林榮峰 | Emily Lee
尺寸 | Size：36‘’ x 24’’
題目 | Title：困境中勇於面對 | Break Through Adversity
從身體的受苦到心靈的釋放
意想不到，只是穿著一雙涼鞋出門，一腳踢到不平的地方，整個人就重重地摔了下去，而且摔得不輕。
黃牙醫師一聽到消息，馬上要我去診所檢查。他仔仔細細地查看牙齒和口腔，把裡裡外外清洗乾淨，又讓我帶藥回家，安心休養，等三個星期後再回去補牙。
受傷之後，才發現自己身邊有這麼多愛。
貼心的好鄰居和姐妹們陸續送來我最愛吃的白斬雞、人參雞、青菜、蛋糕……把冰箱塞得滿滿的。最忙碌的當然是我的「牽手」，每天忙進忙出，替我跑腿，還無縫接軌地接下我在台灣會館的太極拳課，就是為了讓我不要張口講話，好好休息。
在家裡，我們有時忘了我的傷，自然而然又聊了起來，他一發現我開口，馬上停下來提醒我：「不要講話，多休息！」
回想跌倒的當天，我站起來時，一隻手緊緊壓住傷口止血，勉強走到會館。奕明會長馬上找出所有能用的急救用品，長輩會的芳枝會長也立刻發揮她護理專業的本領，在有限的工具下幫我把傷口清理乾淨，讓我可以平安走回家。
回家拿下OK繃一看，上唇的傷口竟裂成一個像「W」的形狀。我第一個念頭就是：趕快找兒子縫合，也許以後才不會留下疤痕！
偏偏兒子正在開一台大手術，完全聯絡不上。幸好黃牙醫師得知消息，立刻要我去檢查牙齒有沒有受到損傷。
後來才發現，除了外面的傷口，口腔裡上上下下都是瘀青，腫得厚厚的，連嘴巴都張不開，吞嚥也很困難，整片下巴更是一大片青紫。
兒子及時送來口服藥。我每天按時吃藥、睡覺，乖乖做一個聽話的病人。
但是，我每天的太極拳功夫仍然一定要做。我告訴自己，不能因為一次跌倒就把整個身體擊垮；我要保持雙腿有力，保持身體的生命力。每天，我也靠著禱告，求主幫助我一步一步恢復。
就在這個最突然、最狼狽的時刻，我接到了兒子的電話。
不久前，他才在全國整形外科年會中獲得兩項大獎——最佳臨床研究獎與最佳教練獎。除了獎金之外，每一個獎項還伴隨著六次到全國醫學院演講與教授技術的機會。
誰也沒有料到，NYU整形外科安排他的第一場演講與教學，竟然就在這個時候、就在紐約！
上帝竟把看似不可能的一切，變成了真的。
兒子因此有機會來陪伴我們一個下午。
他陪父親吃飯、聊天，也看著父親依舊忙得團團轉。先生晚年仍努力追逐自己的夢想，希望把一生投入的「氣學」研究整理成有數據、有系統、有理念、有設計，可以完整呈現的研究成果。他興奮地和兒子分享自己的構想，之後又一頭鑽回實驗裡忙碌，甚至沒有時間送兒子離開。
這就是他一貫的作風，孩子們早已習以為常。
而我，卻因此得到了一份意外的禮物——兒子有幾個小時可以安靜地陪著我。
我們母子聊了好多心裡的話。
從小，我們就是這樣心連著心。從教他認第一個字開始，他的啟蒙教育幾乎都是我親手帶出來的。
1966，60年前，我在Ohio念圖書館學，那段日子讀得非常辛苦。因為不是自己的本行，許多內容對我而言簡直像讀天書。我整天泡在圖書館裡，從古書、兒童圖畫書一直讀到成人書籍，每一類都要學習分析、寫書評，好不容易才把學位念完。
結婚以後，我又繼續讀研究所，後來因為懷孕待產而沒有完成。
有時候回頭想想，我會問自己：念了這麼多書，最後也沒有拿它來賺錢，是不是有點浪費？
先生總是安慰我：「不是這樣。妳把所學的一切，全都用在兩個孩子身上了。」
他還常常提醒我，千萬不要抹煞一件「大事」——兒子兩歲半就拿到了圖書館借書證！在我們心裡，那簡直是一項世界紀錄。
如今，看著兒子到了這個年紀，在媳婦全力的支持下，能夠無後顧之憂地繼續向上、繼續突破自己，我心裡有許多感觸，也趁著這難得的機會，把埋藏多年的一些心情告訴他。
我談起他的父親。
當年，你父親在台灣學習太極拳與「氣的管理」，回到美國之後，把原來行為實驗室裡的動物實驗，逐漸轉向人的行為模式，研究「氣」與人類行為之間的關係。
就在那段期間，他被選為心理系系主任。
九年的系主任生涯，是非常沉重的責任。那時的心理系是全校最大的系之一，分布在兩層樓，有五十多位教授，彼此之間長期缺少交流，氣氛緊繃。
他把自己對「氣的管理」的理解運用在行政與人際關係中，慢慢改變整個系裡的氣氛。原本彼此疏離、互相「受氣」的環境，開始有了交流與合作。在那樣複雜的學術環境裡，能產生這樣的改變，在我看來幾乎是一個奇蹟。
後來，他開始有機會向院長的位置發展。
院長的工作不只是校內行政，更需要走向外界、拓展人脈、為學校尋找資源。我也曾陪他參加大型餐會，認識不同領域的人。
可是回到家裡，我們兩個談了很久。
當時兩個孩子都正值大學階段。如果繼續往上走，我們整個家庭的生活方式勢必改變。我最後對他說：
「我希望你成為我們的好爸爸。將來，我們都會感謝你的。」
他最後選擇了家庭。
如今，孩子們早已長大，各自有了自己的家庭與事業。看著先生到了晚年，身體依然硬朗，還能自由自在地投入自己真正喜愛的研究，我心裡反而充滿喜悅。
我想：現在，終於輪到他的自由了。
他可以去追逐那個放在心中幾十年的夢，可以重新整理自己一生的研究，可以盡情揮灑。
兒子安靜地聽完我的這一席話，似乎也在那一天，更深地理解了自己的父親。
他終於明白，父親為什麼到了這個年紀，仍然保持著那份年輕、活力與熱情；他也完全理解並認同我當年的選擇。
時間過得真快。
幾個小時一下子就過去了。兒子安心地叫車去機場，臨走前約好，再過十天我們到Boston看他。他叮嚀我好好休息、好好養傷。
看著他離開，我心裡充滿感恩。
一次意外的跌倒，帶來疼痛、瘀傷與不便；然而，也正因為這場意外，我重新看見了鄰居的關懷、姐妹的愛、丈夫無微不至的照顧，也得到了一段意想不到、彌足珍貴的母子相聚。
更重要的是，我終於有機會把埋藏在心中多年的話，親口告訴兒子。
原來，有些事情發生的當下，我們只看見疼痛；走過之後才明白，在疼痛的背後，上帝也許早已預備了一份我們意想不到的禮物。
感謝主！這是多麼值得慶幸的一件事——祂竟把身體的受苦，提升成了心靈的釋放。
<2026-09-09>
From Physical Suffering to Spiritual Release
It was completely unexpected. I simply went out wearing a pair of sandals, caught my foot on an uneven surface, and suddenly fell hard to the ground.
As soon as Dr. Huang, my dentist, heard what had happened, he urged me to come to his office immediately. He carefully examined my teeth and mouth, thoroughly cleaned the wounds inside and out, and sent me home with medication. All I could do then was rest, heal, and wait three weeks before returning to have my damaged tooth repaired.
It was through this accident that I discovered once again how much love surrounds me.
My thoughtful neighbors and dear friends began bringing me my favorite foods—white-cut chicken, ginseng chicken soup, vegetables, cakes, and more. Before long, the refrigerator was completely full.
The busiest person of all, of course, was my lifelong companion—my husband. He ran errands for me every day and immediately took over teaching my Tai Chi class at the Taiwan Center. His purpose was simple: he wanted me to stop talking and allow my injured mouth to rest.
At home, we would sometimes forget about my injury and naturally begin sharing our thoughts as we always do. The moment he realized I was talking again, he would stop the conversation and remind me, “Don’t talk. You need to rest!”
On the day of the accident, when I managed to stand up, I pressed my hand against the wound to stop the bleeding and slowly made my way to the Taiwan Center.
President Yi-Ming immediately gathered every first-aid item he could find. President Ann Lin of the Seniors Christian Association then put her nursing experience to work. With the limited supplies available, she carefully cleaned my wounds so that I could safely walk home.
When I arrived home and removed the bandage, I saw that my upper lip had split open in a shape resembling the letter “W.”
My first thought was: I need my son to stitch this wound so that it will not leave a scar.
But my son was in the middle of a major surgery and could not be reached. Fortunately, Dr. Huang , our dentist ,immediately asked me to come in so he could determine whether my teeth had also been damaged.
Only later did I realize the full extent of my injuries. The inside of my mouth was bruised above and below. Everything was so swollen that I could barely open my mouth or swallow. My entire chin was deeply bruised as well.
My son promptly mailed order medication for me. I took it faithfully, slept, rested, and tried my best to be an obedient patient.
There was one thing, however, that I continued to do every day—my Tai Chi practice.
I did not want one fall to weaken my whole body. I wanted to keep my legs strong and maintain my physical strength. And every day, I prayed, asking the Lord to help me heal.
Then, in the midst of this sudden and difficult time, I received a phone call from my son.
Not long before, he had received two major honors at a national plastic surgery conference: an award for outstanding clinical research and another for excellence in teaching and mentorship. Along with these honors came opportunities to travel to medical schools around the country to lecture and teach surgical techniques.
No one could have expected that NYU Plastic Surgery would schedule his very first lecture and teaching engagement in New York at precisely this time.
God had turned what seemed impossible into reality.
My son was able to spend an entire afternoon with us.
He sat with his father over a meal and listened as his father enthusiastically shared the work that still occupies his heart. Even in his later years, my husband remains busy pursuing a lifelong dream: to organize decades of research on ki into a systematic body of work—supported by data, clear concepts, careful design, and measurable results.
After sharing his ideas with our son, he quickly returned to his experiments. He was so absorbed in his work that he did not even have time to see our son off.
That has always been his way, and our children have long been accustomed to it.
But for me, something very precious happened that afternoon.
My son had several hours simply to sit beside me.
We talked about so many things that had been in our hearts.
From the time he was very young, we have shared this closeness. I taught him his first words and guided much of his earliest learning.
At 1966, sixty-year-ago, in Ohio, I studied library science. It was difficult for me because it was not my original field of study, and much of the material seemed almost impossible at first. I spent endless hours in libraries, studying everything from ancient books and children’s picture books to adult literature. I had to learn how to evaluate books and write reviews before I finally completed my degree.
After marriage, I continued into graduate school, but pregnancy interrupted my studies before I could finish.
Sometimes I wondered: I studied so hard, yet I never used that education to earn a living. Was all that effort wasted?
My husband always reassured me.
“No,” he would say. “You used everything you learned in raising our two children.”
He would also remind me never to underestimate one of our proudest little family stories: our son received his own library card when he was only two and a half years old! To us, that felt almost like a world record.
Now, seeing my son at this stage of life, supported wholeheartedly by his wife and able to continue reaching new heights without worrying about things at home, I felt deeply moved.
That afternoon, I finally shared with him feelings I had carried in my heart for many years.
I told him about his father.
After studying Tai Chi and the management of Ki (energy management) in Taiwan, his father returned to America and gradually redirected his behavioral research from animal experiments toward human behavior, exploring how Ki might relate to human behavior and interaction.
During that period, he was selected to serve as chairman of the Psychology Department.
He carried that responsibility for nine years.
The department was one of the largest in the college, occupying two floors and including more than fifty professors. At the time, communication among colleagues was limited, and the atmosphere could be tense and divided.
His father applied his understanding of the “management of Ki” not only to research but also to administration and human relationships. Gradually, the atmosphere began to change. People who had once been distant from one another began communicating and cooperating.
In such a complicated academic environment, I considered that transformation almost a miracle.
Eventually, opportunities arose for him to move further into academic administration and perhaps become a dean.
A dean’s responsibilities would have extended far beyond the campus. He would need to build outside relationships, attend major events, expand the institution’s network, and help bring new resources to the college. I accompanied him to some of those large formal gatherings and watched that new world beginning to open before him.
But when we returned home, the two of us talked for a long time.
Our two children were then in their college years. We knew that moving further into administration would change the rhythm of our entire family.
Finally, I told him:
“I hope you will remain a good father to our family. Someday, all of us will thank you for it.”
He chose his family.
Today, our children are grown. They have their own families and careers.
And when I look at my husband now—still strong, still energetic, still passionately pursuing the research he loves—I feel happy for him.
At last, this is his time to be free.
Now he can pursue the dream he carried quietly for decades. He can organize his life’s work, continue his research, and follow his curiosity wherever it leads.
My son listened quietly as I told him all of this.
That afternoon, I believe he came to understand his father more deeply. He understood why his father, even at this stage of life, remains so youthful, energetic, and full of purpose.
And he understood why, all those years ago, I had encouraged his father to choose family.
He told me that he agreed with my decision.
The hours passed so quickly.
Soon it was time for him to call a car and leave for the airport. Before leaving, he reminded me to rest and recover. We promised that ten days later, we would visit him in Boston.
As I watched him leave, my heart was filled with gratitude.
A sudden fall had brought pain, bruises, swelling, and inconvenience. Yet through that same accident, I experienced the kindness of neighbors and friends, the loving care of my husband, and the concern of so many people around me.
Most precious of all, I was given several unexpected hours alone with my son—time to speak heart to heart and to share things I had carried within me for many years.
Sometimes, when something painful happens, all we can see at first is the suffering.
Only later do we discover that behind the pain, God may already have prepared a gift we could never have imagined.
Thank You, Lord. What a blessing it is to discover that You can transform the suffering of the body into freedom and release for the soul.
<2026-09-09>