愛是治愈傷痛的良藥

I believe in the ingredients[成分] of love， the elements from which it is made. I believe in love’s humble[謙遜的]， practical components[成分] and their combined power.

We adopted[收養] Luke four years ago. The people from the orphanage[孤兒院] dropped him off at our hotel room without even saying goodbye. He was nearly six years old， only 28 pounds and his face was crisscrossed[交叉的] with scars. Clearly， he was terrified.“What are his favorite things?” I yelled.“Noodles，” they replied as the elevator[電梯] door shut.

Luke kicked and screamed. I stood between him and the door to keep him from bolting[門栓]. His cries were anguished[痛苦的]， animal-like. He had never seen a mirror and tried to escape by running through one. I wound my arms around him so he could not hit or kick. After an hour and a half he finally fell asleep， exhausted[疲憊的]. I called room service. They delivered every noodle dish on the menu. Luke woke up， looked at me and started sobbing[濕透的] again. I handed him chopsticks[筷子] and pointed at the food. He stopped crying and started to eat. He ate until I was sure he would be sick[嘔吐的].

That night we went for a walk. Delighted at the moon， he pantomimed[打手勢]， “What is it?” I said， “The moon， it’s the moon.” He reached up and tried to touch it. He cried again when I tried to give him a bath until I started to play with the water. By the end of his bath the room was soaked[浸濕的] and he was giggling[傻笑]. I lotioned[涂（藥）洗劑] him up， powdered him down and clothed him in soft PJs[=pajamas，睡衣]. We read the book One Yellow Lion. He loved looking at the colorful pictures and turning the pages. By the end of the night he was saying， “One yellow lion.” The next day we met orphanage officials to do paperwork. Luke was on my lap[膝] as they filed into the room. He looked at them and wrapped my arms tightly around his waist[腰].

He was a sad， shy boy for a long time after those first days. He cried easily and withdrew at the slightest provocation[激怒]. He hid food in his pillowcase[枕頭套] and foraged[翻尋] in garbage cans. I wondered then if he would ever get over the wounds of neglect[忽視] that the orphanage had beaten into[灌輸給] him.

It has been four years. Luke is a smart， funny， happy fourth-grader. He is loaded with charm and is a natural athlete. His teachers say he is well-behaved and works very hard. Our neighbor says she has never seen a happier kid.

When I think back， I am amazed at what transformed this abused， terrified little creature. It was not therapy[治療]， counselors[顧問] or medications[藥物]. It did not cost money， require connections or great privilege[特權]. It was love: just simple， plain， easy to give. Love is primal[根本的]. It is comprised of compassion， care， security[安全]， and a leap of faith. I believe in the power of love to transform. I believe in the power of love to heal.

我堅信愛的成分，愛正是來源于這些成分。我堅信愛的謙遜、實用以及兩者結合起來產生的力量。

四年前，我們收養了盧克。孤兒院的人把他丟到我們旅館的房間里，甚至連一聲“再見”都沒有說。他快六歲了，只有28磅（即12.7公斤）重，臉上傷疤累累。顯然，他很害怕。“他喜歡什么？”我叫道。“面條，”他們答道，電梯門一把關上了。

盧克一直踢打叫喊著。我站在他和門之間防止他拉開門栓。他的嘶喊充滿痛苦，就像獸嚎一般。他從沒見過鏡子，還想從那里穿過去。我摟住他以免他又踢又打。一個半小時后，他終于累得睡著了。我叫了客房服務。他們拿來了菜單上所有的面條料理。盧克醒了，他看了看我又開始抽泣起來。我遞給他筷子，指向食物。他止住了哭泣，開始吃起來。他不停地吃，我敢說他一定會吃到吐。

那晚我們一起散步。他見到月光很高興，便打手勢問我：“那是什么？”我答道：“月亮，那是月亮。”于是他伸出手去夠。當我要給他洗澡時，他又哭了，一直哭到我和他玩水才停下來。他洗完澡后，整個房間都是濕的，他笑了。我扶他起來，給他抹藥涂粉，穿上柔軟的睡衣。我們一起看《一頭黃獅子》，他喜歡翻著書頁看那些彩圖。睡覺前他一直在說：“一頭黃獅子。”

第二天，我們去見孤兒院的人辦手續。他們走進房間時，盧克坐在我的腿上。他盯著那些人，用我的胳膊緊緊地環抱著自己的腰。

從最初相識到后來很長一段時間，他一直是個悲傷怯懦的孩子。別人稍稍生氣，他就會哭起來，嚇得縮成一團。他把食物藏在枕頭底下，還在垃圾桶里翻東西。我也不知道他能否從孤兒院的冷漠帶給他的傷痛中解脫出來。

到現在已經過了四年。盧克上四年級了，他聰明、幽默又快樂，長成了一個魅力十足的孩子，很有體育天分。老師說他很有禮貌，學習刻苦。鄰居說她從沒見過這么快樂的孩子。

回首當年，我驚訝地明白了是什么改變了這個遭到虐待、充滿恐懼的小家伙。不是治療，也不是心理咨詢，更不是藥物。它無需花費金錢，也不需要什么人脈或者特權。是愛——只需要付出簡單而平實的愛。愛是根本。它由同情、關心、保護和信念組成。我堅信愛可以令人轉變。我堅信愛可以治愈傷痛。