When he confessed losing some of our savings in the stock market, I gave him a hug and said, "It's okay. It's only money."

 

而当他坦白承认用我们的一点积蓄炒股亏了钱时，我紧紧抱住他安慰说：“没关系，钱财乃身外之物。”

 

There is sensitivity. Last week he walked through the door with that look that tells me it's been a tough day. After he spent some time with the kids, I asked him what happened.

我们都是性情中人。上周，他回家进门的时候，我从他的神情看得出，他过了艰难的一天。他和孩子们玩了一会儿后，我问他发生了什么事。

 

He told me about a 60-year-old woman who'd had a stroke. He wept as he recalled the woman's husband standing beside her bed, caressing her hand. How was he going to tell this husband of 40 years that his wife would probably never recover?

 

他告诉我一个六十岁的老太太患了中风。当回想起病人的丈夫站在她的床边爱抚着她的手的时候，他流泪了。他怎么忍心告诉和病人相处了四十年的丈夫，他妻子可能将永远无法康复！

I shed a few tears myself. Because of the medical crisis. Because there were still people who have been married 40 years. Because my husband is still moved and concerned after years of hospital rooms and dying patients.

我也流下了眼泪，因为那可怕的病，因为这世上还有婚姻维持了四十年的人，还因为我的丈夫这么多年来在医院目睹过无数垂死的病人后还有感动和怜悯之心！

There is faith. Last Tuesday a friend came over and confessed her fear that her husband is losing his courageous battle with cancer.

我们都有坚定的信念。上周四一个朋友到我家，向我表露了她对于她丈夫逐渐失去和癌症搏斗的勇气的忧虑。

On Wednesday I went to lunch with a friend who is struggling to reshape her life after divorce. On Thursday a neighbor called to talk about the frightening effects of Alzheimer's disease on her father-in-law's personality.

周三，我和一个朋友吃午饭，她正努力重建离婚后的生活。周四，一个邻居致电告诉我，可怕的老性痴呆症困扰着她公公。

On Friday a childhood friend called long-distance to tell me her father had died. I hung up the phone and thought, This is too much heartache for one week. Through my tears, as I went out to run some errands, I noticed the boisterous orange blossoms of the gladiolus outside my window.

周五，一个儿时的玩伴打长途电话告诉我，她的父亲去世了。我把电话放下，心想怎么一周内接连发生那么多让人揪心的悲剧。泪眼模糊的我走出门外准备做点什么，这时我发现窗外橙色的剑兰花竞相开放。

I heard the delighted laughter of my son and his friend as they played. I caught sight of a wedding party emerging from a neighbor's house. The bride, dressed in satin and lace, tossed her bouquet to her cheering friends. That night, I told my husband about these events. We helped each other acknowledge the cycles of life and that the joys counter the sorrows. It was enough to keep us going.

耳边传来儿子和伙伴们玩耍时的欢声笑语，邻居正在举行婚宴，新娘子穿着缎和花边修饰的婚纱，将花球抛向欢呼雀跃的朋友们中。那夜，我把这一切都告诉了丈夫，我们互相安慰，明白人生轮回，悲欢离合总相随。我们就这样相濡以沫地生活下去。

Finally, there is knowing. I know Scott will throw his laundry just shy of the hamper every night; he'll be late to most appointments and eat the last chocolate in the box.

最后一个原因是，我们相知相识。我知道斯科特每晚都会把换洗的衣服扔向洗衣篓，却总是扔不进去；我知道他在大部分约会中都会迟到，因此会被罚吃掉最后剩下的一块巧克力。

He knows that I sleep with a pillow over my head; I'll lock us out of the house at a regular basis, and I will also eat the last chocolate.

他知道我睡觉的时候喜欢用枕头蒙头，每隔一段时间我会忘记带钥匙，我们因此而进不了家门，然后我也会自觉吃掉最后一块巧克力。

I guess our love lasts because it is comfortable. No, the sky is not bluer: it's just a familiar hue. We don't feel particularly young: we've experienced too much that has contributed to our growth and wisdom, taking its toll on our bodies, and created our memories.

我想，是舒适的感觉让我们的爱延续。天空并没有变得更蓝，它还是昨天我们熟悉的颜色；我们也不再感觉年轻：我们已经历了太多，而这些经历让我们成长，变得理性，为我们增值，并构成了我们的回忆。

I hope we've got what it takes to make our love last. As a bride, I had Scott's wedding band engraved with Robert Browning's line "Grow old along with me!" We're following those instructions.

我希望我们已经得到延续爱情的秘诀。我们结婚的时候，斯科特给我的戒指上刻着罗伯特·布朗宁的诗词“一直陪我直到老吧！”我们一直都恪守着这誓言。