I grew up the "baby" of my family. I was the youngest of three sons.
在家里我是三個(gè)兒子中最小的一個(gè)，從小到大，我都是全家的“寶寶”

My brothers were five and seven years older than me
我的兩個(gè)哥哥，一個(gè)比我大七歲，另一個(gè)比我大五歲

and handled most of the chores that my Mom and Dad needed done around the house.
爸爸媽媽交代給我們的各種雜活兒，大部分都被他們承擔(dān)了

I spent most of my time then riding my bike, shooting basketball, walking in the woods, or reading books by our stove in the Winter.
我每天大部分時(shí)間都在玩耍，騎自行車兜風(fēng)，打籃球，在樹林里散步，冬天的時(shí)候偎在火爐邊讀書。

To say I was a bit spoiled would be an understatement.
要說我被全家人寵壞了，我覺得都言之過輕。

I spent my childhood with all the fun and none of the responsibility.
在我的整個(gè)童年，我都在盡情玩樂，沒有負(fù)起一點(diǎn)家庭責(zé)任。

By the time I entered my early teens, however, both of my brothers had moved out of our home.
可是當(dāng)我長(zhǎng)到十歲出頭的時(shí)候，我的兩個(gè)哥哥都從家里搬了出去。

My Dad had injured his back and become disabled.
我的父親背部受傷，以至殘疾。

We had moved to a mountain top house heated by a wood stove with only sulfur well water to drink.
我們搬進(jìn)了一所位于山頂?shù)姆孔樱抢镏挥心究緺t取暖，只有硫磺溫泉水可以喝。

I soon found myself then doing more work than I had ever done before.
我很快就發(fā)現(xiàn)，我必須干的家務(wù)活比之前任何時(shí)候都要多。

I weeded our garden in the Spring and mowed our lawn in the Summer.
在春天我要在花園里清除雜草，在夏天我要修剪草坪。

In the Fall I carried and stacked wood to keep us warm in the Winter months to come.
秋天我劈柴拾木，屯在家里，好在冬天來臨的時(shí)候，供家人取暖。

And all year round I hauled heavy five gallon containers of water from a mountain spring back to our house
一年到頭，我都必須到山中的一處山泉邊汲水，背著五噸裝的汽油桶回家。

so we could have water to drink and cook with.
這樣我們才有水可以喝，有水可以做飯。

At first I grumbled and complained to myself.
一開始我常小聲抱怨，自怨自艾。

After a while, though, I began to find joy in helping my parents that I loved so much.
過了一段時(shí)間之后，我開始感到欣喜，因?yàn)槲疑類畚业母改福軒偷剿麄兾液芨吲d。

I sang to myself while I stacked wood and smiled while I carried water.
堆柴火的時(shí)候我會(huì)唱歌，背水的時(shí)候我也會(huì)微笑。

I even found myself helping my Mom with the dinner dishes and cleaning.
甚至幫助母親做洗碗，打掃等事情，還發(fā)現(xiàn)自己自得其樂。

I started to realize something that I would carry with me the rest of my life too:
我開始意識(shí)到某種真理，并且這一生我都對(duì)此深信不疑

When your work is done in love, it isn't work.
當(dāng)你為了愛去勞作，它就不僅僅是勞作了。

Let all of your work be done in love then.
所以，為你所有必須承擔(dān)的勞作注入愛吧。

Let all that you do be done in love.
讓你所做的一切都是為了愛。

Let all of your life be lived with love.
讓你的整個(gè)生命都是為了愛而活。

We all have been given the wonderful gift of life.
生命是我們每個(gè)人被賜予的珍貴禮物。

The least we can do is work to make it the best, most beautiful, and most loving life we can.
我們所能做的是，至少讓此生成為最好的，最美麗的，充滿愛意的一生。

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（翻譯：小木）