A long time ago, there was a huge apple tree. A little boy loved to come and lay around it every day. He climbed to the tree top, ate the apples, took a nap¹ under the shadow… He loved the tree and the tree loved to play with him.

很久很久以前，有一棵又高又大的苹果树。一位小男孩，天天到树下来，他爬上去摘苹果吃，在树荫下睡觉。他爱苹果树，苹果树也爱和他一起玩耍。

Time went by… the little boy had grown up and he no longer played around the tree every day. One day, the boy came back to the tree and he looked sad. “Come and play with me,” the tree asked the boy. “I am no longer a kid, I don't play around trees anymore.” The boy replied, “I want toys. I need money to buy them.” “Sorry, but I don't have money…but you can pick all my apples and sell them. So, you will have money.” The boy was so excited. He grabbed² all the apples on the tree and left happily. The boy never came back after he picked the apples. The tree was sad.

后来，小男孩长大了，不再天天来玩耍。一天他又来到树下，很伤心的样子。苹果树要和他一起玩，男孩说：“不行，我不小了，不能再和你玩，我要玩具，可是没钱买。”苹果树说：“很遗憾，我也没钱，不过，把我所有的果子摘下来卖掉，你不就有钱了？”男孩十分激动，他摘下所有的苹果，高高兴兴地走了。然后，男孩好久都没有来。苹果树很伤心。

One day, the boy returned and the tree was so excited. “Come and play with me,” the tree said. “I don't have time to play. I have to work for my family. We need a house for shelter. Can you help me?” “Sorry, but I don't have a house. But you can chop³ off my branches to build your house.” So the boy cut all the branches off the tree and left happily. The tree was glad to see him happy but the boy never came back since then. The tree was again lonely and sad.

有一天，男孩终于来了，树兴奋地邀他一起玩。男孩说：“不行，我没有时间，我要替家里干活呢，我们需要一幢房子，你能帮忙吗？”“我没有房子，”苹果树说，“不过你可以把我的树枝统统砍下来，拿去搭房子。”于是男孩砍下所有的树枝，高高兴兴地运走去盖房子。看到男孩高兴树好快乐。从此，男孩又不来了。树再次陷入孤单和悲伤之中。

One hot summer day, the boy returned and the tree was delighted. “Come and play with me!” the tree said. “I am sad and getting old. I want to go sailing to relax myself. Can you give me a boat?” “Use my trunk to build your boat. You can sail far away and be happy.” So the boy cut the tree trunk to make a boat. He went sailing and never showed up for a long time. The tree was happy, but it was not true.

一年夏天，男孩回来了，树太快乐了：“来呀！孩子，来和我玩呀。”男孩却说：“我心情不好，一天天老了，我要扬帆出海，轻松一下，你能给我一艘船吗？”苹果树说：“把我的树干砍去，拿去做船吧！”于是男孩砍下了她的树干，造了条船，然后驾船走了，很久都没有回来。树好快乐……但不是真的。

Finally, the boy returned after he left for so many years. “Sorry, my boy. But I don't have anything for you anymore. No more apples for you…” the tree said.

“I don't have teeth to bite,” the boy replied.

许多年过去，男孩终于回来，苹果树说：“对不起，孩子，我已经没有东西可以给你了，我的苹果没了。”

男孩说：“我的牙都掉了，吃不了苹果了。”

“No more trunk for you to climb on.”

“I am too old for that now,” the boy said.

“I really can't give you anything… the only thing left is my dying⁴ roots,” the tree said with tears.

苹果树又说：“我再没有树干，让你爬上来了。”

男孩说：“我太老了，爬不动了。”

“我再也没有什么给得出手了……，只剩下枯死下去的老根，”树流着泪说。

“I don't need much now, just a place to rest. I am tired after all these years.” The boy replied.

“Good! Old tree roots is the best place to lean on and rest. Come, Come sit down with me and rest.” The boy sat down and the tree was glad and smiled with tears…

男孩说：“这么多年过去了，现在我感到累了，什么也不想要，只要一个休息的地方。”

“好啊！老根是最适合坐下来休息的，来啊，坐下来和我一起休息吧！”男孩坐下来，苹果树高兴得流下了眼泪……

This is a story of everyone. The tree is our parent. When we were young, we loved to play with Mom and Dad… When we grown up, we left them, and only came to them when we need something or when we are in trouble. No matter what, parents will always be there and give everything they could to make you happy. You may think that the boy is cruel to the tree but that's how all of us are treating our parents.

这就是我们每个人的故事。这颗树就是我们的父母。小时候，我们喜欢和爸爸妈妈玩……长大后，我们就离开他们，只在需要什么东西或者遇到麻烦的时候，才回到他们身边。无论如何，父母永远都在那儿，倾其所有使你快乐。你可能认为这个男孩对树很残酷，但这就是我们每个人对待父母的方式。

Take time out during the day for quiet time to listen to your inner voice. You may want to use your quiet time to meditate⁵ or pray. However you use this time, the key is to shut out all of the noise around you by focusing deep within yourself. Breathing deeply during quiet time will also help you focus. I know it's hard to find quiet time during a particularly busy day, but it's so important — even if it's just 10 minutes a day and you have to sneak⁶ away to get it. Quiet time can really make a difference in your life. It enables⁷ you to hear God speaking to your heart reminding you of His perfect love for you.

白天花些时间出去，独自倾听自己的心声。你可能想利用这段安静的时间沉思或祈祷。无论如何利用这段时间，关键是要排除周围所有的噪音，关注自己的内心深处。安静的时间进行深呼吸也能帮你集中注意力。我知道在特别忙碌的日子找到安静的时间很难，然而这很重要——即使一天只有10分钟，你也要溜开抓住它。安静的时间确实能使你的生命变得不同，它促使你倾听上帝与你的心灵对话，使你想起他赋予你的完美的爱。

Be honest with yourself by paying attention to your actions. Actions speak louder than words, and they always tell the truth. What do your actions say about you? If you say you love your job, but your actions say otherwise, which do you think is more true — your words or your actions? On the other hand, if you say you're not good at a certain job, but your actions say otherwise, that's also important. What do you do with this insight⁸? You can use it to make more beneficial choices in your life. By being honest with yourself based on your previous actions, your actions moving forward will be based on truth instead of just what you tell yourself.

坦诚对己，注重行动吧。事实胜于雄辩，行动才能证明事实。你的行动是如何说明你的呢？如果你说热爱自己的工作，而你的行动正好相反，你认为哪个更有说服力呢——言语还是行动？另一方面，如果你说不擅长某项工作，但你的行动正好相反，这也很重要。你怎么处理你这种能力？你可以由此在生活中做出更多的选择，坦诚对己也建立在以前的行为上，你以后的行动将会以事实为基础，而不只是你的言词。

Despite what your subconscious⁹ may be telling you, you can have love with no limits. The key is to unconditionally¹⁰ love yourself first.