Always I want to place at the top of my list of acknowledg-ments That Which Is All Things, and which is the Source of all things, including this book. Some of you choose to call that God, as do I, yet it matters not what name you give The Source. It was, is, and always will be The Source Forever, and even forever more.

Second, I want to acknowledge that I had wonderful par-ents, through whom God’s sourcing of life itself, and so many of my life’s most important rememberings, flowed. Taken together, my Mom and Dad were a terrific team. Not every-body who looked on from the sidelines may have agreed, but the two of them were very clear about that. They called each other “Pest” and “Poison.” Mom said Dad was a “pest,” and Dad said Mom was a “poison” he could not resist.

My mother, Anne, was an extraordinary person; a woman of endless compassion², of deep understanding, of quiet and unending forgiveness, of seemingly limitless giving, of ongoing³ patience, of soft wisdom, and of an abiding⁴ faith in God so strong that, moments before her death, the new, young priest who had administered to her the final rites⁵ of the Roman Catholic Church (and who was clearly nervous) came to me from her bedside trembling with admiration⁶. “My God,” he whispered, “she was comforting me.”

It is the highest tribute to Mom to say that I wasn’t surprised by that.

My father, Alex, had few of the graces of gentler beings. He was blustery, gruff, he could be embarrassingly abrasive⁷, and there are those who say he was often cruel, particularly to my mother. I am not willing to judge him for that (or anything else). My mother refused to judge or condemn⁸ him (quite to the contrary, praising him even with her last words), and I cannot imagine how it serves me to ignore her clear example by sinking beneath it.

Besides, Dad had a huge pile of enormously positive traits, traits of which my Mother never lost sight. These included an unwav-ering belief in the indomitability of the human spirit, and a deep clarity that conditions which needed to be changed were not changed by complaining about them, but by leadership. He taught me that I could do anything I set my mind to. He was a man upon whom his wife and family could, and did, depend until the very end. He was the absolute embodiment of

点击收听单词发音  

1 ken
n.视野，知识领域
参考例句：
Such things are beyond my ken.我可不懂这些事。 Abstract words are beyond the ken of children.抽象的言辞超出小孩所理解的范围.

2 compassion
n.同情，怜悯
参考例句：
He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。 Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

3 ongoing
adj.进行中的，前进的
参考例句：
The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。 The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 abiding
adj.永久的，持久的，不变的
参考例句：
He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。 He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

5 rites
仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 )
参考例句：
to administer the last rites to sb 给某人举行临终圣事 He is interested in mystic rites and ceremonies. 他对神秘的仪式感兴趣。

6 admiration
n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕
参考例句：
He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。 We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 abrasive
adj.使表面磨损的；粗糙的；恼人的
参考例句：
His abrasive manner has won him an unenviable notoriety.他生硬粗暴的态度让他声名狼藉。 She had abrasions to her wrists where the abrasive rope had scraped her.她的手腕有多出磨伤，那是被粗糙的绳子擦伤的。

8 condemn
vt.谴责，指责；宣判(罪犯)，判刑
参考例句：
Some praise him,whereas others condemn him.有些人赞扬他，而有些人谴责他。 We mustn't condemn him on mere suppositions.我们不可全凭臆测来指责他。

9 loyalty
n.忠诚，忠心
参考例句：
She told him the truth from a sense of loyalty.她告诉他真相是出于忠诚。 His loyalty to his friends was never in doubt.他对朋友的一片忠心从来没受到怀疑。

10 odds
n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别
参考例句：
The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。 Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

11 supreme
adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的
参考例句：
It was the supreme moment in his life.那是他一生中最重要的时刻。 He handed up the indictment to the supreme court.他把起诉书送交最高法院。

12 unconditional
adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的
参考例句：
The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。 My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。

13 makers
n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）
参考例句：
The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。 The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 treasury
n.宝库；国库，金库；文库
参考例句：
The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。 This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

15 culmination
n.顶点；最高潮
参考例句：
The space race reached its culmination in the first moon walk.太空竞争以第一次在月球行走而达到顶峰。 It may truly be regarded as the culmination of classical Greek geometry.这确实可以看成是古典希腊几何的登峰造级之作。

16 gene
n.遗传因子，基因
参考例句：
A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。 The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

17 sterling
adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑)
参考例句：
Could you tell me the current rate for sterling, please?能否请您告诉我现行英国货币的兑换率？ Sterling has recently been strong,which will help to abate inflationary pressures.英国货币最近非常坚挺，这有助于减轻通胀压力。

18 generosity
n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为
参考例句：
We should match their generosity with our own.我们应该像他们一样慷慨大方。 We adore them for their generosity.我们钦佩他们的慷慨。

19 jealousies
n.妒忌( jealousy的名词复数 )；妒羡
参考例句：
They were divided by mutual suspicion and jealousies. 他们因为相互猜疑嫉妒而不和。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》 I am tired of all these jealousies and quarrels. 我厌恶这些妒忌和吵架的语言。 来自辞典例句

20 boundless
adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的
参考例句：
The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。 His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

21 wondrous
adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地
参考例句：
The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。 We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

22 excellence
n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德
参考例句：
His art has reached a high degree of excellence.他的艺术已达到炉火纯青的地步。 My performance is far below excellence.我的表演离优秀还差得远呢。

23 courageously
ad.勇敢地，无畏地
参考例句：
Under the correct leadership of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, the army and civilians in flooded areas fought the floods courageously, reducing the losses to the minimum. 在中共中央、国务院的正确领导下，灾区广大军民奋勇抗洪，把灾害的损失减少到了最低限度。 He fought death courageously though his life was draining away. 他虽然生命垂危，但仍然勇敢地与死亡作斗争。

24 banal
adj.陈腐的，平庸的
参考例句：
Making banal remarks was one of his bad habits.他的坏习惯之一就是喜欢说些陈词滥调。 The allegations ranged from the banal to the bizarre.从平淡无奇到离奇百怪的各种说法都有。

25 discourse
n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述
参考例句：
We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。 He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

26 constructively
ad.有益的，积极的
参考例句：
Collecting, by occupying spare time so constructively, makes a person contented, with no time for boredom. 如此富有意义地利用业余时间来进行收藏，会使人怡然自得，无暇烦恼。 The HKSAR will continue to participate constructively in these activities. 香港会继续积极参与这些活动。

27 upheaval
n.胀起，(地壳)的隆起；剧变，动乱
参考例句：
It was faced with the greatest social upheaval since World War Ⅱ.它面临第二次世界大战以来最大的社会动乱。 The country has been thrown into an upheaval.这个国家已经陷入动乱之中。