赠送礼物的那天终于到了。在交换礼物时我们为对方亲手做的小礼品不停地欢呼叫好。而整个过程，她只是安静地坐在那儿看着。我为她做的小袋很特别，红绿相间还镶着白边。我非常想看到她笑一笑。她打开包装，动作又慢又小心。我等待着，但是她却转过了身。我还是没能穿过她在自己周围树起的高墙，这堵墙将她与大家隔离了开来。
放学后，学生们三三两两地离开了，边走边说着即将到来的圣诞节：家中的圣诞树旁将发现自己心系已久的自行车和崭新发亮的雪橇。她慢慢地走在后面，看着大家拥挤着走出门外。我坐在孩子们的小椅子上稍稍松了口气，对要发生的事没有一点准备。这时她向我走来，双手拿着一个白色的盒子向我伸过来。盒子没有打包装，稍有些脏。好像是被孩子未洗过的小手摸过了好多遍。她没有说话。“给我的吗？”我微微一笑。她没出声，只是点点头。我接过盒子，非常小心地打开它。盒子里面有一条金色的链子，上面坠着一块闪闪发光的“油炸”玻璃弹子。然后我看着她的脸，虽只有8岁，可却是成人的表情。在她深棕色的眼睛里我找到了问题的答案。我在一瞬间明白过来——这是她为妈妈做的项链，她再也见不到的妈妈，再也不能抱她、给她梳头或一起讲故事的妈妈。她的妈妈已再也不能分享她充满童稚的快乐，分担她孩子气的忧伤。就在3个星期前她的妈妈离开了人世。
我拿起那条链子。她用双手接过它，向前探了探身，在我的脖子后把简易的项链钩系好。然后她向后退了几步，好像在看看是否合适。我低下头看着闪闪发亮的玻璃珠和已失去光泽的金色链子，然后抬起头望着她。我很认真地轻声说道：“哦，玛丽亚，这链子真漂亮。你妈妈一定会喜欢的。”我们已无法抑制住泪水。她踉踉跄跄地扑进我的怀里，我们都哭了。在那短暂的一刻我成了她的妈妈，而她送给了我一份最珍贵的礼物：她的信任和爱。
An Old Man Who Planted Oaks种橡树的老人
A young traveler was exploring the Alps. He came upon a vast stretch of barren land. It was desolate. It was the kind of place you hurry away from.
Then， suddenly， the young traveler stopped dead in his tracks. In the middle of this vast wasteland was a bent-over old man. On his back was a sack of acorn. In his hand was a four-foot length of iron pipe.
The old man was using the iron pipe to punch holes in the ground. Then from the sack he would take an acorn and put it in the hole. Later the old man told the traveler， “I’ve planted 100，000 acorns. Perhaps only tenth of them will grow.” The old man’s wife and son had died， and this was how he chose to spend his final years. “I want to do something useful，” he said.
Twenty-five years later the now-not-as-young traveler returned to the same place. What he saw amazed him. He could not believe his own eyes. The land was covered with a beautiful forest two miles wide and five miles long. Birds were singing， animals were playing， and wild flowers perfumed the air.
The traveler stood there recalling the desolation that once was； a beautiful oak forest stood there now—all because someone cared.
一个年轻的旅行者在阿尔卑斯山探险。他来到一块一望无际的不毛之地，那里荒无人烟，那是一种让人急欲离开的地方。
后来，年轻的旅行者突然停住了脚步。只见辽阔的荒地中央一位老人正在弯腰播种。他背着一大袋橡子，手里拿着一根4英尺长的铁管。
老人用那根铁管在地上打洞，然后从袋子里掏出一颗橡子，放进洞里。后来，老人告诉那个旅行者：“我已经种了10万颗橡子。大概只有十分之一的橡子能够成长。”老人的妻儿都已经死去，而这就是他选择度过晚年的一种方式。“我想做一些有用的事儿。”他说。
25年后，那个已不再年轻的旅行者又故地重游。而眼前的景象却让他惊叹不已。他无法相信自己的眼睛。那块土地覆盖上了5英里长，2英里宽的美丽森林。那里，小鸟歌唱，动物嬉戏，野花飘香。
旅行者站在那里，回忆着它以前的荒凉；一片美丽的橡树林现在之所以耸立在那里，都是因为某个人的关心啊。
Keep Walking in Sunshine 轮椅上的快乐人生
Years of storms had taken their toll on the old windmill. Its wheel， rusted and fallen， lay silent in the lush bluegrass. Its once animated silhouette was now a tall motionless steeple in the twilight sun.
I hadn’t walked across our old farm in fifteen years. Yet the sensations came flooding back. I could smell the freshness of new mown alfalfa. I could feel the ping of the ice cold summer rain， and the sun’s sudden warmth on my wet shoulders when it reappeared after a brisk July thunderstorm.
Rain or shine， I used to walk this path each day to see Greta. She always made me smile， even after Sis and I had just had a big squabble. I would help Greta with her chores. Then we would visit over a generous helping of her delicious homemade chocolate cookies and ice cream. Being confined to a wheel chair didn’t stop Greta from being a fabulous cook.
Greta gave me two of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received. First， she taught me how to read. She also taught me that when I forgave Sis for our squabbles， it meant I wouldn’t keep feeling like a victim. Instead， I would feel sunny.
Mr. Dinking， the local banker， tried to foreclose on Greta’s house and land after her husband passed away. Thanks to Pa and Uncle Johan， Greta got to keep everything. Pa said that it was the least he could do for someone talented enough to teach me to read！
Soon folks were coming from miles around to buy Greta’s homemade cakes， pies， breads， cookies， cider， and ice cream. Hank， the grocery store man， came each week to stock his shelves and bring Greta supplies.
Greta even had me take a big apple pie to Mr. Dinking who became one of her best customers and friends. That‘s just how Greta was. She could turn anyone into a friend！
Greta always said， “Dear， keep walking in sunshine！” No matter how terrible my day started， I always felt sunny walking home from Greta’s house-even beneath the winter starlight.
I arrived at Greta’s house today just after sunset. An ambulance had stopped a few feet from her door， its red lights flashing. When I ran into the old house， Greta recognized me right away.
She smiled at me with her unforgettable twinkling blue eyes. She was almost out of breath when she reached out and softly touched my arm. Her last words to me were “Dear， keep walking in sunshine！”
I’m sure that Greta is walking in the brightest sunshine she’s ever seen. And， I’m sure that she heard every word I read at her memorial service.
I chose a beautiful verse by Leo Buscaglia. It’s one that Greta taught me to read many years ago…
“Love can never grow old. Locks may lose their brown and gold. Cheeks may fade and hollow grow. But the hearts that love will know， never winter’s frost and chill， summer’s warmth is in them still.”
多年的风雨毁坏了古老的风车。车轮已经锈了，倒了，静静地躺卧在茂盛的六月禾丛中。在落日的衬托下，曾经散发着生气的风车如今如耸立的尖塔般冰冷、生硬。
我已经有十五年没有走过我们的农场了。然而，那些感觉又汹涌而至。我仿佛闻到了新割的苜蓿的清新气息，感觉到了冰冷夏雨敲打在身上，还有七月的雨后阳光照射在湿漉漉的身上骤然传来的暖意。
无论雨天或晴天，我曾经天天沿着这条小径去探望葛丽塔。即使我刚和姐姐大吵了一场，她也总能使我舒怀微笑。我会帮葛丽塔做些家务。然后，我们会大快朵颐，品尝她亲手做的巧克力曲奇饼和冰淇淋。以轮椅代步并不妨碍她成为一名出色的厨师。
葛丽塔送给我两件最了不起的礼物。首先，她教会了我认字。而且，在她身上我还学会一样东西，让我不再记恨于与我争吵的姐姐，让我不再觉得委屈，心情因此也就开朗起来。
在葛丽塔的丈夫去世后，当地的银行家丁肯先生曾经要收取她抵押给了银行的房子。幸亏有爸爸和约翰叔叔的帮忙，葛丽塔才保住了一切。爸爸说，对一位聪明得能教会我认字的人，这只是他力所能及的一件小事！
