《剪下一方暖和--喻道小故事》

他替我死

A farmer was found kneeling at a soldier’s grave near Nashville, Tennessee. The cemetery caretaker came to him and said, “Why do you pay so much attention to this grave? Was your son buried here?” “No,” he said. “During the war my family were all sick. I was drafted , but I could not leave my wife and children. One of my neighbors came over and said, ‘I will go for you; I have no family.’ He went in my place. He was seriously wounded and taken to the hospital, but soon died. I come here often that I might remember this simple truth, ‘He died for me.’”

The story is told of the pelican that dwells in the remote regions of Africa. The mother pelican loves her tender young and cares and toils for their good. She brings them water from distant watering holes and fishes the seas for their food. In times of severe famine, the pelican feeds her young with her own blood; by feeding them, however, she dies.

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字汇

draft徵兵，募兵。
Pelican鹈鹕（相传以胸血喂雏鸟，是慈悲的象徵）

美国田纳西州的纳许维尔附近军人公墓中，有位农夫跪在那里。墓园的管理员走过来问他说，「你为什么对这个坟墓这么殷勤照管，是不是你儿子埋在这里啊？」他说「不，打仗的时候我全家人都病了，我被征召入伍，但我无法离开妻小。我的一个邻居过来对我说，『我没有家人，我替你去。』他就代替我去了。后来他严重受伤入院，不久就过世了。我常常来就是要记得这个简单的事实，『他替我死了。』」

这故事说到住在非洲遥远地方的鹈鹕。母鹈鹕爱雏鸟，辛苦照顾它们。它从远处的水塘取水给雏鸟喝，从海里抓鱼给他们当食物。在饥荒严重时，鹈鹕用自己的血喂养雏鸟，然而因为如此，母鹈鹕就死了。

思考与应用

1.你经验过别人对你很大的付出吗？除了父母或配偶，还有谁？
2.我们也许无法一次付上生命，但可以每天付出一些时间与爱，你想要给谁？

about 【剪下一方暖和】专栏译者：顾美芬