林榮峰 | Emily Lee
材料 | Media: 油畫 | Oil painting
善良、愛與慷慨
2025年12月，台灣會館老人中心舉辦聖誕節暨慶生會，當天有二百多位長者歡聚一堂。豐盛的便當，全由瑜伽課與現代舞的莊富美老師帶領學員親手準備、無私奉獻。餐後，每人還分到一顆橘子，作為節目的祝福！
散會時，我看見莊老師臉上洋溢著喜樂與滿足，那是一種發自內心、無私奉獻後所散發出的光彩，深深觸動了我。我低頭望著自己手中的三顆橘子，它們在燈光下閃耀著溫暖的光澤。我默默地把三顆橘子帶回家，加在餐桌上的水果盤，心裡浮現一個念頭：我要把這份愛留在畫布上，讓它停留得更久、更遠。
我相信，每一次出於愛心的付出，都在塑造我們的靈魂。當我們不是活在計算得失之中，而是活在恩典與愛裡，我們便開始擁有屬天的生命。
善良、愛與付出，也是幸福的選擇，更是一種可以世代傳承的生命。
回想孩子們年幼時，我們的房子雖然不大，卻常常敞開家門，邀請鄰居和朋友的孩子來家裡聚會，尤其喜歡為他們安排「過夜小聚」。
後院有一間小木屋，每次大家都爭著去那裡睡覺。有一年，一位剛從台灣來不久的新朋友，因為總是搶不到位置，又留著一頭蓬鬆的髮型，不太受其他孩子歡迎。我感受到他的孤單與被排斥。
因為他台語說得很好，我們很快就聊了起來。他也很勤快，主動幫我洗碗。我也鼓勵他、稱讚他，第二天晚上還特別安排他住進小木屋。幾天下來，他漸漸和大家打成一片。回家後，他也願意改變自己的髮型，改掉一些不好的習慣。幾年後，他竟成為團體中的領導者。
我深深體會，一個人有時真正需要的，只是一個願意接納他的人。
鄰居和朋友的孩子也都喜歡來我們家玩。有一次，一位鄰居的小男孩對我說：「妳家好漂亮！」後來我才知道，他口中的「漂亮」，不是房子有多豪華，而是在我們家，他可以自由自在地玩耍；而他的母親卻用繩子把家中的客廳圍起來，不准孩子進去，因此他的活動空間受到許多限制。
如今，兩個孩子都已建立自己的家庭。
每次到波士頓探望兒子一家時，孫子的朋友總是一大群來家裡吃飯。現代許多父母工作繁忙，或因婚姻變故，孩子常夾在其中，缺少穩定而安全的愛。因此，我的媳婦常常成了這些孩子們心中的「臨時媽媽」。
每年三月，全家都會到佛羅里達州的迪士尼樂園度假一個星期。孫子的幾位朋友也常一起同行。媳婦總是把冰箱塞滿他們喜歡的飲料和食物，讓每個孩子都感受到家的溫暖。久而久之，這些孩子也自然地把我們當成自己的阿公、阿嬤。
我相信，當我們持續去愛、去給予、去憐憫時，我們裡面的生命，也正在一點一滴地被天上的光更新。
有些善意，也許不會回到我們手中；但它會化作生命中的光，留存在我們的靈裡。
當我們願意扶持一個人、安慰一個人、愛一個人，即使沒有人看見，甚至沒有任何回報，我們的天父依然看見我們內心的選擇。
善良、愛與慷慨，從來不是一種交換，而是上天所賜生命自然流露的光。這道光，不僅照亮別人，也塑造我們裡面真正的生命。
當我完成這幅水果畫時，心裡充滿感恩。
畫中的橘子，不只是水果，更象徵一份出於愛的分享；香蕉、葡萄柚與翠綠的葉子，也讓我想到上帝豐盛的供應。不同的水果，各有不同的色彩與滋味，就像不同的人，都能在愛中彼此成全、彼此祝福。
原來，一個充滿善良、愛與慷慨的人生，就像一幅色彩豐富的畫，因著愛而更加美麗，也因著分享而更加豐盛。
<2026-06-28>
Kindness, Love, and Generosity
In December 2025, more than two hundred seniors gathered at the Taiwan Center for the annual Christmas and birthday celebration. The delicious boxed lunches were lovingly prepared and donated by Ms. Fu-Mei Chuang, the yoga and modern dance instructor, together with her students. After the meal, everyone received an orange.
As I was about to leave, I noticed the joyful radiance on Ms. Chuang’s face—a light that seemed to shine from a heart filled with selfless love and generosity. It touched me deeply. Looking down at the three beautiful oranges in my hands, I went home and quietly placed them back into the fruit basket on the table. At that very moment, I made a decision: I wanted to preserve this love on my canvas, so that it might remain long after the day had passed.
I believe that every act of love shapes our souls. When we no longer live by calculation or self-interest, but instead choose to live in grace and love, we begin to experience a life that reflects heaven itself.
Kindness, love, and generosity are not only choices that bring happiness—they are gifts that can be passed on from one generation to the next.
When our children were young, our house was not large, but its doors were always open. Friends and neighborhood children often gathered there, especially for overnight sleepovers.
In our backyard stood a small playhouse where all the children wanted to spend the night. One summer, a boy who had recently arrived from Taiwan was always left out. His unusual hairstyle made him unpopular with the others, and I could sense how lonely and rejected he felt.
Since he spoke fluent Taiwanese, we quickly became friends. He gladly helped me wash the dishes, and I made a point of encouraging and complimenting him. On the second night, I arranged for him to have a turn sleeping in the little house. Day by day, he became accepted by the group. After returning home, he changed his hairstyle, gradually overcame some unhealthy habits, and a few years later became one of the leaders among his peers.
That experience taught me that sometimes all a person needs is someone who is willing to believe in them.
Many neighborhood children also loved coming to our home. One day, a little boy said to me, “Your house is so beautiful.” Later I learned what he truly meant. It was not the house itself. In our home he was free to play, while at his own house his mother had roped off the living room and forbidden the children from entering. What he admired was not our furniture, but the freedom and warmth he experienced.
Today both of our children have families of their own.
Whenever we visit our son’s family in Boston, our grandsons’ friends often gather at the house for meals. Many children today grow up with parents who are overwhelmed by work or affected by divorce, leaving them longing for a place of security and acceptance. My daughter-in-law has quietly become a temporary mother to many of them.
Every March our family spends a week together at Disney World in Florida. Several of our grandsons’ friends often join us. My daughter-in-law fills the refrigerator with their favorite drinks and snacks, making every child feel welcomed and loved. Before long, they naturally began calling us Grandpa and Grandma.
As we continue to love, to give, and to show compassion, our inner lives are quietly transformed by the light of heaven.
Some acts of kindness may never return to us in visible ways, yet they remain as light within our own souls.
Whenever we choose to encourage, comfort, or love another person—even when no one notices and there is no reward—our Heavenly Father sees the choice of our hearts.
Kindness, love, and generosity are never transactions. They are the natural expression of a life touched by God’s grace. Such light not only blesses others; it also shapes the people we are becoming.
When I completed this painting, my heart was filled with gratitude. The oranges symbolize love shared with others. The bananas, the large grapefruit, and the fresh green leaves remind me of God’s abundant provision. Each fruit has its own color, shape, and flavor, just as each person has unique gifts to share in love.
A life filled with kindness, love, and generosity is like a richly colored painting—made more beautiful by love and more abundant through sharing.
<2026-06-28>