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.
許多年過去，男孩終於回來，蘋果樹說：“對不起，孩子，我已經沒有東西可以給你了，我的蘋果沒了。”
男孩說：“我的牙都掉了，吃不了蘋果了。”
“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 dying roots,” the tree said with tears.
蘋果樹又說：“我再沒有樹幹，讓你爬上來了。”
男孩說：“我太老了，爬不動了。”
“我再也沒有什麼給得出手了……，只剩下枯死下去的老根，”樹流著淚說。
“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...
男孩說：“這么多年過去了，現在我感到累了，什麼也不想要，只要一個休息的地方。”
“好啊！老根是最適合坐下來休息的，來啊，坐下來和我一起休息吧！”男孩坐下來，蘋果樹高興得流下了眼淚……
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.
這就是我們每個人的故事。這顆樹就是我們的父母。小時候，我們喜歡和爸爸媽媽玩……長大後，我們就離開他們，只在需要什麼東西或者遇到麻煩的時候，才回到他們身邊。無論如何，父母永遠都在那兒，傾其所有使你快樂。你可能認為這個男孩對樹很殘酷，但這就是我們每個人對待父母的方式。
Take time out during the day for quiet time to listen to your inner voice. You may want to use your quiet time to meditate 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 sneak away to get it. Quiet time can really make a difference in your life. It enables you to hear God speaking to your heart reminding you of His perfect love for you.
白天花些時間出去，獨自傾聽自己的心聲。你可能想利用這段安靜的時間沉思或祈禱。無論如何利用這段時間，關鍵是要排除周圍所有的噪音，關注自己的內心深處。安靜的時間進行深呼吸也能幫你集中注意力。我知道在特別忙碌的日子找到安靜的時間很難，然而這很重要——即使一天只有10分鐘，你也要溜開抓住它。安靜的時間確實能使你的生命變得不同，它促使你傾聽上帝與你的心靈對話，使你想起他賦予你的完美的愛。
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 insight? 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.
※本文作者：佚名※