人生不设限·我不必变得“正常”，只要做“我自己”
I'll concede that for a long time I did not believe that I had any power over how my own story would turn out. I struggled to understand what difference I could make in the world or what path I should take. I was convinced while growing up that there was nothing good about my abbreviated body. Sure, I never had to get up from the dinner table because I hadn't washed my hands, and yes, I'd never known the pain of a stubbed toe, but these few benefits didn't seem like much consolation.
我弟弟和妹妹及那些疯狂的堂兄弟姐妹永远不会让我陷入自怜状态。他们不会宠我，而是照我本来的样子接纳我，但也会耍我、整我，让我变得坚强，这样我才能在自己的境况中保持幽默感，而不是沉溺于苦涩。
My brother and sister and my crazy cousins never let me feel sorry for myself. They never coddled me. They accept me for who I am, yet they also toughened me up with their teasing and pranks so that I could find humor instead of bitterness in my circumstances.
我的堂兄弟姐妹会在大卖场指着我大叫：“看看那个坐在轮椅上的小孩，他是个外星人耶!”然后我们会看着陌生人莫名所以的反应，一起笑得歇斯底里。这些路人不知道这个肢障孩子跟那些对着他指指点点的小孩，根本是同一国的。
"Look at that kid in the wheelchair! He's an alien," my cousins would scream across the shopping mall, pointing at me. We all laughed hysterically at the reactions from strangers who had no idea that the kids picking on the disabled boy were really his strongest allies.
年纪愈大我愈了解到，可以被这样爱着，是个多么棒的礼物。或许有时你会觉得孤单，但你要知道，你也是被爱着的，而且上帝创造你就是出于爱，所以你永远不会是孤单一人。当你感到孤独、沮丧时，请提醒自己，上帝对你的爱是无条件的，他永远都爱你。要记住，那些感觉就只是感觉，它们不是真的，但上帝的爱是真实的，他创造了你，就是为了证明他的爱。
The older I become, the more I realize what a powerful gift it is to be loved like that. Even if at times you feel alone, you should know that you are loved too and recognize that God created you out of love. Therefore you are never alone. His love for you is unconditional. He doesn't love you if . . . He loves you always. Remind yourself of that when feelings of loneliness and despair come over you. Remember, those are just feelings. They are not real, but God's love is so real that He created you to prove it.
在内心深处持有上帝的爱是非常重要的，因为你有时会很脆弱。我的大家庭不可能永远保护我，一旦去上学，我与众不同的样子就无所遁形了。虽然爸爸向我保证，上帝在创造时从不失手，但有时我也难免会想，我该不会就是那个例外吧?
It is important to hold His love in your heart because there will be times when you feel vulnerable. My big family couldn't always be there to protect me. Once I went off to school, there was no hiding that I was so very different from everyone else. My dad assured me that God didn't make mistakes, but at times I couldn't shake the feeling that I was the exception to that rule.
我问上帝：“为什么你不能给我一只手?想想看，有了一只手，我能做多少事啊!”我相信你也曾经祷告或祈求生命出现某种戏剧性的转变。如果此刻你所期望的奇迹还没出现，或者愿望尚未实现，你无须焦虑——请记住：天助自助者。要不要继续发挥所长，努力追求人生的最高目的和梦想，完全取决于你。
Why couldn't You give me just one arm?" I'd ask God. "Think what I could do with one arm!" I'm sure you've had similar moments when you've prayed or simply wished for a dramatic change in your life. There is no reason to panic if your miracle doesn't arrive, or if your wish doesn't come true right this minute. Remember, God helps those who help themselves. It's still up to you to keep striving to serve the highest purpose for your talents and your dreams in the world around you.
长久以来我一直在想，假如我的身体可以“正常”一点，那人生可就轻松多了。但我不了解的是，我不必变得“正常”，我只要做“我自己”，做我爸爸的小孩，实现上帝的计划就可以了。刚开始，我不愿正视这个事实：错的并不是我的身体，而是我对自己的人生设限，因而限制了我的视野，看不到生命的种种可能。
For the longest time I thought that if my body were more "normal," my life would be a breeze. What I didn't realize was that I didn't have to be normal—I just had to be me, my father's child, carrying out God's plan. At first I was not willing to confront that what was really wrong with me wasn't my body, it was the limits I put on myself and my limited vision of the possibilities for my life.
如果你还没走到你想要的境界，或是还没实现自己的希望，主要原因很可能出在你身上，而不是你的周遭。负起责任、采取行动吧。然而，首先，你必须相信自己，相信自己的价值，不能躲起来干等别人发现你，也不能坐等奇迹或“时来运转”。请想象世界是一锅热汤，而你是一支棍棒——搅动起来吧!
If you aren't where you want to be or you haven't achieved all you hope to achieve, the reason most likely resides not around you but within you. Take responsibility and then take action. First, though, you must believe in yourself and your value. You can't wait for others to discover your hiding place. You can't wait for that miracle or "just the right opportunity." You should consider yourself the stick and the world your pot of stew. Stir it up.
当我还是个小男孩时，我的睡前祷告常常是祈求有四肢。我会哭着上床，然后期待第二天一早起来身上就奇迹似的出现手和脚——当然，这种奇迹永远不会发生。而因为无法接受自己，第二天去上学时我就发现，要让别人接纳我，也很困难。
As a boy, I spent many nights praying for limbs. I'd go to sleep crying and dream that I'd wake up to find they had miraculously appeared. It never happened, of course. Because I did not accept myself, I went off to school the next day and as a result found that acceptance from others was hard to come by.
就像大部分的孩子一样，十二三岁以前的我比较容易受到伤害，这个年纪的小孩总是在烦恼自己是谁、未来在哪里、如何融入周遭生活。那些伤害我的孩子不是存心使坏，只是个性大大咧咧罢了。
Like most kids, I was more vulnerable in my pre-teen years, that time when everyone is trying to figure out where they fit in, who they are, and what the future holds. Often those who hurt me didn't set out to be cruel; they were just being typically blunt kids.
“你为什么没手没脚啊?”他们会这么问。
"Why don't you have arms and legs?" they'd ask.
我像其他同学一样渴望融入人群。心情愉快时，我用机智、风趣让大家服气，开自己玩笑、在操场上把身体甩来甩去;难受时，我会躲在树丛后面或空荡荡的教室里，免得被人伤害或嘲弄。问题有一部分出在我和成年人及堂哥堂姐相处的时间比和同龄小孩多，所以观点较成熟，而我那些比较严肃的念头，有时会让我变得悲观、阴郁。
My desire to fit in was the same as for any of my classmates. On my good days I won them over with my wit, my willingness to poke fun at myself, and by throwing my body around on the playground. On my worst days I hid behind the shrubbery or in empty classrooms to avoid being hurt or mocked. Part of the problem was that I'd spent more time with adults and older cousins than with kids my own age. I had a more mature outlook, and my more serious thoughts sometimes took me into dark places.
永远不会有女孩爱上我，我甚至无法牵女朋友的手。如果我有小孩，我也永远没办法抱他们。我能做什么工作?谁会雇用我?对大部分的工作来说，雇用我等于还得雇用第二个人来协助我做我该做的事——谁会用两份薪水请人来做一人份的工作?
I'll never get a girl to love me. I don't even have arms to hold a girlfriend. If I have children, I'll never be able to hold them either. What sort of job could I ever have? Who would hire me? For most jobs, they'd have to hire a second person just to help me do what I was supposed to do. Who would ever hire one for the price of two?
我面对的挑战主要是生理上的，但很显然，这也影响了我的情绪。我小时候经历过一段可怕的沮丧期，接着，当我进入青春期，我逐渐被接受——首先是我自己接受自己，然后是他人的接纳。对此，我总是感到惊讶与感谢。
My challenges were mostly physical, but clearly they affected me emotionally as well. I went through a very scary period of depression at a young age. Then, to my everlasting shock and gratitude, as I moved into my teen years, I gradually won acceptance, first from myself and then from others.
每个人都有过被排斥、孤立、得不到爱的经历，这时都会心有不安。大多数孩子担心自己因为鼻子太大或头发太卷而被人嘲笑，大人则担心无法支付账单，或者不能达到期望。
Everyone goes through times when they feel excluded, alienated, or unloved. We all have our insecurities. Most kids fear they'll be mocked because their noses are too big or their hair is too curly. Adults fear that they won't be able to pay the bills or that they will fail to live up to expectations.
你会有怀疑、害怕的时刻，我们都有。情绪低落是很自然的，是人就会这样，但如果你让这类负面感受逡巡不去，而不是不动于心，那就危险了。
You will face moments of doubt and fear. We all do. Feeling down is natural; it is part of being perfectly human. Such feelings pose a danger only if you allow negative thoughts to stick around instead of just letting them wash over you.
当你相信自己拥有可以与人分享的恩赐——你的天赋、知识和爱时，就会展开自我接纳的旅程，即使你的才能还不是那么明显。一旦你开始以这样的姿态行走人生，其他人会发现你，并且与你同行。
When you trust that you have blessings—talents, knowledge, love—to share with others, you will begin the journey to self acceptance even if your gifts are not yet apparent. Once you begin that walk, others will find you and walk with you.
