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The Greatest of These
添加时间:2014-01-06 14:02:31 浏览次数: 作者:Nanette Thorsen-Snip
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  • My day began on a decidedly sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling with a limb of my azalea bush. By the time I got outside, he'd broken it. "Can I take this to school today?" he asked.

    With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn't see the tears gathering1 in my eyes. I loved that azalea bush. I touched the broken limb as if to say silently, "I'm sorry."

    I wished I could have said that to my husband earlier, but I'd been angry. The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum2. If he'd just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers with Jonathan. What are his priorities anyway? I wondered. I was still mopping up the mess when Jonathan walked into the kitchen. "What's for breakfast, Mom?"

    I opened the empty refrigerator. "Not cereal," I said, watching the sides of his mouth drop. "How about toast and jelly?" I smeared3 the toast with jelly and set it in front of him. Why was I so angry? I tossed my husband's dishes into the sudsy water.

    It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.

    Somehow I managed to lug4 the wet clothes to the laundromat. I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. Staring at the graffiti on the walls, I felt as wrung-out as the clothes left in the washers.

    As I finished hanging up the last of my husband's shirts, I looked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan's class let out at 2:15. I dumped the clothes in the back seat and hurriedly drove to the school.

    I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher's door and peered through the glass. With one finger, she motioned for me to wait. She said something to Jonathan and handed him and two other children crayons and a sheet of paper.

    What now? I thought, as she rustled5 through the door and took me aside. "I want to talk to you about Jonathan," she said.

    I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me.

    "Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?" she asked.I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. I glanced at my son busily coloring a picture. His wavy6 hair was too long and flopped7 just beneath his brow. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. His eyes burst with blue as he admired his handiwork.

    "Let me tell you about yesterday," the teacher insisted. "See that little girl?"

    I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.

    "Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical8. Her mother and father are going through a nasty divorce. She told me she didn't want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for the class to hear, 'Nobody loves me.' I did all I could to console her, but it only seemed to make matters worse."

    "I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan," I said.

    "I do," she said, touching9 the sleeve of my blouse. "Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, 'I love you.'"

    I felt my heart swell10 with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. "Thank you," I said, reaching for Jonathan's hand, "you've made my day."

    Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my lopsided azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical verse came to me: "...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.

    I heard the familiar squeak11 of my husband's brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling12 with hot pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of love that God planted in my family beginning to bloom once again in me. My husband's eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. "I love you," I said.

     9级    心灵鸡汤  美文 


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    1 gathering [ˈgæðərɪŋ] ChmxZ   第8级
    n.集会,聚会,聚集
    参考例句:
    • He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering. 他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
    • He is on the wing gathering material for his novels. 他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。
    2 linoleum [lɪˈnəʊliəm] w0cxk   第12级
    n.油布,油毯
    参考例句:
    • They mislaid the linoleum. 他们把油毡放错了地方。
    • Who will lay the linoleum? 谁将铺设地板油毡?
    3 smeared [smiəd] c767e97773b70cc726f08526efd20e83   第9级
    弄脏; 玷污; 涂抹; 擦上
    参考例句:
    • The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
    • A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。
    4 lug [lʌg] VAuxo   第10级
    n.柄,突出部,螺帽;(英)耳朵;(俚)笨蛋;vt.拖,拉,用力拖动
    参考例句:
    • Nobody wants to lug around huge suitcases full of clothes. 谁都不想拖着个装满衣服的大箱子到处走。
    • Do I have to lug those suitcases all the way to the station? 难道非要我把那些手提箱一直拉到车站去吗?
    5 rustled [ˈrʌsld] f68661cf4ba60e94dc1960741a892551   第9级
    v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的过去式和过去分词 )
    参考例句:
    • He rustled his papers. 他把试卷弄得沙沙地响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    • Leaves rustled gently in the breeze. 树叶迎着微风沙沙作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    6 wavy [ˈweɪvi] 7gFyX   第10级
    adj.有波浪的,多浪的,波浪状的,波动的,不稳定的
    参考例句:
    • She drew a wavy line under the word. 她在这个词的下面画了一条波纹线。
    • His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow. 他的波浪式头发太长了,正好垂在他的眉毛下。
    7 flopped [flɔpt] e5b342a0b376036c32e5cd7aa560c15e   第11级
    v.(指书、戏剧等)彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 );(因疲惫而)猛然坐下;(笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移动或落下;砸锅
    参考例句:
    • Exhausted, he flopped down into a chair. 他筋疲力尽,一屁股坐到椅子上。
    • It was a surprise to us when his play flopped. 他那出戏一败涂地,出乎我们的预料。 来自《简明英汉词典》
    8 hysterical [hɪˈsterɪkl] 7qUzmE   第9级
    adj.情绪异常激动的,歇斯底里般的
    参考例句:
    • He is hysterical at the sight of the photo. 他一看到那张照片就异常激动。
    • His hysterical laughter made everybody stunned. 他那歇斯底里的笑声使所有的人不知所措。
    9 touching [ˈtʌtʃɪŋ] sg6zQ9   第7级
    adj.动人的,使人感伤的
    参考例句:
    • It was a touching sight. 这是一幅动人的景象。
    • His letter was touching. 他的信很感人。
    10 swell [swel] IHnzB   第7级
    vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强
    参考例句:
    • The waves had taken on a deep swell. 海浪汹涌。
    • His injured wrist began to swell. 他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。
    11 squeak [skwi:k] 4Gtzo   第9级
    n.吱吱声,逃脱;vi.(发出)吱吱叫,侥幸通过;(俚)告密vt.以短促尖声发出
    参考例句:
    • I don't want to hear another squeak out of you! 我不想再听到你出声!
    • We won the game, but it was a narrow squeak. 我们打赢了这场球赛,不过是侥幸取胜。
    12 bristling ['brisliŋ] tSqyl   第8级
    a.竖立的
    参考例句:
    • "Don't you question Miz Wilkes' word,'said Archie, his beard bristling. "威尔克斯太太的话,你就不必怀疑了。 "阿尔奇说。他的胡子也翘了起来。
    • You were bristling just now. 你刚才在发毛。

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