美文欣赏

“如果没有安妮·沙利文，海伦·凯勒的名字也许永远不为人知。”但是如果没有那个好心且赋予奉献精神的护士，安妮·沙利文的名字也会远不为人所知。这样推下去，这条救助的链条会绵延到哪里？它又会向前延伸多远？

Chain of Love

"How do you account for your remarkable accomplishment in life?" Queen Victoria of England asked Helen Keller. "How do you explain the fact that even though you were both blind and deaf, you were able to accomplish so much?"

Ms. Keller's answer is a tribute to her dedicated teacher. "If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown."

According to speaker Zig Ziglar, "Little Annie" Sullivan, as she was called when she was young, was no stranger to hardship. She was almost sightless herself (due to a childhood fever) and was, at one time, diagnosed as hopelessly "insane" by her by caregivers. She was locked in the basement of a mental institution outside of Boston. On occasion, Little Annie would violently attack anyone who came near. Most of the time she generally ignored everyone in her presence.

An elderly nurse believed there was hope, however, and she made it her mission to show love to the child. Every day she visited Little Annie. For the most part, the child did not acknowledge the nurse's presence, but she still continued to visit. The kindly woman left cookies for her and spoke words of love and encouragement. She believed Little Annie could recover, if only she were shown love.

Eventually, doctors noticed a change in the girl. Where they once witnessed anger and hostility, they now noted an emerging gentleness and love. They moved her upstairs where she continued to improve. Then the day finally came when this seemingly "hopeless" child was released.

Anne Sullivan grew into a young woman with a desire to help others as she, herself, was helped by the kindly nurse. It was she who saw the great potential in Helen Keller. She loved her, disciplined her, played with her, pushed her and worked with her until the flickering candle that was her life became a beacon of light to the world. Anne Sullivan worked wonders in Helen's life; but it was a loving nurse who first believed in Little Annie and lovingly transformed an uncommunicative child into a compassionate teacher.

"If it had not been for Anne Sullivan, the name of Helen Keller would have remained unknown." But if it had not been for a kind and dedicated nurse, the name of Anne Sullivan would have remained unknown. And so it goes. Just how far back does the chain of redemption extend? And how for forward will it lead?

Those you have sought to reach, whether they be in your family or elsewhere, are part of a chain of love that can extend through the generations. Your influence on their lives, whether or not you see results, is immeasurable. Your legacy of dedicated kindness and caring can transform lost and hopeless lives for years to come.

参考译文

爱的涟漪

英国维多利女王曾问海伦·凯勒：“ 你一生中获得如此卓越成就的原因是什么？你又聋又盲，你是如何取得如此巨大的成就的？”

凯勒女士将这一切归功于她那赋予奉献精神的老师。“如果没有安妮·沙利文, 海伦凯勒的名字也许永远不会为人所知。”

据金克·金克拉说，小安妮——沙利文幼时的名字——可是没少经历苦难。她自己因为儿时发高烧而几乎双目失明，且一度被看护者们诊断为精神失常，无法医治。她被所在波士顿城外一个精神医院的地下室里。有时，小安妮惠狂暴的攻击每一个靠近她的人,但多数时候她则对身边的每一个人不理不睬。

尽管如此，一位上了年纪的护士认为仍有希望。她把爱护这个孩子作为自己的职责，每天都去看小安妮。大多数时候，这孩子都意识不到护士的存在，但她仍旧不断地去看她。这位好心的女士给孩子留下饼干，对她说鼓励和慈爱的话语。她坚信，只要有爱，小安妮就一定能恢复正常。

终于，医生发现了小姑娘身上的变化。以往他们看到的是愤怒和敌意，但现在看到的确是逐渐显现的温顺和爱意。他们把她搬到了楼上，在那里，她的情况继续好转。终于有一天，这个看来无药可救的孩子出院了。

安妮·沙利文长成了一个大姑娘。她热切地渴望去帮助别人，就像她自己被那位好心的护士帮助一样。正是她看到了身上的潜质。她爱护她，教育她，和她一起玩耍，该她鼓励，和她一起工作，直到她生命微弱的烛光变成了照亮世界的一束强光。安妮·沙利文创造了海伦生命的奇迹，但首先是一位好心的护士相信小安妮，并慈爱的绛一个无法交流的孩子变成了一个有爱心的老师。

“如果没有安妮·沙利文，海伦·凯勒的名字也许永远不为人知。”但是如果没有那个好心且赋予奉献精神的护士，安妮·沙利文的名字也会远不为人所知。这样推下去，这条救助的链条会绵延到哪里？它又会向前延伸多远？

那些你所想到的人，不管他们在你的家里或是其他什么地方，都是这条在几代人间延续的爱的链条上的一环。你对他们生命的影响，不管你是否看到结果，都是无法估量的。你所奉献的爱心与关怀将会在未来的岁月中转变那些处于迷失和绝望之中的生命。