The Power of Love
  by: Joseph Walker, , Source Unknown

By any standard of measurement, David was a powerful man. Tall, handsome and dignified, he cut an imposing figure, even in his declining years. He was widely known and greatly respected by his peers and others in the community. As the head of a large organization, he was surrounded by people who were prepared to respond to his every whim. Because of the prominence of his position and the value of his time, he didn't have to do anything that he didn't want to do, or that wasn't a high priority to him.

Which is why it seemed a little unusual to those who worked in the small downtown market to see this great man, slowed and bent by the years, shuffling in to shop.

"Doesn't he have people to do this sort of thing for him?" a clerk asked the store manager.

"Of course he does," the manager whispered. "He has people who have people who have people to do this sort of thing for him. They watched as David moved slowly, deliberately, toward the produce section.

"Then what's he doing here?" the clerk asked.

"I don't know," the manager said, a little nervously. "But whatever it is, it must be VERY important."

David paused at the produce section, looking at the surprisingly expansive display of fresh fruits and vegetables. At last his eyes settled on a big bin of large, shiny red apples. He picked up the apples one by one, examining each closely, twisting and turning it in the sunlight to expose any defect or flaw. Over the course of several minutes he must have inspected two dozen apples or so until at last he settle on one that looked absolutely perfect -- perfectly sized, perfectly shaped, perfectly colored, perfectly ripe.

"Perfect!" he said to himself, smiling broadly.

He tucked the apple securely in his hand and made his way back up the aisle to the cash register, where the manager stepped in front of the clerk.

"There will be no charge for that, sir," the manager said when David presented the apple for purchase. "You may have it, with our compliments."

David shook his head.

"Thank you, sir," he said kindly. "But I insist. Please allow me to pay for this beautiful apple."

Hesitantly, the manager rang up the charge for the apple, and placed it carefully in a brown paper bag. He took David's money, and handed the bag to him.

"Thank you," David said, holding the bag as one might hold a package of diamonds. "Emma will love this!"

Emma?

Of course -- Emma. The love of David's life. His sweetheart of more than 50 years. It was said that in all their time together, they had never once had an argument. And now, a clerk and a manager at a small downtown market understood why. It was a matter of priority. It was a matter of sensitivity. It was a matter of purpose. And clearly, it was a matter of power.

The power of love.

爱的力量

约瑟夫.沃克

     无论以何种标准来衡量，戴维都是一个富有力量的人。高高的个字，长相英俊，容貌端庄，即便到了晚年，也保持着仪表堂堂的风度。他在社区里享有很高的知名度，并为他的同辈以及其他人所深深敬重。作为一家大公司的主管，凡他兴之所至，拥簇在他周围的人都恭候着响应。由于地位显赫，时间宝贵，他不必干任何他不乐意干的或他认为不够重要的事。

正因为如此，当这个市区小店里的人看到这位非同一般的人物——岁月使他步履不比往昔矫健，腰也有点弯了——迈着并不轻松的步子亲自来买东西，不免觉得有些蹊跷。

“他不是能打发别人来替他干这种事吗？”商店里一个店员向经理问道。

“他当然能了，”经理悄声说，“他有手下的手下的再手下的人来替他干这样的事。”他们注视着戴维缓缓地，从容不迫地朝农产品陈列区走去。

“那他来这干嘛？”店员问道。

“我不知道，”经理说，略显神秘兮兮，“但不管是什么，都一定是非常重要的事情。”

戴维在农产品陈列区停住了脚。各种新鲜蔬果琳琅满目，多得令人眼花缭乱。最后，他的目光落在了一大箱个头硕大，光泽饱满的红苹果上。他将苹果逐一拿起，挨个儿仔细检查，在阳光下将它们翻来覆去看了个遍，不漏过任何缺点或瑕疵。他花了几分钟，检查了大约有两打，终于锁定了一个看起来完美无瑕的苹果——大小，形状，色泽以及成熟度均无可挑剔。

“棒极了！”他禁不住脱口而出，脸上绽放出了笑容。

他把这只苹果紧紧地握在手中，回身走到收银台处。经理就站在这儿。

当戴维将苹果递过去准备付账时，站在店员身前的经理说：“这个不算您的钱，先生。您尽管拿着，算是我们的一点小意思吧。”

戴维摇了摇头。

“谢谢您，先生。”他和善地说，“但我得付账。请允许我为这只完美的苹果付账吧。”

经理迟疑地结了帐，把那只苹果小心翼翼地放进了一个棕色的纸袋子里。他接过戴维的钱，把纸袋子递给了对方。

“谢谢，”戴维说，他紧紧地握着那个袋子，好像握着一袋子钻石似的。

“爱玛会喜欢这个的！”

爱玛？

      是的——爱玛。戴维一生的至爱。她是他的甜心——五十多年来一直如此。据说漫漫人生路，他们连一次争吵都没有过。此时，小店里的这两个人明白了他们是怎么回事。原因就在于：给与对方足够的重视，怀着敏感的柔情，付出细腻的用心，发挥他的力量——

      爱的力量。