Have you ever wondered what it would be like to meet someone who reflected your own thoughts, hopes, wishes, dreams and desires? Recently, I found out. This very experience happened to me and touched my heart in such a powerful way my life was forever changed.

你可曾想过，如果有一天，你遇到一个与你有着同样的想法、希望、梦想和需求的人将会怎样，我最近就有过这样的经历，这深深触动我的心灵，我的人生因此而改变.

My life of 48 years on this planet has been like the making of a crazy quilt comprised of many different shapes, sizes, colors and hues¹ of experiences. But no event and no other person was able to trim away the rough edges and replace them with a rich satin border until I met Marty.

在此之前，我48年的生活就像是编织一床奇特的棉被，棉被中不同的形状、尺码、颜色和花样代表着我丰富的人生经历可是没有发生任何事情，也没有遇到任何人能够修饰该棉被粗糙的边角，代之以华丽的绸缎边，但和马蒂的相遇则改变了一切。

We had both been through diffcult lifetimes where our feelings and desires were, at best, placed on the back burner. In fact, more often than not, our lives were lived primarily fulfilling the wants and needs of others. While important life lessons were learned from this,by the same token some emotional damage was done and we had never truly learned the lessons of joy and happiness.

我们都经历过人生的苦难，那时候，我们自己的感觉和需求都是第二位的，而大多数时候我们主要是为了满足他人的需求而活着。这样的经历让我们吸取到了人生中很重要的经验教训，我们的感情也因此受到了一些打击，我们也从未真正体验过人生的乐趣和幸福。

Marty and I came to the same realization² at the same time. We were both ready to start a new life, hopefully with another person, but didn't really know how to begin meeting people.Individually our friends prodded³ us into registering with a dating program offered through a local radio station.

我和马蒂同时意识到了这个问题。我们都准备开始新的生活，并希望能有人陪伴，但我们并不知道如何结识新的朋友在我们各自的朋友的鼓励下，我们在某地方电台举办的乡亲会报了名。

After some time passed and I hadn't had much success in meeting anyone in which I was particularly interested, I had virtually given up on the process. However, on New Year's Day, 1999, after returning home from being out-of-town for several days during the holidays, the little voice inside of me said: "Why don't you check to see if you have any messages through thedateline?"At first I resisted but the voice kept repeating: "You really should check", so I decided⁴ to listen to this little voice. I discovered that not only had the computer suggested I might be interested in this particular person named Marty,but Marty himself had actually listened to my profile and left not one, but two, messages for me expressing his interest in me and his desire for me to contact him.

一段时间后，我井没有遇到任何令我特别感兴趣的人.并差不多已经放弃了这个活动但1999年元旦，在出城度假儿天后，回到家里，我感觉心底有个声音在说:“为什么不看看相亲节目那边有没有任何消息呢?”起初我并没在意这种想法，但心底的声音仍在说:“你真应该看看”，于是我决定看看结果不但该活动系统表示我可能对一名叫做马蒂的人会感兴趣，而且马蒂也在看了我的简介之后给我留了两条留言，而不是一条，告诉我他对我比较感兴趣，并希望我能和他联系。

I called, we talked for over an hour, and made plans to meet the next day at a local bookstore for coffee and conversation. After the preliminaries' of the initial meeting, and getting our coftee, we settled into a long and flowing conversation that probably lasted for hours although we lost all track of time. Within the first fifteen minutes I found myself looking in the most beautifully clear hazel eyes I had ever seen, and interacting with one of the most beautiful souls I had ever encountered on this earth. After listening to him speak my very own thoughts and feelings, I knew this was someone I had been waiting for all my life. I recognized qualities about him that some of my best friends possess and the thought crossed my mind that, if nothing else, I would want him in my life as one of my friends

我随后给他打电话，谈r一个多小时，并计划第二天在当地的一个书店喝喝咖啡，交流交流我们都为初次见面做充分的准备工作，拿到咖啡后，我们开始了非常流畅的交谈，不知不觉中就谈了几个小时。谈话刚开始的15分钟内，我都被他那双深褐色的眼睛吸引着，这是我见过的最为漂亮的眼睛，交谈也让我知道，他有着一颗我所见过的人中最为善良的心听着我的想法和感受从他口中讲述出来，我知道，他就是我一直都在等待的那个人我发现他身上拥有我最好的朋友所具备的好的品质，心里也产生了这样的想法，如果没有其他可能，我希望他至少能成为我生命中的好朋友。

We both recognized the powerful connection between us, but neither of us realized at the time the true power and intensity⁵ this connection would have on our lives. After getting together on two other occasions, we have managed to spend practically every spare minute we have together basking⁶ in the glow of the love and affection we have for each other. This is not always easy due to our living 30 miles apart from each other, other commitments and busy, full-time⁷ jobs, but the high vibrations⁸ generated just by the touch of our hands is worth whatever it takes to be together.

那时，我们都感觉到我们对彼此的好感，但都没想到这种好感对我们此后的生活会带来如此强大的影响。之后我们又见过两次面，再往后我们就在一起度过了所有的空余时间，沐浴在对彼此的爱的阳光中。想想我们的家相隔30英里，以及其他事务和繁忙的全职工作，这还真不容易，但一想到我俩两手触摸就能带来的触电的感觉，为能在一起所付出的一切都是值得的。

We are beginning to create a beautiful and intricate ballet in which we can both be equal partners in the dance- supporting each other when we need to, coming together and moving apart, but always connected.

我们开始设计一种漂亮但又复杂的芭蕾舞步，跳舞时我们是平等的合作者，必要时互相扶持，时而靠近，时而分开，但心灵永远相连。

Soulmate seems a trite⁹ and overused word these days, but if Marty and I are anything, we are true soulmates. The music will never stop and the dance will never end because we truly love each other-through all space and time一connected to each other now and forever.

"心心相印”似乎已成为当今社会中一个陈腐滥用的词汇，但如果我和马蒂之间有任何关系的话，那我们就是真的心心相印。音乐永远不会结束，舞步也永远不会停止，因为我们真正彼此相爱，我们的爱跨越了时空，心灵彼此相通，现在是，以后永远都是。