感謝這個世界如此美麗，感謝生命中有你們的陪伴，因為擁有了這些記憶，所以我們的人生纔會如此溫暖。
凱瑟琳編寫的《感謝歲月曾經來過》重點傾訴了對人生、歲月、幸福等主題等的感悟，文字優美溫暖，仿佛陳年美酒，一任時光流轉，經典依舊不變。
本書**適合中學生、大學生及對英語學習充滿熱情、抱有熱望的人們來學習英文、欣賞美文。

《感謝歲月曾經來過》為“雙語魅力美文(英漢對照)”繫列書之一，是 由美國學者凱瑟琳女士編著而成。本套叢書，囊括了各種經典哲理美文，內 容涉及青春、愛情、理想等不同視角，體裁上也是多種多樣，其中有語句優 美的散文、感人至深的敘事文、以及權威有力的演講。整套作品既包含理性 的人性思考，又有鮮活生動的感性觸摸，令人深思遐想，回味悠長。 《感謝歲月曾經來過》由安徽人民出版社出版發行。

出版說明
譯者序
We Had Been Confused Before
我們曾經都是迷茫的小孩
What Does Little Birdie Say?
小鳥在說些什麼呢？
Windflowers
風飛花
The Loneliness of Personal Growth
成長的孤獨
A Lesson of Life
生活的一課
The Road of Life
生活之路
Butterfly Insights
蝴蝶的見識
The Brave Breath
勇敢的氣
Maxims About Determination
勵志格言
The Road Not Taken
沒有走過的路
Never Sink Into Blue Days
不要在憂郁的日子裡沉淪
Six Inches’Fear
六英尺的恐懼
Riders on the Earth Together
我們都是地球的乘客
Setting Your Heart Free
放飛你的心情
Do You Have a Confident Jar
你有一隻自信的罐子嗎
A Lesson in Life
人生物語
Make a Truth of Fright Clearly
看清恐懼的真相
The Secret of Success
成功的秘訣
The Tips of Success
成功的技巧
King John and the Abbot
國王約翰和修道院長
Faith
信念
The Lecture of Obama’s Success
***獲勝演講全文
A Boy and a Nettle
男孩和蕁麻
Kangaroos and the Cage
袋鼠與籠子
Four Essays About Confidence
勵志短文四則
The Decoration of the Heart
心理裝潢
Transforming Obstacles Into Benefits
化阻力為助力
The Parable of the Pencil
鉛筆的寓言
Fall in Love With the One That Is Imperfect
愛上不**的自己
Love Your Life
熱愛生活
Do I Need to Like Myself？
非得喜歡自己嗎？
Although I’m Ugly, I’m Very Proud
我很丑,但我很自豪
Follow Your Own Course
走自己的路
What a Beautiful Moment
這美麗的時刻
True Nobility
真正的高貴
The Real Meaning of Peace
寧靜的真諦
You’re a Beautiful Person
美麗是你
A Parrot and a Cat
鸚鵡和貓
Pick More Daisies
多采些雛菊花
The Ugly: I’m More Charming Than the Beautiful
丑女:我比美女*有魅力
Holding a Goal Is More Important Than Earning Money
有目標的生活比賺錢*重要
What Will Matter？
何為重要？
Buy an Hour of Your Time
買一小時的時間
The“Trophy Kids”Go to Work
蜜罐裡的孩子開始工作了
Where Are We Heading
我們前進的方向
You’re Not Super Rich? You Lucked Out
不是**富豪？那你很幸運
A Clink of Light in Life
生活的光芒
On Changes
論變化
CEO of the Apple Company
蘋果公司的首席執行官
The Brick in Your Life
生活中的“磚頭”
What Is Success
成功的內涵
The Value of Time
時間的價值
Results And Roses
碩果和玫瑰
Leave Time Behind You
把時間放在身後
Let Your Mind Wander
讓頭腦暢想
Ted Turner—the Founder of CNN
CNN的創始人——特德·特納
There Must Be a Person Who Most Loves You
這世上一定有個人*愛你
A Blooming Tree
一棵開花的樹
The Love of Two Leaves
兩片樹葉的愛情
A Touching Story
一個感人的故事
When We Two Parted
昔日依依別
Angels Are Always There
天使一直在你身邊
It Is You I Want
我愛的人是你
The Old Man’s Table
爺爺的飯桌
Are You God’s Wife
你是上帝的妻子嗎
Unlighted Candle
點不亮的蠟燭
The Salty Coffee
咸味咖啡
How I've Been Enriched by Beggars
乞丐的啟示
Learn to Be the Happy
學會做一個幸福的人
A Moment of Joy
片刻的歡樂
Do It as Soon as Possible
盡快行動起來吧
A Happy Day Begins With Gratitude
美好生活，從學會“感激”開始
Feather in the wind
風中的羽毛
Learn to Live in the Present Moment
活得輕松——在現實中生活
The Remembrance of Lilacs
紫丁香的回憶
Helping Others Is Helping Yourself
幫助別人就是幫助自己
Seeking Happiness
快樂在哪裡
Loss and Gain
失去和獲得
Simple Ways to Improve My Life
充實的生活就是簡簡單單
God’s Boxes
上帝的盒子

成長的孤獨 TheLoneliness of Personal Growth We’re like the cream. When the cream rises to the top, it separates itself from the milk. Perhaps that is what the New Age Movement is really all about. We find ourselves lonely at the top. Yes, it is. It is no different with political enlightenment, spiritual enlightenment, or even becoming enlightened about relating to each other. The more mentally healthy you become, the more spiritual, the more balanced, he wealthier, the more global you become...the more alone you may feel. Often, we find ourselves unable to find those other rare individuals who are choosing the same path as ours. The path of sloppy and lazy is full of other people to meet and talk to. The path of whiners is full. The path of being safe, generic, and boring is so crowded you almost cannot even move forward. Isn’t that why you left that path? You had a need to move forward, a need for some elbowroom, a need to spread your arms wide, a need to be seen as special, unique, different. The masses may admire you, but they are not going to be able to really relate to you. You will be alone much of the time. Do not be afraid of the loneliness of enlightenment. Do not force others to agree with you. Simply give your heart and know that you are growing and that they are free to grow or not. It is the nature of the game. We are all free to choose our paths. 我們就像奶油。當奶油浮到頂部的時候，它會和牛奶分離。也許這種現 像正像是新世紀運動的寫照。我們發現自己飛得越高，就會越感孤獨。是的 ，這就是現實。
不論政治或精神修養的造詣有多深，或者甚至是與他人之間有一種默契 的關繫，就孤獨這一點而言，是沒有區別的。你越是擁有健康，越是有理智 ，精神修養的造詣越深，生活越平衡，越富有，你的名氣傳播得越廣，你也 會感覺越孤獨。
我們通常很難找到那些選擇和我們同路的人們。那條潮濕、慵懶的道路 擠滿了可以相遇並聊天的人。那條滿是牢騷者的道路上也擁擠不堪。那條所 謂安全、普通以及枯燥的道路是如此擁擠以至於你無法向前挪步。難道這不 正是你離開那條道路的原因嗎？你需要向前挪步，需要活動的空間，需要展 開你的雙臂，需要被認知為特別、有個性、與眾不同。萬千大眾仰慕你，但 他們卻不可能真正地融入你。大部分的時間，你將是孤獨的。
不要害怕因造詣深而產生的孤獨感。不必勉強別人贊識你。做你自己， 堅定著你自己的成長，別人是否願意成長就由他們自己決定吧。這就是自然 界的規則。我們都有選擇自己道路的自由。
生活的一課 A Lesson of Life “Everything happens for the best,” my mother said whenever I faced disappointment . “If you can carry on, one day something goodwill happen. And you’ll realize that it wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment. ” Mother was right, as I discovered after graduating from college in 1932. I had decided to try for a job in radio, then work my way up to sports announcer. I hitchhiked to Chicago and knocked on the door of every station—and got turned down every time. In one studio, a kind lady told me that big stations couldn’ t risk hiring inexperienced person. “Go out in the sticks and find a small station that’ll give you a chance .”she said. I thumbed home to Dixon, Illinois. While there was no radio- announcing jobs in Dixon, my father said Montgomery Ward had opened a store and wanted a local athlete to manage its sports department. Since Dixon was where I had played high school football, I applied. The job sounded just right for me. But I wasn ’t hired. My disappointment must have shown. “Everything happens for the best.” Mom reminded me. Dad offered me the car to job hunt. I tried WOC Radio in Davenport, Iowa. The program director, a wonderful Scotsman named Peter MacArthur, told me they had already hired an announcer. 每當我遇到挫折時，母親就會說：“一切都會好的。如果你堅持下去， 總有**會有好事發生。你會認識到，如果沒有以前的挫折就不會有現在的 一切。” 母親是對的，發現這個是在1932 年，我剛從大學畢業。我已決定試著 在電臺找個事兒做，然後爭取做體育節目的播音員。我搭便車到了芝加哥， 挨個電臺地敲門推銷自己——但每次都被拒*了。在一個播音室裡，一位好 心的女士告訴我，大的廣播電臺是不會冒險雇用沒經驗的新手的。“ 去鄉 下找一家給你機會的小電臺吧。”她說。
我搭車來到我的家鄉，那是伊利諾伊州的迪克森。在迪克森當時還沒有 電臺播音員這樣的工作，父親說，蒙哥馬利?沃德開了一家新商店，想雇請 一個本地的運動員管理店裡的體育部。我中學時曾在迪克森打過橄欖球，出 於這個原因我去申請了這份工作。工作聽起來挺適合我的，但是我沒被聘用 。
我的沮喪心情一定表現出來了。“一切總會好的。”母親提醒我說。
爸爸給我買了找工作用的一輛汽車。我試著到愛荷華州達文波特的WOC 電臺去求職。那裡的電臺節目總監是一個很棒的蘇格蘭人，名叫彼得?麥克 阿瑟，他告訴我他們已經雇到播音員了。
As I left his office, my frustration boiled over. I asked a1oud, “How can a fellow get to be a sports announcer if he can’ t get a job in a radio station?” I was waiting for the elevator when I heard MacArthur calling, “What was that you said about sports? Do you know anything about football? ” Then he stood me before a microphone and asked me to broadcast an imaginary game. On my way home, as I have many times since, I thought of my mother’s words: “If you carry on, one day something good will happen. Something wouldn’t have happened if not for that previous disappointment.”I often wonder what direction my life might have taken if I爺d gotten the job at Montgomery Ward. 離開他的辦公室時，我的挫折感達到了頂點。我大聲地說：“一個連在 電臺都找不到工作的家伙又怎麼能成為體育節目的播音員呢？” 等電梯時，我聽到麥克阿瑟喊道：“你說什麼體育？你懂橄欖球嗎？” 接著他讓我站到麥克風前面，請我解說一場想像中的比賽。
在回家的路上——以後也有很多次的，我思考著母親的那句話：“如果 你堅持下去，總要**會有好事發生。如果沒有以前的挫折，就不會有現在 的一切。”我常想，如果當年我得到蒙哥馬利?沃德的那份工作，我的人生 之路又會怎樣走呢？ P6-10