佚名/Anonymous
Thomas Carlyle lived from 1795 until 1881.He was a Scot essayist and historian.During his lifetime he became one of the worlds greatest writers.But he was a human and humans make mistakes.
On October 17，1826，Carlyle married his secretary Jane Welsh.She was an intelligent,attractive and somewhat temperamental daughter of a well-to-do doctor.They had their quarrels and misunderstandings,but still loved each other dearly.
After their marriage,Jane continued to serve as his secretary.But,after several years of marriage,Jane became ill.Being a hard worker,Carlyle became so absorbed in his writings that he let Jane continue working for several weeks after she became ill.She had cancer,and though it was one of the slow growing kind,she finally became confined to her bed.Although Carlyle loved her dearly,he very seldom found time to stay with her long.He was busy with his work.
When Jane died they carried her to the cemetery for the service.The day was a miserable day.It was raining hard and the mud was deep.Following the funeral Carlyle went back to his home.He was taking it pretty hard.He went up the stairs to Janes room and sat down in the chair next to her bed.He sat there thinking about how little time he had spent with her and wishing so much he had a chance to do it differently.Noticing her diary on a table beside the bed,he picked it up and began to read it.Suddenly he seemed shocked.He saw it.There,on one page,she had written a single line.“Yesterday he spent an hour with me and it was like heaven,I love him so.”
Something dawned on him that he had not noticed before.He had been too busy to notice that he meant so much to her.He thought of all the times he had gone about his work without thinking about and noticing her.Then Carlyle turned the page in the diary.There he noticed she had written some words that broke his heart.“I have listened all day to hear his steps in the hall,but now it is late and I guess he wont come today.”
Carlyle read a little more in the book.Then he threw it down and ran out of the house.Some of his friends found him at the grave,his face buried in the mud.His eyes were red from weeping.Tears continued to roll down his cheeks.He kept repeating over and over again,“If I had only known,if I had only known.”But it was too late for Carlyle.She was dead.
After Janes death,Carlyle made little attempt to write again.The historian says he lived another 15 years,“weary,bored and a partial recluse.”I share the story with in the hope that you will not make the same mistake.While our loved ones must have the money we make to live,it is the love we have that they really want.Give it now before it is too late.
托馬斯·卡萊爾生於1795年，卒於1881年，是蘇格蘭散文家和曆史學家。他為寫作事業傾盡畢生精力，最終成為世界最偉大的作家之一。但他畢竟是個凡人，是凡人就難免要犯錯誤。
1826年10月17日，卡萊爾和他的秘書簡·威爾斯喜結良緣。簡出生在一個富裕的醫師之家，她聰慧、迷人，就是有時脾氣壞點兒。夫妻倆雖然有時會發生爭吵和誤解，但感情還是不錯的。
婚後，簡仍做卡萊爾的秘書。幾年後，簡病了，但仍帶病工作。由於卡萊爾全身心地投入寫作，便也沒有勸阻簡。簡患的是癌症，雖然病情發展很慢，但最終她還是倒下了。盡管卡萊爾深愛著簡，但因一直忙於工作，很少能有時間陪她。
簡去世了，親朋好友都來參加了葬禮。那是個令人悲痛的日子。天下著傾盆大雨，道路泥濘不堪。回到家，卡萊爾的心情異常沉重。他上樓來到簡的房間，坐在她床邊的椅子上。想到自己很少抽時間陪愛妻，不禁後悔至極，恨不得時間能夠倒流。他看到簡的一本日記在床頭桌上放著，便順手拿起來看。他震驚了，他看到她這樣寫道：“昨天他陪了我一個小時，我感受到了天堂般的幸福，我真喜歡他總這樣。”
他意識到自己忽略了很多。一直以來他都把精力投入到工作中，竟全然不知對於妻子來說自己是多麽的重要。他想起了那些埋頭工作，置妻子於不顧的日子。翻看著簡的日記，幾句令他心碎的話映入眼簾，“我一整天都在傾聽，期望大廳能傳來他的腳步聲，但是現在已經很晚了，我想今天他不會來了。”
卡萊爾又讀了一會兒，然後扔掉日記本，衝出了房間。朋友們在墓地找到他時，他滿臉泥漿，眼睛哭得紅腫，淚水還不停地從臉龐滑過，他反複念叨著：“假如當初我知道就好了，假如當初我知道就好了……”但為時已晚，簡已永遠離他而去。
簡死後，卡萊爾很少再嚐試去創作了。這位曆史學家說，在妻子死後的15年，他的生活完全變了個樣，生活對於他來說隻是“苦悶、無聊與孤寂”。我把這個故事講給大家，是希望你們不要重蹈覆轍。愛人是需要我們去努力工作賺錢的，但他們更需要我們的愛。不失時機地去關愛你所愛的人吧。
心靈小語
大家都知道，這世界上是沒有後悔藥賣的，但是還是有那麽多人總是做後悔的事。每每都到失去以後才懂得珍惜。其實，我們本沒有那麽忙，每天隻需抽出一點點時間，就可以讓家人感受到你的愛。
詞匯筆記
essayist[eseiist]n.散文作家
Bacon was a famous essayist.
培根是著名的散文家。
historian[hist?:ri?n]n.曆史學家
A good historian must have an academic mind.
出色的曆史學家須有學術頭腦。
miserable[miz?r?bl]adj.悲慘的；痛苦的
Why do you look so miserable?
你怎麽看上去悶悶不樂的？
funeral[fju:n?r?l]n.葬禮
A funeral is a melancholy occasion.
葬儀是令人悲哀的場合。
小試身手
他畢竟是個凡人，是凡人就難免要犯錯誤。
昨天他陪了我一個小時，我感受到了天堂般的幸福，我真喜歡他總這樣。
愛人是需要我們去努力工作賺錢的，但他們更需要我們的愛。
短語家族
Noticing her diary on a table beside the bed,he picked it up and began to read it.
on a table：在桌子上
He thought of all the times he had gone about his work without thinking about and noticing her.
think of：想到（考慮；想象；設想；打算；出主意）