葛丽塔曾送给我两件最重要的礼物。首先，她教会我读书。教我用宽容的心去对待与我发生争执的姐姐。让我不再有受过伤害的委屈感，反而使我的心情更加愉悦舒朗。
葛丽塔的丈夫逝世后，当地的银行家丁肯先生曾要收回抵押给银行的房子和土地。多亏爸爸和约翰叔叔，才使葛丽塔保住了这一切。爸爸说，帮助这样一位能教会我读书识字的聪明人，这不过是件他力所能及的、微不足道的小事而已。
不久，数英里外的人们都赶来买葛丽塔做的蛋糕、馅饼、面包、小甜点、苹果汁和冰淇淋。每周，杂货店的老板汉克都要来她这儿买一些食品，以丰富货架。
丁肯先生也成为葛丽塔的顾客和朋友，葛丽塔甚至让我给他也送去一个大苹果馅饼。她就是这样一个人，能把任何人都变成朋友！
葛丽塔总是说：“亲爱的，要走在阳光里！”每天，不管开始有多么糟糕，从她的家走出来，都会感觉像走在阳光下，即便是走在冬夜的星光里。
这天，太阳刚刚落山，我到了葛丽塔的家。看到一辆救护车停在她门前几英尺外，车上的红灯不停地闪着。当我冲进那所旧屋子时，葛丽塔立即认出了我。
她用那双令人难忘的深邃的蓝眼睛望着我，用手轻触我的手臂，已经奄奄一息了。最后，她对我说了一句：“亲爱的，要记住走在阳光里！”
我坚信，葛丽塔正漫步于她曾见过的灿烂阳光中。我也坚信，她能听得见我在追悼会上为她祷告的每一个字。
我选了一首利奥？巴斯卡格里亚写的优美的诗，就是多年以前葛丽塔曾教我读的那首：
爱可以历久弥新，华发会失去原有的光彩，双颊会日渐暗淡。然而，有爱的心永无寒霜冰冻，只有永存的夏之温热。
心灵小语
走在阳光里，就永无寒霜冰冻。
记忆填空
1. Greta gave me two of the greatest____I’ve ever received. First， she taught me____to read. She also taught me that when I forgave sis for our squabbles， it____I wouldn’t keep feeling like a victim.
2. Greta always said，“Dear， keep walking in__ ！” No matter how__ my day started， I always felt____walking home from Greta’s house-even beneath the winter starlight.
3. I’m____that Greta is walking in the brightest sunshine she’s ever seen. And， I’m sure that she heard every____I read at her memorial service.
佳句翻译
1. 然而，曾经的感觉还是涌上心头。
译__________________________
2. 爱可以历久弥新，华发会失去原有的光彩，双颊会日渐暗淡。
译__________________________
3. 然而，有爱的心永无寒霜冰冻，只有永存的夏之温热。
译__________________________
短语应用
1. She could turn anyone into a friend！
turn into：（使）成为；（使）变为；转变为；译为
造________________________
2. I’m sure that Greta is walking in the brightest sunshine she’s ever seen.
I’m sure that：我确定……（接宾语从句）
造________________________
爱人，我在等你
A Sometimes Beautiful Thing
佚名 / Anonymous
I’ ve always loved you. Always.
Even when I was youngest， I can remember wanting to play with you. But you didn’ t live near me， so we couldn’ t. I didn’ t know where you lived， but I knew that if you could， you’ d play with me. We’ d play catch， or hide-and-seek， or whatever it was you wanted to play. I wanted to play your games. I wanted you to teach me how to play with you.
So I played by myself. But you were there with me. I pretended that you were with me. I never wanted to play with the other kids on my block. I had you.
Mom always told me to go outside and play with the boys next door. She couldn’ t understand why I didn’ t want to play in little League or join the Boy Scouts. She did not understand that I was with you. I didn’ t need anyone else.
I wouldn’ t call it love at that point， though. I did not know what love was. I just wanted to be with you very badly. I didn’ t have a name for that feeling.
Later when the other boys at school started to pay more attention to girls， I didn’ t feel so bad. They were beginning to understand what I’ d been feeling for years. They needed a woman. And the girls needed a man. They started to match up and some of them are still together today. Love is so beautiful when it lasts.
I say I didn’ t feel bad， but that was only at the beginning. Later they would ask me if I had a girl. I’ d say yes， and of course they would want to know who. I couldn’ t tell them. I had to make up some story about meeting you when I was at my grandparents’ place for summer vacation. A long-distance thing. Some of the guys thought that was cool. Others called me a liar. I tried not to care. I tried not to worry.
At night I would lie in bed and think about you. I wondered what you had done that day. Did you like your school？ What was your best subject？ I always pretended that you’ d be good at English. I pictured you writing me long letters about how much you loved me. You’ d sign them with hugs and kisses.
I wonder sometimes if waiting was hard for you. I wondered if you had a boyfriend. I knew you wouldn’ t be serious about him. You’ d leave him the moment we could be together. I’ d get a little jealous thinking about it， though. I wanted to be the first to touch you if I could. The first to kiss you and hold your hand. You would be my first. I didn’ t want anyone else.
During college I noticed that there were fewer and fewer people still by themselves. Everyone was pairing up. Some of the girls in my class were wearing engagement rings. They were proud of their rings and would show them to everyone around them. One day I went to a jewelry store at the mall and looked at rings. I picked out a nice one for you. It was gold， with a small diamond in a silver setting. I didn’ t know what your ring size was， so I bought one that fit my smallest finger. I figured we could get it fixed later. I carried that ring with me all the time. I wanted to be able to give it to you as soon as we were together.
After that day I thought about your hands a lot. I pictured myself holding them and looking at the tiny wrinkles in the palms. I tried to imagine how small your hands might be. How fragile they might be. In my dreams you would touch my face with your tiny fingers. The fingertips would touch my lips and I would kiss them.
