英語勵志美文：修補破損之處
Fixing Up the Run-Down Places
修補破損之處
——一篇勵志的英語美文
作者：大衛•達拉斯•鐘斯博士（Dr. David Dallas Jones ）
Every life coheres around certain fundamental core ideas whether we realize it or not. If I were asked to state the ideas around which my life and my life's work have been built it would seem that they were very simple ideas.
無論我們能否認識到這點，每個人的人生都與某種基礎的核心思想密切相連的。
An old professor of mine used to say that "effort counts." "The surest thing in the world," he would say, "next to death is that effort counts." This I believe with all my heart.
倘若有人問我，我的生命與工作基於何種觀念?我覺得它們非常簡單。“一分耕耘，一分收穫。”這是我的一位老教授過去常說的話。他說：“除了死亡之外，世界上最確切的事就是‘一分耕耘，一分收穫’。”我對此深信不疑。
We seldom realize the sense of glow, the sense of growing self-esteem, the sense of achievement, which can come from doing a job well. Just working at a thing with enthusiasm and with a belief that the job may be accomplished, however uncertain the outcome, lends zest to life.
我們很少能意識到工作帶給我們的樂趣，對我們自尊心的培養，以及給予我們的成就感。
If I were to start life again, I think I would do just what I have done in the past-this past having been done by mere chance. I would start at some task which very much needed to be done. I would start in a place which was run down and I would believe with all my heart that if the thing needed to be done and if effort were put into it, results would come for human good.
如果再給我一次生命，我想我仍會做過去所做的事——雖然過去所做的一切純屬偶然。我會從急需去做的事情做起，從破損之處做起;我會由衷地相信，只要是必須做的事，只要付出努力，就一定會獲得對人類有益的結果。
Too, from the outset, my wife and I have had the feeling that no matter what else we did in life, we had to devote our best thinking and our best living to our children.
並且，我和妻子從一開始就認為，
Now that they are all grown, we have sincere satisfaction in the fact that trying to do ajob and trying to earn a living did not take away from us this urgency to be and do so that our children could have a feeling of the importance of integrity, honesty and straightforwardness in life.
如今，他們都已長大成人。我們感到無比滿足，我們為生計奔波，努力工作，但都不曾忽略孩子，這樣孩子們才能真正明白生活中正直、誠實和坦率的重要性。而我覺得，人們通常都忽略了這些。為了在社會中生存，人們不得不去工作，於是忽略了自己的孩子。
It seems to me far too often this is overlooked. We people in public life do the jobs we have to do and fail to save our own children. This second thing is important- doing the task you have to do but beginning at home to bring peace, love, happiness and contentment to those whom God has given you.
然而，後者更為重要——做你必須做的事，
The third idea, around which I have tried to live and work, is that there is an overshadowing Providence that cares for one. Ofttimes struggles are too intense, too "eager beaverish" when, as a matter of fact, time and God can solve many problems.
上天始終眷顧著我，這是維繫我的生活與工作的第三個觀念。有時，我們會過於積極，過於“急功近利”，而事實上，上帝和時間會解決很多問題。
Never in my life have I gotten away from the idea that God cares and that He provides that the forces of good in the world are greater than the forces of evil and that if we will lend ourselves to those forces, in the long run we have greater joy and happiness in the thing which we try to achieve.
上帝眷顧著我們，他讓我們懂得世界上善的力量總大於惡的力量，只要我們追隨著善，就一定會從我們努力成就的事業中獲得更多的快樂與幸福，
This I learned from my mother as a boy. Although she was ill and although we were poor-as poor as people can be-I do not now recall a moment of discouragement in her presence. There was always an overpowering belief that God was in His heaven and that, as Joe Louis said, "God is on our side."
雖然母親染病在身，雖然我們的生活一貧如洗，但是在我的記憶中，母親從未有過一刻的氣餒。她始終堅信，正如喬•路易士所說：“上帝與我們同在。”上帝就在天堂。
These things I believe with all my heart.
對於這些觀念，我是由衷地相信的。