A dear friend sent me a letter and handmade card in the mail today.
今天,我的一个好友通过邮件寄了一封信给我,其中还有一张手工卡片

On the outside of the card
卡片的外面

was a cut out picture of a hummingbird in mid-flight.
是一只裁剪出来的蜂鸟,正在半空中飞翔的样子

Its wings were a blur
它的羽翅因为动作太快看不明晰

while its little needle shaped beak
与此同时,它小小的针尖形的鸟嘴

[en]plunged
deep into a flower.[/en]
正埋在一朵花里

Below it was a quote by Fyodor Dostoyevsky:
蜂鸟图案的下面是一则陀思妥耶夫斯基的名言

“The world will be saved by beauty.”
世界将因美的事物被救赎

I smiled when I saw it
看到这则名言

both with my face and my heart.
我脸上露出微笑,内心充满喜悦

Looking at it
看着这张卡片

reminded me of all the beauty of this world.
让我想起了这世上所有美好的东西

I thought about the beautiful, green forested mountains of my home.
我想起了家乡壮丽而葱郁的深山密林

I thought of the fields of Summer wild flowers
我想起夏日里大片的野花

 blessing the world with their colors.
从它们的美祝福这个世界

I thought of the brilliant blue oceans that stretched from horizon to horizon.
我想起壮丽的蔚蓝色大海,无边无涯,

I thought of the sunsets in the desert
我想到沙漠里的落日

with their deep, rich reds and glorious golds.
深沉而壮丽的红色与耀目的金色交织

I thought of the endless variety of animals
我想到无穷无尽的动物多样性

from green hummingbirds,
从绿色的蜂鸟

to white polar bears,
到白色的北极熊

to red cardinals,
红色的凤头鸟

to gray wolves,
灰色的狼

to blinking lightening bugs.
还有一闪一闪亮晶晶的小虫子

I thought of the silver moon
我想到银色的月亮

smiling down from the sky
从天上向我们微笑

surrounded by a sea of stars.
周围围绕着星海

Yet,
诚然

I knew that
我知道

it wasn’t the beauty of any of these things that would save the world.
能够拯救世界的并不是上述这些美好事物中的任何一种

It was instead the beauty of human souls filled with light and love.
而是人类的灵魂之美,是人性中的光和爱

It was these souls so full of love for life,
正是这些灵魂,充满对生命的爱意

for each other,
对彼此的爱

and for this world
对世界的爱

that would save our planet.
是这样的灵魂才能拯救我们的世界

It was the love working through people like these
爱在这样的人心里流淌

that would in the end make this world the place it was truly meant to be.
最终让世界成为它本应成为的模样

My friend who sent me the card is one of these people.
那位将这张卡片送给我的朋友正是这样的人

She, her husband and her family are going through so many struggles right now.
她,连同她的丈夫和朋友如今正经历种种艰难困苦

Still, she continues to share her love
但是,她仍然会播撒自己的爱

and make this world a better place every single day.
每天都在努力让世界成为更好的地方

She continues to work to save our home
她一直致力于守卫我们的家园

by giving it the beauty of her soul.
用她内心的美让这里成为更美好的地方

She continues to shine her light.
她还在分享自己的灵魂之光

May we all do the same.
希望我们都会如此