night managed to reach home by 7:00 pm, just in time for the New Year Eve reunion dinner.

Previously, used to stay up late across the New Year Eve and New Year morning.

Probably too tired, I dozed off immediately, could not even remember whether did I wait till cross 12 midnight or not.

First day of New Year, very systematic.   Morning woke up to prepare food for visitors. Around noon time, relatives - uncles and aunties (my father's younger brother and sisters) started to come and gathered for lunch.  After that, whole group would proceed to my aunt's (father's elder sister) place nearby.  Back to home by afternoon. Sometimes there could be visitors in the evening, else would be resting for the rest of the day.

In the late afternoon, I went to take a look at my new unit, open all windows there to have flow of fresh air into the house for the new year.   Supposed to be able to shift in before New Year, however, due to my overseas assignment, I could not make it for the move.

After finished listening to the radio program at 10:00pm immediately went to bed which was very unusual for me.

Second day of New Year, usually stayed at home and rest. Sometimes my mother's relatives and our old neighbours would come and visit us.

However, this morning, when I woke up at 10:00am, additional to my usual back pain, I was feeling cold, whole body aching, no strength to sit up at all.  Having terrible gastric distress and headache. Have been lying and sleeping for the whole day.  Could not even wake up to entertain the visitors.  Originally I planned to do some stuff for the new unit in the afternoon, but just feeling too tired to do anything.

Lying on bed and struggling to finish listening to my favorite radio program by 10:00pm (die die also must listen... hahahah )

Going to sleep now ... still having headache and gastric pain...

Have to go back to work tomorrow already, sigh... Just hope that feeling ok when I wake up in the morning... 

飞鸟。寂寞。我。

 

 

 

 

       

I am Still Alive . . .

 

To all my dear friends and whoever still care for me ...
Just in case you may think that I am dead ...
I am still alive ...

 

 

It has been a long long time since the last time (Oct 2008) I log in to Multiply...

I have refrained myself from logging in,  till the day when I think I have decided and seriously prepared to carry on with my life... 

and here I am ...

Life for the past few months is like taking a roller-coaster ride.
Up and down, fast and slow, spinning and twisting ...

Although I have to face it all by myself
However, I know that I am not alone ...

I'm so thankful that I get to know a bunch of wonderful friends here who always give my encouragement and support to carry on

I Really Thank You and Miss You So Much...

Please give me some time, I will get back to each and every one of you. When I have the time, will also share with you what I have gone through for the past few months...

26th Jan is the Chinese New Year, and now, is nearly 5:30 am (sleepless night again...) in the eve of Chinese New Year.

Yes, in a few hours time, I will be flying back to Singapore for the Chinese New Year :), reaching home at around 7:00pm, just in time for the reunion dinner.

 

Happy Lunar New Year !

新年快乐
Gong Xi Fa Cai !

恭喜发财