二十年前，我的三個孩子長大了，一個一個相繼離家，本來就聚少離多的我們 ，整個家空洞的

連呼吸都聽得到。

我無意中看到一個外國婦女寫的文章 ，把其中片段摘錄護貝後 ，當我寂寞或孤獨時就再看一遍...

A woman who held a babe against her bosom said, the Prophet, speak to us of children.

一位懷抱嬰兒的婦女說，先知，請給我們講講孩子的事吧。

And he said, 先知說道：

Your children are not your children.你的孩子並非真正是你的孩子，

They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself. 他們是生命渴望獲得延續下的產物。

They come through you but not from you.他們透過你而來，但非從你而來。

And though they are with you yet they belong not to you. 雖然他們和你共同生活，但卻不屬於你。

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,你可以把愛給他們，但別灌輸思想給他們，

For they have their own thoughts. 因為他們有自己的想法。

You may house their bodies but not their souls,
他們的身體住在你的房子裡，但是他們的靈魂並沒有。

For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,  因為他們的靈魂住在屬於明天的房子，

which you can not visit, not even in your dreams. 那個房子就算在夢裡你也無法造訪。

You may strive to be like them, 你可以讓努力讓自己像他們，

but seek not to make them like you. 但別設法想讓他們像你。

For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. 因為生命不會倒退，也不會停滯在昨天。

You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth.

你是弓，而你的孩子是要從弦上射發出的箭矢。

The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, 那射箭者就是上帝，祂在無窮之中選定了目標，

And He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far.

祂用神力將你的弓引滿，使他的箭矢迅速而遙遠地射了出去，

Let your bending in the Archer’s hand be for gladness.

讓你自己在射箭者的手中彎曲，把它當作一件喜樂的事情吧，

For even as he loves the arrow that flies, 因為射箭者固然愛那飛出的箭，

So he loves also the bow that is stable.  祂也同樣愛那穩健的弓！