By Babara Glanz 芭芭拉.葛兰芝
Excerpted from the Truths of Appreciation
节选自《感激的简单真理》
Kim's Note:
We are living in materialistic times .Giving elaborate or expensive gifts to show appreciation is an accepted practice all over the world .This story is a beautiful reminder of how deeply appreciated simple words of thanks can be .Chocolate is quickly eaten, cigarettes smoked, even jewelry is easily lost or broken, but words are everlasting .Give someone you appreciate this gift. Share your words of thanks.
我们生活在物质的年代。馈赠精致昂贵的礼物来表达感激，是全世界通行的做法。下面这个故事很好地提醒了我们，简单的感激话语语如何能深深地打动他人。巧克力很快就会被吃掉，烟会被吸光，甚至珠宝首饰也会弄丢或摔坏，唯有感激的话语是永恒不变的。把这份礼物送给你要感激的人吧。把感谢的话语与他人分享。
In my keynote speeches and workshops, Care is an acronym I use for the elements of a caring, creative, joyful workplace and home .The "A" in CARE stand for "Appreciation for ALL”
在我的主题演讲和专题讨论会中，我用单词“care"作为首字母缩略词。涵盖了“关爱”、“创造”和“愉快的工作环境和幸福的家庭”等各个要素。单词“Care "中的字母“A"代表着“感激一切”。
As I speak about appreciation, I use this quote by Albert Schweitzer.
当我说到感激的时候，我会引用阿尔贝特.施韦策尔说过的一段话：
"Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being .Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light ."
“有时候， 我们心中的火焰熄灭了。但当我们遇到另一个人时，它又会再次燃烧起来。每一个人都应当对那些重燃我们内心火焰的人心怀最深的感激。”
Then I ask my audiences to please shut their eyes and think someone, who at some time in their lives has rekindled their inner light. I leave the room in silence for several minutes, and it is always a profound experience as they remember the JOY they received from being appreciated by someone when they needed it the most.
然后，我请我的听众们闭上眼睛，回想那个在生命旅程中曾经重燃他们内心火焰的人。我让房间里的听众静心思考几分钟，他们回忆起自己因得到某人的感激而无比快乐的心情，在最需要被感激的时候，这种体验令人感受至深。
Afterwards, I ask them to write down the name of the person they thought of and to commit to their own act of appreciation __ letting that person know in the next 72 hours that he or she was thought of. I suggest a phone call, a note, or even a little prayer if they are no longer living.
接着，我让听众们写下他们心里想到的那个人的名字，并且付诸行动——在未来的72小时内向他们想到的人亲自表达他们的感激之情。我建议他们打电话或写信。如果那个人已经辞世，哪怕只是做一次小小的祷告也可以。
One afternoon nearly two and a half months I received a call from him .He was choked up on the phone he could hardly get through his story .He said that it had taken him nearly two months to track his teacher down, and when he finally found her, he wrote to her.
大约两个半月后的一天下午，我接到了那位男士打来的电话。电话里，他声音哽咽，几首不能把话讲下去。他说他差不多花了两个月才找出老师的下落，最后他终于找到了她，并写了一封信给她。
Dear John,
You will never know how much your letter meant to me .I am 83 years old, and I am living all alone in one room .My friends are all gone .My family's gone .I taught 50 years and yours is the first "thank you "letter I have ever gotten form a student .Sometimes I wonder what I did with my life .I will read and reread your letter until the day I die.
亲爱的约翰：
你可知道你的来信对我来说意义重大。我已经83岁了，独自一人住在一间屋子里。我的朋友全都离开了人世，我的家人也已经不在了。我教了50年的书，你的来信是我收到的第一封学生感谢信。有时我怀疑我这一生到底做过些什么。我将反复阅读你的来信，直到生命的尽头。
He just sobbed on the phone .He said, “She is always the one we talk about at every reunion .She was everyone's favorite teacher __we loved her! But no one had ever told her ...until she received this letter.”
他在电话里不停抽泣。他说：“每一次同学聚会，我们总会说起她。她是我们每个人最喜欢的老师——我们爱她！可是没有一个人告诉过她......直到她收到我的信。”
Thank someone who has touched your life ....Today!
感谢那个曾经触动过你们生命的人吧.......就在今天！