◎ Steve Goodier

Freda Bright says, “Only in opera do people die of love.” It’s true. You really can’t love somebody to death. I’ve known people to die from no love, but I’ve never known anyone to be loved to death. We just can’t love one another enough.

A heart-warming story tells of a woman who finally decided to ask her boss for a raise in salary. All day she felt nervous and apprehensive. Late in the afternoon she summoned the courage to approach her employer. To her delight, the boss agreed to a raise.

The woman arrived home that evening to a beautiful table set with their best dishes. Candles were softly glowing. Her husband had come home early and prepared a festive meal. She wondered if someone from the office had tipped him off, or... did he just somehow know that she would not get turned down?

She found him in the kitchen and told him the good news. They embraced and kissed, then sat down to the wonderful meal. Next to her plate the woman found a beautifully lettered note. It read, “Congratulations, darling! I knew you’d get the raise! These things will tell you how much I love you.”

Following the supper, her husband went into the kitchen to clean up. She noticed that a second card had fallen from his pocket. Picking it off the floor, she read, “Don’t worry about not getting the raise! You deserve it anyway! These things will tell you how much I love you.”

Someone has said that the measure of love is when you love without measure. What this man feels for his spouse is total acceptance and love, whether she succeeds or fails. His love celebrates her victories and soothes her wounds. He stands with her, no matter what life throws in their direction.

Upon receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mother Teresa said, “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.” And love your friends. Love them without measure.

弗雷德·布莱特说过，“只有在歌剧中，人们才会为爱而死。”这是真的。的确，你不能因为爱一个人而死。我也知道有人死于缺失爱，但我从来没有听说过谁因被爱而死。我们恰好只是彼此之间爱也爱不够。

有一个感人的故事，讲一个女人最终决定向她的老板提出加薪。她一整天都焦虑不安。接近傍晚时，她鼓起勇气向老板提议。令她高兴的是，老板同意给她加薪。

傍晚，女人回到了家，发现漂亮的餐桌上摆满了丰盛的菜肴。烛光在轻轻地摇曳着。她的丈夫提早回家准备了一顿庆祝宴。她觉得很疑惑，难道有人从办公室里向他通风报信，或者还是……他不知怎么，竟知道她不会被拒绝？

她在厨房找到了他，告诉他这个好消息。他们拥抱亲吻，然后坐下来共享美餐。在她的盘子旁边，女人发现了一个便条，上面用漂亮的字体写着：“祝贺你，亲爱的！我就知道你会加薪的！这一切会告诉你我有多么爱你。”

晚餐后，丈夫到厨房洗碗。她注意到，又有卡片从他口袋里掉了出来。她从地上捡起卡片，上面写着：“不要因为没有加薪而烦恼！这也是你应得的！不管怎样，这一切会告诉你我有多么爱你。”

有人曾经说过，爱的限度就是无限度地去爱。这个男人给予了她完全的包容和爱，不管她成功与否。他的爱在她胜利时为她庆祝，在她失败时为她抚平创伤。他与她同在，无论生活怎样，他们始终同舟共济。

在接受诺贝尔和平奖时，特蕾莎修女说：“我们能做些什么来促进世界和平？那就是回家爱你的家人吧。”还要爱你的朋友。无止境地爱他们。