这是一个令人心酸的故事，每个人都有权憧景新的生活，但年仅八岁的Philip除外，因为他缺乏憧憬未来的必要条件——一个健康鲜活的生命，所以看看他的new life愿望吧，你一定被会为你的幸福感动得。

He was 9—in a Sunday school class of 8-year-olds. Eight-year-olds can be cruel.

The third-graders did not welcome Philip to their group. Not just because he was older. He was “different.” He suffered from Down’s syndrome¹ and its obvious manifestation²s: facial characteristics, slow responses, symptoms of retardation⁴.

One Sunday after Easter the Sunday school teacher gathered some of those plastic eggs that pull apart in the middle—the kind in which some ladies’ pantyhose are packaged.

The Sunday school teacher gave one of these plastic eggs to each child.　

On that beautiful spring day each child was to go outdoors and discover for himself some symbol of “new life” and place that symbolic⁵ seed or leaf or whatever inside his egg.

They would then open their eggs one by one, and each youngster would explain how his find was a symbol of “new life.”

So …

The youngsters gathered 'round on the appointed day and put their eggs on a table, and the teacher began to open them.

One child had found a flower. All the children “oohed” and “aahed” at the lovely symbol of new life. In another was a butterfly. “Beautiful,” the girls said. And it’s not easy for an 8-year-old to say “beautiful.”

Another egg was opened to reveal a rock. Some of the children laughed. “That’s crazy!” one said. “How’s a rock supposed to be like a ‘new life’?”

Immediately the little boy spoke⁶ up and said, “That’s mine. I knew everybody would get flowers and leaves and butterflies and all that stuff, so I got a rock to be different.

Everyone laughed.

The teacher opened the last one, and there was nothing inside.

“That’s not fair,” someone said. “That’s stupid,” said another.

Teacher felt a tug⁷ on his shirt. It was Philip. Looking up he said, “It’s mine. I did do it. It’s empty. I have new life because the tomb is empty.”

The class fell silent.

From that day on Philip became part of the group. They welcomed him. Whatever had made him different was never mentioned again.

Philip’s family had known he would not live a long life; just too many things wrong with the tiny body. That summer, overcome with infection, Philip died.

On the day of his funeral nine 8-year-old boys and girls confronted the reality of death and marched up to the altar—not with flower. Nine children with their Sunday school teacher placed on the casket of their friend their gift of love—an empty egg.

 

Note

Down’s syndrome: n. 先天愚型；伸舌样白痴        
manifestation: n. 显示, 表现              retardation: n. 延迟　　　
Easter: n. 复活节　　　                      pull apart:　v.　撕开   
reveal: vt. 展现, 显示, 揭示, 暴露          tomb: n. 坟墓
altar: n. 祭坛                                      casket: n.  <美>棺材

Questions:
1. Why didn't the the third-graders like Philip?
2. What's the Philip's "new life" wish?

The answers of last week are:
1. It will die.
2. hold hands and stick together.

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