佚名/Anonymous
Life! What a precious gift from God. What a blessing to be alive in a wonderful, vibrant world of unlimited possibilities. Then, adversity strikes, and this "gift" feels more like a curse. "Why? Why me?" We ask. Yet we never get an answer, or do we? After contracting Hodgkin's disease at age seven and being given six months to live, I triumphed over the odds. Call it luck, hope, faith or courage, there are thousands of survivors! Winners like us know the answer— "Why not us? We can handle it!" I'm not dying of cancer. I'm living with cancer. God doesn't make junk, regardless of what comes our way, and I don't have to be afraid anymore.
In my sophomore year of high school, the class was scheduled to run the mile. I will always remember that day because due to the swelling and scars from surgery on my leg, for two solid years I had not worn shorts. I was afraid of the teasing. So, for two years I lived in fear. Yet that day, it didn't matter. I was ready—shorts, heart and mind. I no sooner got to the starting line before I heard the loud whispers. "Gross !" "How fat!" "How ugly!" I blocked it out.
Then the coach yelled, "Ready. Set. Go!" I jetted out of there like an airplane, faster than anyone for the first 20 feet. I didn't know much about pacing then, but it was okay because I was determined to finish first. As we came around the first of four laps, there were students all over the track. By the end of the second lap, many of the students had already quit. They had given up and were on the ground gasping for air. As I started the third lap, only a few of my classmates were left on the track, and I began limping. By the time I hit the fourth lap, I was alone. Then it hit me. I realized that nobody had given up. Instead, everyone had already finished. As I ran that last lap, I cried. I realized that every boy and girl in my class had beat me, and 12 minutes, 42 seconds after starting, I crossed the finish line. I fell to the ground and shed oceans. I was so embarrassed.
Suddenly my coach ran up to me and picked me up, yelling, "You did it. Manuel! Manuel, you finished, son. You finished!" He looked me straight in the eyes, waving a piece of paper in his hand. It was my goal for the day, which I had forgotten. I had given it to him before class. He read it aloud to everyone. It simply said, "I, Manuel Diotte, will finish the mile run tomorrow, come what may. No pain or frustration will stop me. For I am more than capable of finishing, and with God as my strength, I will finish." Signed, Manuel Diotte—with a little smiling face inside the D, as I always sign my name. My heart lifted. My tears went away, and I had a smile on my face as if I had eaten a banana. My classmates applauded and gave me my first standing ovation. It was then I realized winning isn't always finishing first. Sometimes winning is just finishing.
生命！上帝賜予人類的多麽寶貴的禮物啊。我們應該為能生活在這樣一個美好、充滿生機和無限可能的世界裏而感到幸福！然而，災難降臨了，這份“禮物”給人的感覺更像是一種詛咒、一場災難。“為什麽？為什麽倒黴的是我？”我們不解。但我們永遠無從知曉其答案，不是嗎？我7歲時得了霍奇金病（譯者注：這是一種病因不明的疾病，特征為淋巴結及肝脾進行性腫大及貧血），隻有六個月的存活時間，而我卻奇跡般地戰勝了病魔。運氣、希望也好，信念、勇氣也罷，總之，世界上有幾千個這樣的幸存者！我們這些勝利者知道答案——“為什麽我們沒有失敗，因為我們控製了它！”癌症沒能將我擊垮。我與癌症並存。無論以後遭遇什麽困難，我都不會恐懼了，因為天生我材必有用。
大二時，班上舉行1英裏賽跑。那一天我永生難忘。因為手術，我的腿上留下了很多腫塊和疤痕。我怕別人嘲笑，在恐懼中生活了兩年。整整兩年，我都沒穿短褲。但那天，我不在乎了。我準備好了——短褲，心理和思想也都早有準備。我來到起跑線前，周圍立刻議論紛紛。“好臃腫！”“真胖！”“難看死了！”對這些議論，我充耳不聞。
然後，教練大喊：“各就各位。預備。跑！”我像離弦的箭一樣衝了出去，開始的20英尺裏，我跑得比誰都快。那時，我還不太懂控製速度，那也沒關係，因為我下定決心要第一個衝到終點。一共要跑四圈。第一圈時，跑道上隨處可見同學的身影。第二圈快結束時，許多同學都放棄了，停下來拚命地喘著氣。當我開始跑第三圈時，跑道上隻剩幾個同學了，我的步履開始蹣跚。第四圈時，跑道上就我一個人了。我突然意識到，並沒有人放棄，而是他們都跑完了。跑最後一圈時，我哭了。我知道自己輸給了班裏的所有同學。跑了12分42秒後，我終於衝到了終點，跌坐在地上，汗如雨下。我簡直羞愧難當。
突然，教練跑過來，把我抱起，喊道：“你成功了。曼紐爾！曼紐爾，你做到了，孩子。你跑完了！”他手裏揮動著一張紙條，注視著我。我忽然想起來了，那是上課前我交給他的，是那天我為自己製訂的一個目標。他大聲地把紙條讀給大家聽，上麵簡單地寫著：“我，曼紐爾·迪耶特，無論如何，都要完成明天的1英裏賽跑。痛苦和挫折並不能將我擊退。因為，上帝賜予了我力量，使我有足夠的能力實現這一目標，相信自己一定可以。”署名為曼紐爾·迪耶特——在字母“D”當中，我畫了一張笑臉，這是我署名的一個習慣。我深受鼓舞，像吃了香蕉一樣甜蜜，不禁破涕為笑。同學們都站起身來鼓掌，這是我生平第一次得到如此“禮遇”。就是在那時，我意識到，勝利並非總意味著最先完成某事，有時，僅僅完成某事也是勝利。
A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man enjoy in this world.
—Joseph Addison
知足是人生在世最大的幸事。
——約瑟夫·阿迪森
triumph[?trai?mf]v.得勝；成功
Justice will triumph over injustice.
正義必將戰勝非正義。
schedule[?sked?jul]v.安排；計劃；預定；編製目錄
The meeting is scheduled for Thursday.
會議定於星期四舉行。
frustration[fr?s?trei??n]n.挫折；頓挫
It's healthier to release frustration than to bottle it up.
受挫折後發泄一通比強忍著對身體有益。
ovation[?u?vei??n]n.熱烈歡迎；喝彩；大受歡迎
The singer got a ten-minute standing ovation.
觀眾起立向那位歌手鼓掌達十分鍾。
我們應該為能生活在這樣一個美好、充滿生機和無限可能的世界裏而感到幸福！
__________________________________________
上帝賜予了我力量，使我有足夠的能力實現這一目標，相信自己一定可以。
__________________________________________
勝利並非總意味著最先完成某事，有時，僅僅完成某事也是勝利。
__________________________________________
God doesn't make junk, regardless of what comes our way, and I don't have to be afraid anymore.
regardless of：不顧；不惜
__________________________________________
"Gross !" "How fat!" "How ugly!" I blocked it out.
block out：封閉；堵塞；遮住
__________________________________________