P.S.與Tom的往來中斷了3年,1980年再度聯絡上
謝謝妳的聖誕卡片, 我的眼睛充滿了喜悅的淚水。那是真的,我從沒有忘記妳,我從沒有忘記我有多麼愛妳,我也很高興你從沒有忘記我.昨天我收到妳的卡片,一整個晚上我的眼睛充滿了喜悅的淚水,
這份喜樂盈溢我的心,妳的卡片是我曾收到中最好的聖誕禮物。我愛妳,我將在禱告中永遠紀念妳,我希望妳健康和快樂。
Thank you for the Christmas card. It brought tears of joy to my eyes, It is true. I never forgot you. I never forgot how much I love you. I am so happy you never forgot me. I got your card yesterday and tears of joy filled my eyes all night. The happiness your card brought me filled my heart until was ready to burst. Your card is the best Christmas present I ever got.
I will remember you always in my prayers, I wish you health and happiness. Please write to me
I love you
Tom
Dec. 12, 1980
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請原諒我沒有寫信給妳,這些年來我有許多辛苦的日子,我失去了錢財………
我想要告訴你很多關於我的事,我的生活已改變…..我已經長大成為一個男人……也許妳不喜歡現在的我.
我23歲,已大到足以成婚和組一個家庭,……我未婚,單獨住,並有一隻貓陪伴,許多時候我感到孤寂並常常想到妳,我希望妳不要經歷我所經歷的孤寂,我希望妳有許多親近的朋友.妳有丈夫和小孩嗎?
我住在水邊的小鎮,靠進長島海峽(the Long Island Sound)…..
請給我一封細細長長的信告訴我有關於妳和妳的生活…..
Dear Hsing-Yi,
Please forgive me for not writing to you. I have had many years of hard times. I ran out of money and could not send you any money to help you live. I was so ashamed I could not face you, even though it
is only in letters.
Since I last wrote a letter to you, I have graduated from college. I am working in a restaurant, which I am in charge of. My restaurant feeds many travelers. Business is good but sometimes it is not so good. When it is not so good I have to work extra hard.
Life is being good to me for the moment. I have enough to eat and sometimes there is enough to share a little with my friends. When I have extra I would like to share it with you, again. I cannot promise I will always have enough to share with you all the time. But when I do have enough I want to share it. Are you still being cared for by the Christian Children’s Fund? Can I send them money so they will give it to you so you can buy clothes and food?
Hsing-Yi, there is so much I would like to tell you about myself. My life has changed so much since I first wrote to you. I have grown into a man. I am not so foolish or silly as I was three years ago. Maybe You would not like me so much now.
I am twenty-three years old. I am old enough to marry and start my own family. Eventhough I am old
enough to start my own family I have not. I am not married. I live by myself and I have one cat for company. Many times I am lonely and I think of you often. I hope you do not go through the loneliness I go through. I hope you have many friends who are close. Do you have a husband and children?
Did I ever tell you about where I live? I live in a small town by the water. The name of the body of water I live near is the Long Island Sound. It is just like the ocean. My house is right on the shore. It is a beautiful place to live, especially in the summer when it is warm. Right now it is winter and it is cold. It is snowing outside right now. The snow is beautiful but cold. Does it get cold where you live? Does it snow?
Please write to me a nice long letter and tell me about you and your life. I will write to again soon.
I love you, Tom
Dec. 12,1980
p.s. Try to write to me in English. I will help you learn English.
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給TOM的回信
1981.1.26
Dear Tom,
I could not describe my joy when I got your letter. I was cried too. That card is very beautiful and I like it very much. How wondering I can get your letter! I though it could not reach your hands, so I prayed God. Thank God for making letter reach your hands and thank you too. I got your letter on January 10 (You had written December 12 1980). Because school was held examination ended, I could not write to you immediately. I had to have enough time to prepare examination. Right now it is winter holiday of school and I come back home.
In the past, I though of you often. Because I prepared examination of university, I didn’t have the time to write to you. Right now I have passed the Joint Entrance Examinations and become freshman. It is difficult for going to college or university in Taiwan. Thank God give me wisdom for passing the examination. Thank mother give me money to go to college. It needs a lot of money to go to college. I have enough to eat and buy beautiful clothes, but I don’t have money enough to pay educational expense.
I’m nineteen years old right now. I will be twenty on June 16 this year. Age of twenty represent growing up. I don’t marry. Most of the students don’t marry until her graduated from school here. Why do you not marry? There are three people in my family. They are my mother and old brother. My mother is fifty years old. My brother is twenty-four and he has just married. My father died about ten years ago. Do you have brother and sister? People need friendship, or he will be lonely. I feel lonely often. Especially I lack parental care from childhood. Mother work outside all day, so nobody keep me company. Right now I still fell lonely and I live by myself in day. Some times I feel sorrow for many things. The helpless, sorrow and loneliness filled my heart. But since I believed in God and I became happy. Jesus bring me safety as well as joy and is my the best friend. I have felt lonely no longer since I know Jesus loves me very much. It is excited for you to love me. To sum up, I am lucky and happy. Do you have the faith in God? Most of people don’t believe in Jesus in Taiwan. Many people believe in Buddhism and Taoism here. So do my mother and brother. I read the Bible when I am lonely.
The distance from Taiwan to Connecticut is half the earth. In the past, you never told me about where You live. What a beautiful place it is! I like there, especially I like the shore. In Taiwan the weather is very good and it never snows. In the summer it is hot and in the winter it is warm. I never see the snow. I long for seeing the snow one day. There are snows in the high mountain of Taiwan in the cold winter. I live in Tainan. Tainan is in the south of Taiwan. My school is located in Taichung. Taichung is in the middle of Taiwan. It take me two hours by train from Tainan to Taichung.
Thank you for sharing with me, again. I think I have grown so I shall help me. I don’t have been cared for by the Christian Children’s Fund since two years ago. I hope to receive your letter, eventhough you
don’t send money to help me live. Right now if I have the time, I will try to write to you in English often.
You are a very good young man. May you be happy.
There are three weeks in the winter holidays. I will go to college after three weeks.
Hsing-Yi
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