Author: voice

We experienced extreme sorrow through this accident, losing our sister at the best time of her life.
She, our greatest honour, had a far-reaching impact on her family, neighbours, her academic colleagues throughout the country, students and relatives. She was respected and loved by everyone who met her. Our family came here from far away, not only to share sorrow with numerous friends of our sister, but also to share the good memories left by her.
When we met together in sadness and remembrance, we were reminded of your family and prayed for you, because this weekend must be sorrowful and shocking for you.
Anne deeply believed in love and forgiveness. We write this letter to you when you are sad, because we would like to share your sorrow and we wish that you would pray with us for love for one another. At this moment of sadness, Anne must hope that our hearts are filled with sympathy, forgiveness and love. We know that at this only your family can be more sad than we are.
We are willing to bear this sadness with you together, so that we can get comfort and support from each other. Anne must hope so!
Sincerely yours.
Doctor Anne Cleary's brothers,
Frank, Mike and Paul Cleary
我們經歷了突發的巨痛，我們在姐姐一生中最光輝的時候失去了她。我們深以姐姐為榮，她有很大的影響力，受到每一個接觸她的人的尊敬和熱愛｜她的家庭、鄰居，她遍及各國學術界的同事、學生和親屬。我們一家從很遠的地方來到這裏，不但和姐姐的眾多朋友一同承擔悲痛，也一起分享姐姐在世時所留下的美好回憶。當我們在悲傷和回憶中相聚一起的時候，也想到了你們一家人，為你們祈禱。因為這個周末你們肯定是十分悲痛和震驚的。安最相信愛和寬恕。我們在你們悲痛時寫這封信，為的是要分擔你們的悲傷，也盼你們和我們一起祈禱彼此相愛。在這痛苦的時候，安是會希望我們大家的心都充滿同情、寬容和愛的。
我們知道，在此時比我們更感悲痛的，只有你們一家。請你們理解，我們願和你們共同承受這悲傷。這樣，我們就能一起從中得到安慰和支持。安也會這樣希望的。
誠摯的安．柯萊瑞博士的兄弟們 弗蘭克∕麥克∕保羅．柯萊瑞
Note:
Anne Cleary was shot to death by a Chinese student on University of Iowa campus, her brothers wrote this letter to the Chinese student's family. Let's "deeply believed in love and forgiveness".

當我們愛，我們總是力爭成為比我們好。當我們力爭成為比我們好，我們周圍的一切變得更好。
When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.
Paulo Coelho
Brazilian Author and Lyricist

他向她求婚時，只說了三個字：相信我；
她為他生下第一個女兒的時候，他對她說：辛苦了；
女兒出嫁那天，他摟著她的肩說： 還有我；
他到她病危的那天，重複的對她說：我在這；
她要走的那一刻，他親吻她的額頭 輕聲說：你等我。
這一生，他沒有對她說過一次“我愛你”，
但愛.......從未離開過。

五隻猴子關在一個籠子裡，籠子上頭有一串香蕉，實驗人員裝了一個自動裝置：若是偵測到有猴子要去拿香蕉，馬上就會有水噴向籠子，這五隻猴子馬上會被淋濕。
首先有隻猴子想去拿香蕉，馬上水噴出來，每隻猴子都淋濕了；每隻猴子都去嘗試了發現都是如此。於是，猴子們達到一個共識：不要去拿香蕉，因為有水會噴出來。
後來實驗人員把其中的一隻猴子換掉，換一隻新猴子（稱為A猴子好了），關到籠子裡，這隻A猴子看到香蕉，馬上想要去拿，結果被其他四隻舊猴子海K了一頓，因為其他四隻猴子認為新猴子會害他們被水淋到，所以制止這新猴子去拿香蕉。這新猴子嘗試了幾次，被打的滿頭包，還是沒有拿到香蕉，當然這五隻猴子就沒有被水噴到。
後來實驗人員再把一隻舊猴子換掉，換另外一隻新猴子（稱為B猴子好了），關到籠子裡，這隻B猴子看到香蕉，當然也是馬上要去拿，結果也是被其他四隻猴子K了一頓，那隻A猴子打的特別用力，（這叫老兵欺負新兵，呵呵！）B猴子試了幾次總是被打的很慘，只好作罷。
後來慢慢的一隻一隻的，所有的舊猴子都換成新猴子了，大家都不敢去動那香蕉，但是他們都不知道為什麼，只知道去動香蕉會被人扁。
這就是「傳統」的由來。 傳統不去反省它，就沒有價值！

一家生意很好的點心店門口來了一個乞丐。他衣衫襤褸，渾身散發著一種怪味，當他畏縮著走到蒸點心的大爐子前時，周圍的客人都皺眉掩鼻，露出嫌惡的神色來。
伙計急忙呵斥乞丐要他滾開。乞丐卻拿出幾張髒乎乎的小面額鈔票，說：“今天我不是來乞討的，我聽說這裡的點心好吃，我也想嘗嘗。我已經想了好久了，好不容易才湊到這些錢。”
店老闆目睹這一幕，他走上前十分恭敬地將兩個熱氣騰騰的點心遞給乞丐，並深深地向他鞠了一躬，說：“多謝關照，歡迎再次光臨！”
在這之前，無論多麼尊貴的客人來買點心，店老闆都交給伙計們招呼；可今天他卻親自招呼客人，對他畢恭畢敬，而這個客人卻是一個乞丐！
店老闆解釋說：“那些常來光顧我們店的顧客，當然應受到歡迎，但他們都是有錢人，買幾個點心對他們而言，是一件很容易也很平常的事.
今天來的這位客人雖然是位乞丐，卻與眾不同，他為了品嘗我們的點心，不惜花去很長時間討得的一點點錢，實在是難得之至，我不親自為他服務怎麼對得起他的這份厚愛？”
"既然如此，為什麼要收他的錢呢？”旁邊的孫子不解地問。
老闆笑笑說：“他今天是作為一個客人來到這裡的，不是來討飯的，我們應當尊重他。如果我不收他的錢，豈不是對他的侮辱？我們一定要記住，要尊重我們的每一個顧客，哪怕他是一個乞丐；因為我們的一切都是顧客給予的。”
這個店老闆就是兩次被《福布斯》評為世界首富的日本大企業家堤義明的爺爺,他對乞丐的鞠躬之舉深深地印在了當時只有十歲的堤義明的腦海裡。後來堤義明曾多次在集團的員工培訓會上講到這個故事，要求員工像他爺爺那樣，尊重每一個顧 客。
　　可以想像，這裡的“尊重”絕不是社交場合的禮貌，而是來自於人心深處對另一個生命深切的理解、關愛、體諒與敬重，這樣的尊重絕不含有任何功利的色彩，也不受任何身份地位的影響；惟其如此，才最純粹最質樸也最值得回報。

The only way to get love is to be lovable. It's very irritating if you have a lot of money. You'd like to think you could write a check: I'll buy a million dollars' worth of love.' But it doesn't work that way. The more you give love away, the more you get.
Warren Buffett
American Business Magnate and Philanthropist

Fear is not
our enemy.
It is merely
a compass
pointing us
to the areas
where we need
to grow.
Steve Pavlina
Motivational Author and Speaker

你們開始過基督徒新生活之際，所聽到的訓令就是「彼此相愛」。在舊約救恩史上最初的殺人故事中，加音作惡殺了自己的弟兄亞伯爾，顯示出他的邪惡行為，相對而言，亞伯爾就顯得正義。
基督徒在世界中活出愛來，必然會引起世界的惱恨，因為這份愛激怒了不願意愛的人。為了愛我們的弟兄（姐妹），我們的舊我必須死亡，好讓基督在我內生活（迦 二 20）；換言之，那不願意愛的人，他的生命仍處於舊我的死亡中；耶穌基督曾說過惱恨自己的弟兄，就是殺人（瑪五21-22），沒有永生。耶穌基督為了救贖 我們而捨棄自己的生命，是我們最好的模範。誰若有資源，眼見弟兄（姐妹）急難，卻沒有對他伸出實際的救援，就是與基督的愛相違，在他內沒有天主的愛。
孩子們，愛要以行動實行出來，如果這樣做，可認出我們屬於耶穌基督，並且在祂面前可以平安；雖然我們的行動不足，致使良心自責，我們仍可安心，因為天主全然明瞭。若我們的良心不自責，便能在天主面前坦然無懼。
www.ccreadbible.org

If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, you'll often find that you are right.
Nancy Sathre-Vogel
American Mom, Author and Motivational Speaker

Professor : You are a Christian, aren’t you, son?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, you believe in GOD?
Student : Absolutely, sir.
Professor : Is GOD good ?
Student : Sure.
Professor: Is GOD all powerful ?
Student : Yes.
Professor: My brother died of cancer even though he prayed to GOD to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But GOD didn’t. How is this GOD good then? Hmm?
(Student was silent.)
Professor: You can’t answer, can you ? Let’s start again, young fella. Is GOD good?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Is satan good ?
Student : No.
Professor: Where does satan come from ?
Student : From … GOD …
Professor: That’s right. Tell me son, is there evil in this world?
Student : Yes.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn’t it ? And GOD did make everything. Correct?
Student :Yes
Professor: So who created evil?
(Student did not answer.)
Professor: Is there sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the world, don’t they?
Student : Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who created them ?
(Student had no answer.)
Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to identify and observe the world around you. Tell me, son, have you ever seen GOD?
Student : No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever heard your GOD?
Student : No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever felt your GOD, tasted your GOD, smell your GOD? Have you ever had any sensory perception of GOD for that matter?
Student : No, sir. I’m afraid I haven’t.
Professor: Yet you still believe in Him?
Student : Yes.
Professor : According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says your GOD doesn’t exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student : Nothing. I only have my faith.
Professor: Yes, faith. And that is the problem Science has.
Student : Professor, is there such a thing as heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student : And is there such a thing as cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student : No, sir. There isn’t.
(The lecture theatre became very quiet with this turn of events.)
Student : Sir, you can have lots of heat, even more heat, superheat, mega heat, white heat, a little heat or no heat. But we don’t have anything called cold. We can hit 458 degrees below zero which is no heat, but we can’t go any further after that. There is no such thing as cold. Cold is only a word we use to describe the absence of heat. We cannot measure cold. Heat is energy. Cold is not the opposite of heat, sir, just the absence of it.
(There was pin-drop silence in the lecture theater.)
Student : What about darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is night if there isn’t darkness?
Student : You’re wrong again, sir. Darkness is the absence of something. You can have low light, normal light, bright light, flashing light. But if you have no light constantly, you have nothing and its called darkness, isn’t it? In reality, darkness isn’t. If it is, were you would be able to make darkness darker, wouldn’t you?
Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student : Sir, my point is your philosophical premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed ? Can you explain how?
Student : Sir, you are working on the premise of duality. You argue there is life and then there is death, a good GOD and a bad GOD. You are viewing the concept of GOD as something finite, something we can measure. Sir, Science can’t even explain a thought. It uses electricity and magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view death as the opposite of life is to be ignorant of the fact that death cannot exist as a substantive thing.
Death is not the opposite of life: just the absence of it. Now tell me, Professor, do you teach your students that they evolved from a monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the natural evolutionary process, yes, of course, I do.
Student : Have you ever observed evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shook his head with a smile, beginning to realize where the argument was going.)
Student : Since no one has ever observed the process of evolution at work and cannot even prove that this process is an on-going endeavor. Are you not teaching your opinion, sir? Are you not a scientist but a preacher?
(The class was in uproar.)
Student : Is there anyone in the class who has ever seen the Professor’s brain?
(The class broke out into laughter. )
Student : Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor’s brain, felt it, touched or smelt it? No one appears to have done so. So, according to the established Rules of Empirical, Stable, Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have no brain, sir. With all due respect, sir, how do we then trust your lectures, sir?
(The room was silent. The Professor stared at the student, his face unfathomable.)
Professor: I guess you’ll have to take them on faith, son.
Student : That is it sir … Exactly ! The link between man & GOD is FAITH. That is all that keeps things alive and moving.