朋友们好！我今天阅读了Chicken Soup for the Mother's Soul《心灵鸡汤之母亲》中的一篇短文，题目是The Unlocked Door (没有上锁的门)。
This is a touching story. 故事发生在苏格兰的城市格拉斯哥(Glasgow, Scotland). 很多年前，一个年轻的女孩子厌倦了家和父母的束缚 (got tired of home and the restraints of her parents)，拒绝接受家里遵循的传统生活方式 (lifestyle)。一天，她对父母说：
"I don't want your God. I give up. I'm leaving."
于是，她离开了家。她想要过自己期望的生活，想成为a woman of the world. 可惜，这世界并不像她想象的那么美丽，生活也不如她想象的那么简单。工作没有着落，一次次地被拒绝，她开始变得沮丧(dejected). 不知不觉中，她走向堕落，深陷泥潭之中而无法自拔。后来，她不得不靠救济中心领取食物活下去。她从来没有回过家，也没有联系父母，父母却一直在寻找她。很多年过去了，她父亲去世了，母亲也变老了。一天，母亲听说了她的行踪 (whereabouts)，就来到市内的skid-row section 的每一个救济中心张贴告示，上面贴有母亲的照片(a picture of the smiling, gray-haired mother)，照片下面写到：“I love you still...come home!”
几个月后的一天，她到一个rescue mission领取食物时看到了告示，并认出照片上那位面带微笑、头发花白的老人就是她的母亲。她哭了。It was too good to be true. 终于，她回家了。
我摘选下面两段文字和朋友们分享：
When you were small and just a touch away, I covered you with blankets against the cold night air. But now that you are tall and out of reach, I fold my hands and cover you with prayer.
(作者Author: Dona Maddux Cooper)
你小的时候，近在咫尺，伸手可及，我给你盖上毯子，抵御寒冷的夜风。现在你长高了，够不着你了，但我会双手合十，为你祈祷。
She shook her mother awake and said, "It's me! It's me! I'm home!
The mother couldn't believe her eyes. She wiped her tears and they fell into each other's arms. The daughter said, "I was so worried! The door was open and I thought someone had broken in!"
The mother replied gently, "No dear. From the day you left, that door has never been locked."
这段文字简单易懂，我就不逐字逐句翻译了，只翻译一下最后一句：母亲轻轻地回答，“不，亲爱的。从你离开家的那天起，那扇门就再也没有锁过。”
我的感悟：The unlocked door is like maternal love that will never be broken. No matter where we go, how far and how long we have been away from home, and no matter how many difficulties we have encountered, maternal love is always there, being sincere and straightforward. Home is the safest haven and the most comfortable shelter in our life. Its door is always open for us. 家是我们最安全、最舒适的避风港，家的大门永远为我们敞开！
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词汇学习：
1. get tired of 对……感到厌倦， 厌烦， 对……厌烦
e.g. You will never get tired of this story. 这个故事百听不厌。
2. restraint [rɪˈstreɪnt] n. 约束力，管制措施
The government has imposed restraints on some products. 政府对一些产品实行了控制。
3. lifestyle [ˈlaɪfstaɪl] 生活方式
e.g. a comfortable/healthy lifestyle 舒适、健康的生活方式
4. dejected [dɪˈdʒektɪd] adj. 沮丧的，情绪低落的，垂头丧气的
e.g. Everyone has days when they feel dejected or down. 每个人都有沮丧失意或情绪低落的时候。
5. skid row [ˌskɪd ˈrəʊ] n.
the poorest part of town, where drunks and homeless people live (城市中流浪、失业、酗酒的人聚居的)贫民区，穷街陋巷
6. whereabouts [ˈweərəbaʊts, ˌweərəˈbaʊts] n. 下落，行踪 adv. 在哪里
e.g. His whereabouts are still unknown. 他仍下落不明。
7. out of reach 够不着
8. wipe [waɪp] v. 擦， 抹掉，消除
e.g. She wiped her eyes with a tissue. 她用纸巾擦拭眼泪。
9. maternal love 母爱 maternal [məˈtɜːnl] adj. 母亲的 (扩展：paternal [pəˈtɜːnl] 父亲的)
10. haven [ˈheɪvn] n. 安全的地方, 保护区, 避难所