Excitement and pride filled my heart as I heard the deandean n.(大学)院长， 主持牧师 announce that I had graduated with “highest honors”， been elected to Phi Beta Kappa， and been chosen as one of 12 Deans Distinguished Graduates out of 1600 in the College of Liberal Arts.
The overwhelmingoverwhelming adj.无法抵抗的 emotions and feelings that I experienced at that very moment， when most of the audience gave me a standing ovation， I felt would never again be matched in my life—not even when I graduated with a masters degree in social work and not even when I became employed full time at the Texas Pain and Stress Center.
1986年6月的某个午后，阳光明媚。我吃力地登上台阶，接受德克萨斯大学迪安文学院授予我的毕业证。那一刻，我想起了父亲的话，想起了汤姆、父亲以及沙伦，还有他们给予我的无私支持。
院长宣布我以“最高荣誉”毕业，这令我无比的骄傲和自豪。接着他还宣布我被选入美国大学优等生荣誉学会，并在1600名毕业生中当选为12名迪安文学院的杰出毕业生之一。
台下顿时爆发出雷鸣般的掌声，当时的场面让我心潮澎湃、思绪万千。我甚至觉得这种特殊的时刻此生不会再有，这种想法一直延续到我获得社会学的硕士学位，成为得克萨斯止痛减压中心的一名全职工作人员。但幸运之神再次眷顾了我！
On May 24， 1987， I realized that nothing could ever match the joy I felt as Sharon and I were married. Sharon， my high school sweetheart of nine years， had always stood by me， through good and bad times.
To me， Sharon is my miracle， my diamond in a world filled with problems， hurt， and pain. It was Sharon who dropped out of school when I was hurt so that she could constantly be at my side. She never waveredwaver vi.摇摆， 颤抖， 摆动， 摇曳， 犹豫 or gave up on me.
It was her faith and love that pulled me through so many dark days. While other nineteen year old girls were going to parties and enjoying life， Sharon devoted her life to my recoveryrecovery n.恢复， 痊愈， 防御. That， to me， is the true definition of love.
After our beautiful wedding I continued working part time at the Pain Center and completed my work for a masters degree. We were extremely happy， but even happier when we learned Sharon was pregnant.
1987年5月24日，我和沙伦结婚了，再没有比这更让人快乐的了。从上高中起，沙伦就是我的女友了，到现在已经9年了。无论发生了什么，她都一直陪在我身旁。
对我而言，沙伦就是奇迹，是钻石，让我有勇气面对这个充满困惑和伤痛的世界。为了能日夜守候在我的身旁，沙伦在我受伤的时候放弃了学业。她的爱从未动摇过，她从未抛弃过我。
是她的忠诚和爱伴着我度过了无数个黑暗的日子。当别的19岁的女孩子参加舞会、享受生活的时候，沙伦把青春献给了病床上的我，等待我的康复。对我来说，这就是爱的真谛。
举行完美妙的婚礼，我在止痛中心继续做兼职，并取得了硕士学位。我们非常恩爱，而沙伦怀孕的消息更让我们幸福。
On July 11， 1990 at 12：15 a.m. Sharon woke me with the news： “We need to go to the hospital， my water just broke.” I couldnt help but think how ironicironic adj.说反话的， 讽刺的 it was that my life almost ended in a convenience store and now on the date “711” we were about to bring a new life into this world. This time it was my turn to help Sharon as she had helped me over those past years.
She was in labor for 15 hours. At 3：10 p.m. Sharon and I experienced the birth of our beautiful daughter， Shawn Elyse Segal！
Tears of joy and happiness came to my eyes as our healthy， alert， wonderful daughter entered this world. We anxiously counted her 10 fingers and her 10 toes and watched her wide eyes take in the world about her.
It was truly a beautiful picture that was etched in my mind forever as she lie in her mothers waiting arms， just minutes after her birth. At that moment I thanked God for blessing us with the greatest miracle of all—Shawn Elyse Segal.
1990年7月11日12点15分，沙伦叫醒了我：“我们得去医院了…… 我羊水破了。”我不禁感叹造化弄人，它几乎让我在那家便利店里丢了性命，而在一个命名为“7·11”的日子里它却让我迎来新生命的出世。多年来沙伦帮我度过了一次又一次难关，这次该我来帮助她了。
沙伦在产房待了15个小时。3点10分的时候，我们一起迎来了我们美丽的女儿——萧恩·艾丽斯·斯高。
当看到美丽的女儿健康地来到这个世上，喜悦和幸福化作泪水夺眶而出。我们迫不及待地数着她的十个手指和十只脚趾，看着她大大的眼睛注视着她的世界。
一幅迷人的画面将永远留在我的心间：刚刚出生的小宝宝，安静地躺在妈妈怀里。那一刻，我感谢上帝赐予我们如此最伟大的奇迹——我们的萧恩·艾丽斯·斯高。
我们看到了一位不屈不挠的年轻人，看到了一段催人奋发的奋斗史，看到了一个爱意浓浓的家庭的组合过程。让我们为之鼓掌喝彩吧。
幸福是什么？幸福是真心的爱。任时间匆匆滑过，我们将爱进行到底，难到当你看到这一家充满甜蜜的奋斗，你还不明白吗？爱有多远，幸福就有多长。
