The Light That's Given Away

Once upon a time a man had heard, that in a foreign place, far away, there was a holy flame burning. So he got up and left his home to find the holy flame and bring some of its light back home to his house.

He thought: 'When I have this light, then I will have happiness and life and all the people I love will have it too.'

He travelled far, far away and finally found the holy flame, with which he lit his light. On his way back he had only one worry: 'That his light could go out.'

On his way home he met someone who was freezing and didn't have any fire and who begged him to give him some of his fire. The man with the light hesitated for a moment. Wasn't his light too precious, too holy to be given away for something ordinary like that? Despite these doubts, he decided to give some of his light to the one who was freezing in the darkness.

The man continued his journey home and when he had almost reached his house a terrible thunderstorm started. He tried to protect his light from the rain and the storm, but in the end his light went out.

To travel the long way back to the place where the holy flame was burning was impossible; he wouldn't have enough strength to go back that far - but he was strong enough to return to the human being whom he had helped on his way home.

.........and with his light he could light his own again.

ORIGIN OF STORY UNKNOWN

田真叹荆

tián zhēn tàn jīng

在隋朝时候有三个兄弟，老大叫田真，两个弟弟叫田庆、田广。
zài suí cháo shí hou yǒu sān gè xiōng dì，lǎo dà jiào tián zhēn，liǎng gè dì di jiào tián qìng、tián guǎng。

父母都去世了，田真就打算把家产分为三份，准备分家。
fù mǔ dōu qù shì le，tián zhēn jiù dǎ suàn bǎ jiā chǎn fēn wéi sān fèn，zhǔn bèi fēn jiā。

所有的东西都分好了，他们家门口有棵紫荆树，这棵树如何分？
suǒ yǒu de dōng xī dōu fēn hǎo le，tā men jiā mén kǒu yǒu kē zǐ jīng shù，zhè kē shù rú hé fēn？

三兄弟都说，不然就把它砍成三份，这样也公平。
sān xiōng dì dōu shuì，bù rán jiù bǎ tā kǎn chéng sān fèn，zhè yàng yě gōng píng。

结果才讲完没有多久，这棵紫荆树就枯死了。
jié guǒ cái jiǎng wán méi yǒu duō jiǔ，zhè kē zǐ jīng shù jiù kū sǐ le。

田真毕竟读过书，一看到树枯死了，突然想到同气连枝的话，
tián zhēn bì jìng dòu guò shū，yī kàn dào shù kū sǐ le，tū rán xiǎng dào tóng qì lián zhī de huà，

「我们兄弟要分家，要把树分了，树已经感受到这种不仁爱、不友爱的行为，立刻就枯死了。」 「wǒ men xiōng dì yāo fēn jiā，yāo bǎ shù fēn le，shù yǐ jīng gǎn shòu dào zhè zhǒng bù rén ài、bù yǒu ài de xíng wéi，lì kè jiù kū sǐ le。」

田真想，我们不能连树木都不如，应该要友爱才对。
tián zhēn xiǎng，wǒ men bù néng lián shù mù dōu bù rú，yīng gāi yāo yǒu ài cái duì。

所以，他把这种感受讲给兄弟听，希望我们是同气连枝，都是父母所养育的，父母不愿意看到我们分离。
suǒ yǐ，tā bǎ zhè zhǒng gǎn shòu jiǎng gěi xiōng dì tīng，xī wàng wǒ men shì tóng qì lián zhī，dōu shì fù mǔ suǒ yǎng yù de，fù mǔ bù yuàn yì kàn dào wǒ men fēn lí。

后来三兄弟就没有分家，又住在一起，结果这个紫荆树没过多久又复活了。
hòu lái sān xiōng dì jiù méi yǒu fēn jiā，yòu zhù zài yì qǐ，jié guǒ zhè gè zǐ jīng shù méi guò duō jiǔ yòu fù huó le。

所以，万物确实都是有感觉的。
suǒ yǐ，wàn wù què shí dōu shì yǒu gǎn jué de。

连树都可以感觉到家庭失和而枯萎，也能感受到家庭的每一分子都团结和睦而欣欣向荣。
lián shù dōu kě yǐ gǎn jué dào jiā tíng shī hé ér kū wěi，yě néng gǎn shòu dào jiā tíng de měi yī fēn zǐ dōu tuán jié hé mù ér xīn xīn xiàng róng。

三字经 - 削竹为简

公孙弘是西汉时的名臣，小的时候家里很穷，但他一直没有停止过学习。买不起书，他就把竹林里的竹子砍下来，劈成一块块竹片，刮去青皮，然后从别人那里借来《春秋》，一字不漏地抄下来，日夜诵读。后来，在汉武帝亲自主持的一次考试中，他已经辟的见解和渊博的知识，技压群雄，得到汉武帝的赏识，最后做了汉朝的宰相。他在艰苦的条件下发奋努力，成为国家的有用之才，很值得我们学习。

三字经 – 编蒲抄书

披蒲编 削竹简 彼无书 且知勉


释义
古时候的路温舒把蒲草编织成席抄书学习，公孙弘将竹子削成抄书学习。他们虽然家里穷没书可读，但依然能刻苦学习。

故事
汉朝有个叫路温舒的人，非常爱学习。可是因为家里穷，父亲没有钱供他上学，他只好给别人放羊勉强维持生计。虽然失去了学习的机会，路温舒心里很难受，但他并没有放弃学习。没钱买书，就向别人借，可这样很不方便。有一天，他放羊时发现河边有一种叶子很宽的蒲草灵机一动，就采了不少蒲草，编成一张席子。然后把借来的书都抄在席子上，这样读起来就很方便了。他用这种方法读了很多书，后来成了一个很有学问的人。

Appreciate what you have

My mother and I (part 2)

'How was your dinner date?' asked my wife when I got home. 'Very nice, Much more so than I could have imagined,' I answered.

A few days later, my Mother died of a massive heart attack.

It happened so suddenly that I didn't have a chance to do anything for her. Some time later, I received an envelope with a copy of a restaurant receipt from the same place Mother and I had dined. An attached note said: 'I paid this bill in advance. I wasn't sure that I could be there; but nevertheless, I paid for two plates - one for you and the other for your wife. You will never know what that night meant for me. I love you, son.'

At that moment, I understood the importance of saying in time: 'I love YOU' and to give our loved ones the time that they deserve. Nothing in life is more important than your family. Give them the time they deserve, because these things cannot be put off till 'some other time.'

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby.... somebody doesn't know that once you're a Mother,'normal' is history.

Somebody said you can't love the second child as much as you love the first... somebody doesn't have two or more children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a Mother is labor and delivery ... somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten ... or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'

Somebody said a Mother can stop worrying after her child gets married ... somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a Mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a Mother's job is done when her last child leaves home ... somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your Mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her ... somebody isn't a Mother.

My mother and I (part 1)

After 21 years of marriage, my wife wanted me to take another woman out to dinner and a movie. She said, 'I love you, but I know this other woman loves you and would love to spend some time with you.'

The other woman that my wife wanted me to visit was my Mother, who has been a widow for 19 years, but the demands of my work and my three children had made it possible to visit her only occasionally.

That night I called to invite her to go out for dinner and a movie.. 'What's wrong, are you well,' she asked? My Mother is the type of woman who suspects that a late night call or a surprise invitation is a sign of bad news.

'I thought that it would be pleasant to spend some time with you,' I responded 'just the two of us.'

She thought about it for a moment, and then said, 'I would like that very much.'

That Friday after work, as I drove over to pick her up I was a bit nervous. When I arrived at her house, I noticed that she, too, seemed to be nervous about our date. She waited in the door with her coat on. She had curled her hair and was wearing the dress that she had worn to celebrate her last wedding anniversary.

She smiled from a face that was as radiant as an angel's. 'I told my friends that I was going to go out with my son, and they were impressed,' she said, as she got into the car. 'They can't wait to hear about our meeting.'

We went to a restaurant that, although not elegant, was very nice and cozy. My Mother took my arm as if she were the First Lady.

After we sat down, I had to read the menu. Her eyes could only read large print.. Half way through the entrees, I lifted my eyes and saw Mother sitting there staring at me. A nostalgic smile was on her lips. 'It was I who used to have to read the menu
when you were small, 'she said.

'Then it's time that you relax and let me return the favor,! ' I responded. During the dinner, we had an agreeable conversation nothing extraordinary but catching up on recent events of each other's life. We talked so much that we missed the movie.

As we arrived at her house later, she said, 'I'll go out with you again, but only if you let me invite you.' I agreed.

... to be continued...