Keep Walking in Sunshine
　　一直走在阳光里

　　Years of storms had taken their toll on the oldwindmill. Its wheel, rusted and fallen, lay silently inthe lush bluegrass. Its once animated silhouette wasnow a tall motionless steeple in the twilight sun.
　　I hadn’t walked across our old farm in fifteenyears. Yet the sensations came flooding back. I couldsmell the freshness of new mown alfalfa. I couldfeel the ping of the ice-cold summer rain, and thesun’s sudden warmth on my wet shoulders when itreappeared after a brisk July thunderstorm.
　　Rain or shine, I used to walk this path each dayto see Grace. She always made me smile, even afterSis and I had just had a big squabble. I would helpGrace with her chores. Then we would visit over agenerous helping of her delicious homemade chocolatecookies and ice cream. Being confined to a wheelchair didn’t stop Grace from being a fabulous cook.
　　Grace gave me two of the greatest gifts I’ve everreceived. First, she taught me how to read. She alsotaught me that when I forgave Sis for our squabbles, itmeant I wouldn’t keep feeling like a victim. Instead, Iwould feel sunny.
　　Mr. Norton, the local banker, tried to forecloseon Grace’s house and land after her husband passedaway. Thanks to Pa and Uncle Tony, Grace could keepeverything. Pa said that it was the least he could dofor someone talented enough to teach me to read!
　　Soon folks were coming from miles around tobuy Grace’s homemade cakes, pies, breads, cookies,cider, and ice cream. Mark, the grocery store man,came each week to stock his shelves and bring Gracesupplies.
　　Grace even had me take a big apple pie to Mr.Norton who became one of her best customers andfriends. That’s just how Grace was. She could turnanyone into a friend!
　　Grace always said, “Dear, keep walking insunshine!” No matter how terrible my day started, Ialways felt sunny walking home from Grace’s house —even beneath the winter starlight.
　　I arrived at Grace’s house today just after sunset.An ambulance had stopped a few feet from her door,its red lights flashing. When I ran into the old house,Grace recognized me right away.
　　She smiled at me with her unforgettabletwinkling blue eyes. She was almost out of breathwhen she reached out and softly touched my arm.Her last words to me were “Dear, keep walking insunshine!”
　　I’m sure that Grace is walking in the brightestsunshine she’s ever seen. And, I’m sure that sheheard every word I read at her memorial service. Ichose a beautiful verse by Leo Buscaglia. It’s one thatGrace taught me to read many years ago…
　　“Love can never grow old. Locks may lose theirbrown and gold. Cheeks may fade and hollow grow.But the hearts that love will know, never winter’s frostand chill, summer’s warmth is in them still.”

　　silhouetten. 轮廓；剪影
　　squabble n. 口角,争吵
　　foreclose v.取消（抵押品的）赎回权
　　memorialadj. 纪念的；追悼的

　　多年的风雨侵蚀了古老的风车。车轮锈了，掉了，静静地躺卧在茂盛的蓝草中。落日余晖下，风车那一度生机勃勃的映像如今变成了死气沉沉的高大尖塔。
　　我已经有15 年没有步行穿过我们的农场了。然而，昔日的感觉如潮水般涌来。我仿佛又闻到了刚割下苜蓿的清新味道，感受到了夏日冰冷的雨滴敲打在身上，还有七月迅疾的雷雨后，太阳重现天际时，让我被打湿的肩膀瞬间便能感到温暖。
　　曾经无论晴雨，我天天沿着这条小径去探望格雷斯。即使我刚和姐姐大吵了一场，格雷斯也总能使我开心起来。我会帮格雷斯做些杂事，然后，我们便会大快朵颐，品尝她亲手做的美味巧克力曲奇饼和冰激凌。尽管她只能坐在轮椅上，但这并不妨碍格雷斯成为一名出色的厨师。
　　格雷斯送给我两件我有生以来收到的最棒的礼物。首先，她教我认字。另外，格雷斯还让我懂得，当我不再记恨和姐姐的争吵而原谅她时，这就意味着自己不再觉得像个受害者。相反，我会感到心情开朗。
　　在格雷斯的丈夫去世后，当地的银行家诺顿先生要收取她抵押给银行的房子和土地。幸亏有爸爸和托尼叔叔的帮忙，格雷斯才保住了一切。爸爸说，对于一位本领高强到居然能够教会我认字的人，这只是他力所能及的一件小事！
　　很快，方圆数英里的人们都来买格雷斯自制的蛋糕、馅饼、面包、曲奇饼、苹果酒和冰激凌。每个礼拜，杂货店老板马克都会来这里进货，并带给她新的材料。
　　格雷斯甚至让我给诺顿先生送去一个大大的苹果馅饼，他后来也成了她最好的顾客和朋友之一。这就是格雷斯，她能把任何人都变成朋友！
　　格雷斯总是说：“亲爱的，要一直走在阳光里！”不管这一天开始是多么的糟糕，从格雷斯的小屋走回家时，即使是披着冬夜的星光，我都总是觉得心情无比灿烂。
　　这天，我来到格雷斯家时，太阳刚下山。她门外几英尺处停着一辆救护车，车上的红灯不住地闪烁。当我冲进那所老房子时，格雷斯立刻认出了我。
　　她冲我微笑着，那双令人难忘的蓝眼睛闪着光芒。当她伸出手轻轻抚摸我的臂膀时，几乎已经奄奄一息了。她最后对我说的话是：“亲爱的，要一直走在阳光里！”
　　我肯定格雷斯此时正走在前所未见的最灿烂的阳光里。我还肯定她听见了我在她的追思会上所念的每一个字。我选了利奥?巴斯卡格利亚的一首优美的诗，正是多年前格雷斯曾经教我念的……
　　“爱会日久弥新。华发会失去原有的光彩，双颊会日显消瘦黯淡。然而，有爱的心中却永无寒冬霜冻，只有永存的夏日温暖。”
　　……