秋千和拥抱A Swing and A Hug

It was a warm, sunny, Saturday afternoon some fifteen or sixteen years ago. I had volunteered to take my two older kids to the local playground while my wife put the youngest down for a nap. As soon as we got there my daughter headed for the swings and asked for a push. As I was helping my daughter to go higher and higher, I noticed another little girl trying in vain to get her own swing going. Her elderly grandmother was sitting quietly on a nearby bench and smiled at me.

那是十五六年前一个温暖明媚的周六下午。我的妻子在哄着小儿子午睡，我则主动带着两个大点儿的孩子到附近的操场上玩。一到那里，女儿就奔向秋千，要我推着她荡秋千。正当我帮着女儿把秋千荡得越来越高时，我注意到另外一个小女孩，她正试图把自己的秋千荡起来，却失败了。而她的老祖母则安静地坐在附近的一条长凳上，向我微笑。

I gave my daughter one big push and then walked over to the little girl and asked if she could use a push too. She smiled and said “Yes!” I soon had her feet soaring towards the clouds while she laughed happily. For the next two hours I found myself pushing swings and playing tag with my son, daughter, and the other little girl. By the time we headed home, I was physically exhausted, but my spirits was still flying higher than those swings.

我大力地推了一把女儿的秋千后，便走到了小女孩那里，问她需不需要我推一把。她微笑着说：“好啊!”我很快就让她的双脚冲向天上的云朵，她快乐地大笑起来。在接下来的两个小时里，我和儿子、女儿，还有那个小女孩，一起荡秋千、捉迷藏。等到要回家的时候，我已经筋疲力尽了，但我的心情却比秋千飞得还要高。

Two years later I was exhausted again after a long day's work. Still, I needed to pick up my kids from the local grade school before heading home. I stood wearily in the parents' waiting area watching for my children. Suddenly, I felt two tiny arms wrap around my stomach. I looked down and there was the little girl from the playground smiling up at me. She gave me one more big hug before heading off to catch her school bus. As I watched her back, I didn’t feel quite so tired anymore and my spirits were once again soaring in the Heavens.

两年后的某日，我工作了整整一天，再次感觉筋疲力尽。但在回家前，我还得去附近的小学接孩子。我倦怠地站在家长等候区，等我的孩子们。突然，我感到两条细小的胳膊抱住了我的肚子。我低头一看，原来是那个操场上的小女孩，她正仰头冲我微笑。她又给了我一个大大的拥抱，然后就跑去赶校车了。我看着她的背影，感觉没那么累了，心情也再一次翱翔在九重天了。

In this life every single bit of love we share finds its way back to us again. It may travel from heart to heart or it may blossom in the soul where it was planted. It may take seconds or it may take years. The law of love, though, is never broken. What we give, we get back. What we sow, we reap. The love we share, the kindness we give, and the joy we create will always come back to bless us.

在生活中，我们分享的每一丝爱都会回归到我们身上。它也许会从心灵传递到心灵，也许会在你播种的灵魂深处开花。这个过程可能需要几秒，亦可能要经过几年。但是，爱的法则却从不会被打破。给予的东西，总会回来。种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。我们分享的爱，我们给予的温情，以及我们创造的快乐，总会回来庇佑祝福我们。