After reading Secret Garden

Everyone must have gained a lot after carefully appreciating a masterpiece. You might as well sit down and write down your thoughts after reading it. Do you want to know how to write a review after reading? The following are my thoughts after reading The Secret Garden, which I collected and compiled. You are welcome to share them. After reading The Secret Garden 1

Everyone has his own secret garden in his heart. There is our own world. We lock ourselves in that secret garden and don’t want to come out. This may be a dream: Dreaming in your own garden. Whenever faced with a choice, the inner complexities and contradictions gradually surface. The choice is in our own hands, and we are struggling. Should we continue this dream in this secret garden, or should we bravely face reality and come out of the garden?

People always have some expectations for the future. Even if sometimes the reality clearly tells us that it is impossible, we still have the attitude of giving it a try and continue, waiting for a miracle to appear. Possibility becomes possible. But the reality is so cruel. In the end, many people have to come out of their secret gardens and face the reality that they do not want to face. At this moment, perhaps we discover that the dream in the secret garden is no longer the same in the face of reality. Nothing at all. It's like a hazy picture shrouded in thick fog in a secret garden. Whether it's beautiful or not depends entirely on what we think. Because we can't see clearly, we all imagine this hazy picture as a beautiful scenery. That's it. It accompanies us every day, but until one day, when we have no choice but to walk out of this secret garden, when we come into the light of reality, we can see clearly that after the thick fog dissipates, what is behind the thick fog? No, those beautiful scenery are completely imagined by ourselves. The beautiful scenery that has accompanied our lives for so long turns out to be illusory.

At this time, the test is your inner endurance. You have been trying hard to believe that it will exist, but when the sun shines, it disappears. Life is like this. When reality is far from ideal, when you are hiding in the secret garden, do you choose to continue dreaming in the garden, or do you bravely come out and face reality? Everyone has to face a choice when they give up what should be given up and stick to what should be persevered. However, the voices of reason and emotion always make us confuse what should be given up and what should be persevered. What exactly is what should be persevered? Who can tell clearly what should be given up? After reading The Secret Garden 2

I read a book written by the American Mrs. White. The title of the book is "The Secret Garden". This book tells the interesting story of a little girl named Mary who came to England from India.

When Mary was in India, she was not good-looking and was very thin. His parents died of cholera and were taken to his uncle's Thrush Manor. Her servant and friend, Martha, has a brother named Dickon. He loved nature very much and raised crows, foxes, two squirrels, and a little lamb. Influenced by Dickon, she gradually became obedient, her appetite improved, her body became stronger, and she also liked nature. However, she happened upon the abandoned garden that was off limits. She decided to take care of it with Deacon and keep it a secret. However, she didn't just find this, she also found her cousin. My cousin's name is Clin, and he has a very bad temper. I also hate nature very much. Under the guidance of Mary and Dickon, he, like Mary, fell in love with nature. What’s even more surprising is that he has never left his bed or wheelchair before, so he can’t walk. Now, in the secret garden, he is just like a normal boy.

I excerpted a passage from the book that I think is philosophical: Since ancient times, there have been new discoveries in every era. The most important discovery of the last century is the power of thoughts. Thoughts themselves have been found to work on each of us. The effect can be as wonderful as sunlight. It can also be as scary as poison. Allowing a sad or malicious thought to take over your body and mind is as dangerous as putting a virus into your body. You may not be able to get rid of it.

This book tells me that no matter what your situation is, no matter what others say about you, you must have one belief and one determination: I can do it! After reading "The Secret Garden" 3

During the holidays, I finished reading the book "The Secret Garden". The author is Burnett from the United States. It tells the story of the little girl Mary.

As soon as Mary was born, she was given to the nanny Camilla. Her parents seldom disciplined her, and she became a bad-tempered, selfish and arrogant little girl. When she was nine years old, all her relatives died in a cholera. She was taken to the original Misha Manor, and Mr. Craven became his guardian. Under the guidance of the robin, he discovered a deserted place that had been abandoned for a long time. Secret Garden. He also met Dickon and his little animals. She learned to use gardening tools, dig mud, hoe weeds, and plant flowers.

Dick can communicate with animals, Mary is very envious of him, and they buy flower seeds and plant flowers together. The flowers became extremely delicate and beautiful. They worked together to help Colin recover, let him go outdoors to breathe fresh air, encouraged him to stand up bravely, and taught him gymnastics. Colin believed in magic and held a ritual every day, insisting on walking around the garden. Mary learned to care for others and consider others, and gained a lot.

The close contact with nature made her lively and cheerful, and she became more and more beautiful, like a little rose, her cheeks became rosy, and she was no longer as thin and sallow as before.

I envy Dicken very much. He has many animal friends and understands the heart of every animal. No matter it is sunny or rainy, he will run out to see if there are any animals in disaster. If there are any animals, he will take them home and raise them. He does not keep animals in confinement like us. In the cage, he let the animals run and fly freely. The bird will tell her about his home, and the fox will tell him what's new at home. He also knows about gardening, how to plant flowers and how to pull weeds. He understands an unusually many things and is good at observing.

After reading "The Secret Garden", I gained a lot and learned to care about others and think about others. If you want to be healthy, go outdoors and breathe fresh air. Smile more and maintain a happy and peaceful attitude.

I really want to have a garden like this, where I can play and have close contact with nature all day long, without any worries. After reading "The Secret Garden" 4

During the holidays, I read a good book - "The Secret Garden", which is written by the American writer Francis. Hodgson. Burnett's immortal masterpiece.

The young protagonist of the story, Mary, was born in India. She was an ugly girl with a stubborn temper. A plague claimed the lives of her parents. She became an orphan and was sent back to Yorkshire, England, to be cared for by her uncle. Adopted by Mr. Craven. Shortly after giving birth to a child, his aunt died unexpectedly in the garden of his home. Mr. Craven locked the garden and refused to allow anyone to enter.

This is the place Mary calls the Secret Garden that this book tells about. It is this magical garden that changed the fate of two children and even the entire Mr. Craven's family.

Another morbid little protagonist in the story is Mr. Craven’s son Colin. He was frail and sickly since he was a child. From birth to the age of ten, he almost never walked on his own feet. The servants said that he was alive. Not going down. As sick as his body was his personality. He was overbearing and would cry and lose his temper when he didn't get his way. No one in the whole family dared to offend him.

It was the fresh air of the swamps and gardens that made Mary's complexion rosy, and labor made Mary healthier and less stubborn. The magical power of the secret garden also made Colin stand up and full of confidence in life. Mr. Craven, who had been wandering around all year round, discovered the changes in his son when he returned home, and his wandering life ended!

My favorite character in the book is the other little protagonist Dickon. He is such a sunny, energetic and even magical boy! Although his family is very poor, he runs happily in the swamp every day and can talk to many small animals. He can understand everything in nature. It was he who made Mary and Colin obsessed with the Secret Garden and experienced the secret garden. Thanks to the magical power of nature, the two sick children turned into healthy and lovable children.

The plot of this novel is full of ups and downs, vivid and touching. After reading it, I felt how great the power of nature is! We should get closer to nature and let nature, the best teacher, teach us more things that cannot be learned in books.

Spring is coming, I really want to go into that beautiful and fascinating secret garden! After reading "The Secret Garden" 5

Today I read a book called "The Secret Garden". It tells the story of Mary, a little British girl who lived in India with her parents. After a plague, her Unfortunately, her parents died of illness, and she was sent to her uncle, Mr. Craven's manor. However, this cute little girl was not depressed. She still maintained an optimistic and kind heart. In the manor, she encountered the most magical thing, awakening The most beautiful garden in the world.

In the manor, she met Colin, a sick boy who was not liked by his father, the maid Martha, the maid's brother Dickon, the little bird Robin, and the gardener Ben Weatherstaff. Mary and Dickon took the sick Colin to play in an abandoned garden. Together they planted flowers, trees, and played with small animals. Mary infected everyone around her with her kindness and joy. Colin's illness gradually improved and he became a cheerful little boy. His father also began to like him again. All this is the result of our little protagonist Mary. We must learn from Mary's spirit in the book. Although there are great hardships in life, she still maintains a positive and optimistic heart.

In addition, the text in the book is also very beautifully written and vivid. I really like these sentences describing colors and sounds: "Under the trees and in the grass, purple, gold and white sunlight shines everywhere. Here you can hear the sound of flapping wings of birds, as well as the soft and sweet chirping of birds. "Buzzing sounds and various aromas." The description of these words is very vivid, as if we are seeing and smelling it, and it feels like we are there.

The book "Secret Garden" not only allowed me to read beautiful sentences, but also made me feel the healthy, positive and kind mentality of the young protagonist, which is worthy of our study. Thoughts after reading "Secret Garden" 6

Recently, I read the book "Secret Garden", and the plot and content in the book deeply attracted me. There are neither gorgeous sentences nor thrilling and heart-wrenching plots in the book, but simple and easy-to-understand language and ordinary yet touching stories.

But after reading this book, I seemed to be experiencing life again, and realized the value and meaning of life on a deeper level.

The book tells the story of Mary, a spoiled Indian girl. Due to some sudden changes, she came to a mysterious manor in England. There, she spent many interesting, novel and exciting days and experienced many bizarre and mysterious things. She made friends with many distinctive characters... Finally, she opened the long-sealed "Secret Garden" and cured the serious heart diseases of the manor's owners, Mr. Craven and Master Colin. At the same time, Mary herself was also affected by these experiences. He cured his bad habits - selfishness, arrogance, defiance, and not caring about anyone. The book centers on Mary and the "Secret Garden" and fully explains to us what human nature and life are.

Life, its meaning and value is to live well; in the final analysis, no matter how great a person's achievements and career are, if he does not know the true value of life, everything will be in vain; on the contrary, if a person does not know the true value of life, everything will be in vain. If you must be able to see through life, see through the true meaning of life, open your heart and have no worries, then the success or failure of your career, the size of your family fortune, etc. will all be just a cloud. Just like Craven and Colin in the book, if they can only immerse themselves in the past and cannot, or dare not, or are unwilling to face reality, then does this count as understanding the meaning of life? But at the end of the book, a dusty old garden solved everything. Why? You can call it "magic" or "magic". In fact, "Secret Garden" is a key, a key that can unlock people's hearts. After reading "The Secret Garden" 7

During the winter vacation, I read a book - "The Secret Garden". This book was written by Mrs. Bai Huangde. In this book, she uses a wonderful pen to describe the whole process of a garden's awakening. This process is wonderful, wonderful, and magical. Little Mary and Clym in the story, they always stay in the room and never go out. In a vibrant spring in the secret garden, they wake up together with this ancient garden. They gain vitality and health, which also allows us to slowly learn about care, tolerance and compassion.

Before arriving at Thrushcross Manor, Mary had some bad thoughts in her mind; she always thought that everyone hated me, and I also hated them, and how annoying the weather was... This made her change. She became a sickly, ugly and bad little girl. But after arriving at the manor, her heart was occupied by kind people such as Martha, Joben, Dickon, and Mrs. Soapy; by cute animals such as squirrels, little foxes, and crows; and by beautiful scenery such as gardens and wilderness. occupied. Thus, the bad thoughts disappeared, and the abandoned good thoughts came back to Mary's mind.

Klin locked himself in the room. He was always thinking about the bag on his back. He was going to die. This made him a person who was very stressed and didn't like to breathe. Fresh air for kids. He didn't know that he would be healthy if he basked in the sun. He didn't know that his feet were strong enough to walk. With the help of Dickon and Mary, he came back to life like a withered flower.

Deacon is a "child of nature". He grew up in the wilderness. Although his family is very poor, he understands the language of birds and can communicate with animals. He can even confuse small animals like the Indians confuse snakes. He smelled fresh. He passed on love and nature to Mary and Clin, turning them into children who love nature.

Our lives are much busier now, and children and parents are far away from nature. We come from nature. If we leave nature, we will leave ourselves. Let us return to the embrace of nature! Review 8 of The Secret Garden

"The Secret Garden" is a very interesting children's novel, the story is both tender and full of suspense.

The heroine Mary is a little girl with a weird temper and ugly appearance. She lived at her uncle's Misselthwaite estate. One day, a maid named Martha was chatting with her and told her about a garden in the manor: this garden originally belonged to Mr. Craven (Mary's uncle) and his wife. Ten years ago, after Mrs. Craven's death, the garden was locked up by Mr. Craven. For ten years, no one has gone in... Mary was fascinated by what she heard, and all she could think about was the mysterious secret garden.

One day, when she walked out of the dilapidated big house and followed a winding path to find the secret garden, a robin helped her find the key and gate of the garden. The moment she walked into the secret garden, she felt that it was the most beautiful and mysterious place she had ever seen: there were rose trees growing everywhere in the garden, and the intricately tangled rose vines formed rose bridges, which were extremely beautiful. . It's a pity that there is not a single green leaf on the tree, let alone a single flower, and there are overgrown weeds everywhere. So Mary decided to save the secret garden.

Mary sneaked into the secret garden every day to clean up the weeds and dig out pieces of fresh soil for the newly unearthed seedlings... Although she was very tired, she enjoyed it and felt that she was great. In the process of taking care of the garden, she got help from the capable little boy Dickon and got to know many of his friends: the red fox cub captain, the crow Black Carbon, the little squirrel Nut and Nutshell and other cute little animals. When she came home every day, her appetite increased, her face became rosy and beautiful, and she also gained a lot of weight. She became happy, healthy, and strong.

This story made me understand: how important the blue sky, warm sunshine, beautiful flowers, trees, and cute animals in nature are to our healthy growth! We should have more time and more opportunities to have close contact with nature, and at the same time make more friends, so that we can live a fulfilling and happy life every day. After reading "The Secret Garden" 9

When I opened the first page of "The Secret Garden", I had question marks one after another. What changed the grumpy Lady Mary? What changed the eccentric Master Colin? When I closed the last page, every question mark turned into a period.

There is a ten-year-old little girl, her name is Mary, she lives in India. But in a cholera epidemic, Mary's parents died. Mary had no choice but to defect to her uncle Clermont in England, who had been estranged from her parents since she was a child. Little Mary, who had always been self-indulgent, willful and selfish, was surrounded by helplessness in the mysterious, weird and gloomy big house. Thanks to the robin's guidance, Mary breaks into a garden that has been closed for a long time. When his uncle, tortured by pain and despair, listened to the mysterious call of his long-dead wife and returned to the garden, he also found the key to the past. Also because Mary changed Colin.

Some people always think that happiness is far away. Even if they have abundant material resources, they still look sad all day long. That is because they have lost confidence in life: some people always immerse themselves in the ocean of happiness. That's because they know the charm of life and face life and setbacks with an optimistic heart. For example, if there is only half a glass of milk on the table, a pessimistic person may sigh and say: "What a pity, there is only half a glass of milk left!" An optimistic person may smile and say: "Great, I still have it." There’s half a glass of milk!”

Open the box of memory - I remember that I submitted an article to a newspaper, but it was unsuccessful. A bitter taste rolled from the bottom of my heart, and I cried secretly. When my mother saw it, she gently stroked my head and said gently: "A small failure scared you? The road to growth is full of countless ups and downs. Only with an optimistic and happy attitude can we overcome it." Get over it. Have courage, I believe you can overcome it! Try to get good grades next time!" I raised my head and looked at my mother with moist eyes. Her firm eyes filled me with confidence again. The raging fire burned again.

After reading "The Secret Garden", I understand: happiness is given instead of asking for; that persistence is not giving up easily; that courage is not timid; that warm sunshine in spring is not autumn Yellow fallen leaves. After reading "Secret Garden" 10

Holding this book "Secret Garden" and reading, I came to a childlike world: in this world there is a protagonist named Mary. She was a bored girl who was not interested in anything. A sudden plague took away the lives of her family and she became an orphan. She was sent to England and came to a manor, where her uncle adopted her. My aunt died giving birth to her son. My uncle was so distraught that he closed the garden. One day, Mary, followed by the bird, found the key, and with the help of Didi and Colin, the garden came to life again. With Didi's help, Mary became cheerful and beautiful. With Mary's help, Colin gained hope of life. Their quality of helping each other is worthy of my appreciation.

Feeling, savoring, and recalling that touching world, I feel that everything will change due to the things around me. A beautiful thing will become not beautiful for various reasons; a very bad thing will become beautiful because of kindness. The same goes for people, like Didi, Colin and Mary in the book. They help each other. In our lives, we should help the people around us, make people kind, and make the world a better place. Some people may think that helping others will be detrimental to themselves, so it is better to play more games. I think this idea is wrong. As the saying goes, "Giving roses to others leaves fragrance in your hands." Didi, Colin, and Mary in the book are not unhappy because they help others, which is not good for themselves. Instead, they are very happy.

We should make ourselves more perfect on the basis of helping others. After reading "Secret Garden" 11

Recently our class *** read a book called "Secret Garden". I like this book. After reading it, I have great feelings. Here I will Let me tell you about it.

This book mainly tells the story of Mary's search for the secret garden and the huge changes the secret garden brought to Mary and Colin's body and mind. Both Mary and Colin were children from wealthy families. They had no worries about food and clothing since childhood, but they had bad tempers. Mary discovers the secret garden of her uncle's house. She is strongly attracted to this secret garden that has been closed for ten years. From here begins the "journey" to explore the secret garden. She received enthusiastic help from the farm boy Dickon, and the two worked in the garden almost every day, carefully tending the flowers, plants and trees in the garden. Later, Colin joined them. When Mary and Colin came into contact with the secret garden, they were also changed bit by bit by nature and became healthy and sunny. They all grew up differently.

Among them, my favorite is the little boy named Deacon in the book. He is a little farm boy who can communicate with animals and knows everything about nature. He is as friendly to animals and plants as he is to humans. He was helpful and often taught Mary how to take care of the flowers and plants in the garden.

He also taught Colin how to strengthen his body, which gradually made Colin stronger. Although his family is poor, he wears patched clothes, eats coarse grains, and drinks cold water, I think he is very rich because he has a pure and passionate heart like an angel. I want to learn from him, learn from his hard work, help my parents with housework, learn from his kindness, help my classmates and friends more, learn from his positivity and optimism, and infect myself and the friends around me more.

I like this book "Secret Garden". It enthusiastically sings the praises of nature, maternal love and family affection, and everything will become beautiful. Will you also like it? Come and read this good book together. Maybe you will gain something different and have your own secret garden. After reading The Secret Garden 12

"The Secret Garden" is a magical book full of the fragrance of flowers.

During this summer vacation, I walked into the "Garden" and felt the infinite charm of the "Garden".

Mary is an unlovable little girl. She is not good-looking. Since she did not enjoy the love of her parents when she was a child, she has always been taken care of by a group of Indian servants who were obedient to her. So by the age of six, she was already the most selfish, overbearing little nuisance. However, a sudden plague took away the names of her parents, and the servants also fled and walked away. Therefore, she will live in her uncle Mr. Craven's house in the future. I heard that his house is very big and there are There are more than a hundred rooms, but many of them are locked. He also has a beautiful garden in his home, with many flowers and plants planted in it. But since Craven's wife passed away, he has locked the garden and also Buried the key. The person who serves Mary there is the lively and lovely Martha. Under her influence, she no longer often puts on the airs of a young lady, nor loses her temper. She often goes outside to play and gets acquainted with the beautiful red-breasted robin. And Dickon, who made friends with plants and lived in the wilderness, not only that, but under the guidance of the red-breasted robin, he found the long-sealed key. I planted blue delphiniums and roses in the secret garden with Dickon...

From this book, I learned that everything should be optimistic. If she is happy and bored in the house, then she probably won't be as happy and beautiful as she was later. If Colin had always thought that he would grow into a hunchback and refused to try, then he would not be able to walk. Therefore, I think he should be optimistic, and things might turn around unexpectedly. After reading The Secret Garden 13

Nature is an excellent magician. It uses magic to create miracles, making you full of confidence and joy, and making illness disappear without a trace. "Secret Garden" made me get closer to nature and feel the pure friendship that nature brings to Dickon, Mary, and Colin.

As I approached "Secret Garden", my heartstrings were plucked, like a butterfly lingering on the beautiful story and not wanting to leave.

Mary and Colin are both weird-tempered children who never study other people's feelings. Dickon is different from them. He is a confident boy who loves life and is full of energy. With his help, Mary and Colin began to slowly get in touch with nature, and they liked nature until they finally integrated into it. Their tempers gradually changed, becoming easy-going and tolerant, and a blush appeared on their pale faces. . Together with Deacon, they finally have their own secret garden.

"Those who are close to vermillion are red, and those who are close to ink are black." Colin was infected by Deacon, and gradually got rid of the entanglement of inferiority, and began to yearn for perfection in life. "I want to get better, I want to get better, I want to live forever, forever." When Colin shouted this sentence happily, I knew that he was confident in himself and full of expectations for life.

Mary was originally indifferent to everything. It was the fresh air in the wilderness that made her curious about things, and she became extremely interested in gardening knowledge. Guided by this interest, she discovered the secrets that had been hidden for many years at Missewite Manor. Mary changed, became independent, and became a healthy and sunny girl that I like.

In my mind, magic is something far away from me. But after reading this book, my ideas changed. Life is actually full of magic, but I just lack eyes that are good at discovery. A bridge has been built between me and nature. When I am close to it, my joy will increase and my worries will decrease. If you want to make your life colorful and full of vitality, you have to integrate into nature and appreciate its magic and perfection.

Life is like a mirror, you smile at it and it smiles at you, you cry at it and it cries at you. If you face life with an optimistic attitude, life will be wonderful for you. Notes after reading The Secret Garden 14

Look, there is a man with a bad temper, thin and small, with sparse light yellow hair. The unlovable little old lady Mary, who was frail and sickly, either suffering from one disease or another, gradually changed until she came to the mysterious Misselthwaite Manor.

A young maid Marta took care of her daily life. She taught this little old lady who couldn’t even button a button to take the initiative to dress herself and take care of herself; the words of the old gardener named Bein made her Mary was even more curious about this mysterious manor; there was also a boy named Dickon who could talk to animals. Mary had a lot of fun playing with him. He always brought Mary a lot of happiness; finally one day, Mary discovered the secret garden. and found the door to the secret garden hidden under the ivy. Mary broke into this garden that no one had entered for more than ten years; Mary and Dickon turned the soil for roses in the garden, and Mary almost lost herself Two-thirds of the day was devoted to the secret garden, and she loved this place. Compared with her and Dickon, the boy Colin who was locked in the room had physical defects, a bad temper, did not like to communicate with others, and wanted to die at every turn because he did not know the beautiful secret garden outside. , there is that beautiful world...

The unsatisfactory things in life are like the stars in the sky. If you are unable to get up when you encounter setbacks, then this person will never be happy in his life. When encountering setbacks, we should face them with a smile like Mary in the article. If there is only half a loaf of bread on the table, a pessimistic person may sigh and say: "It's so unlucky, there is only half a loaf of bread left." However, a person who looks at the world optimistically will happily say: "That's great. Yes! I still have half a loaf of bread!”

Yes, people should be optimistic and strong when facing setbacks. As long as you do these two things, the pain of illness is nothing. Please look at this pure world from an optimistic and beautiful perspective. Birds sing because of freedom, swans fly because of freedom, and people are happy because of freedom.

When people yearn for freedom, please experience it with a pure and kind heart and eyes that dare to discover, and feel the beauty that has not been discovered by others. Go find it! After reading The Secret Garden 15

This summer vacation is a long and hot summer. However, this summer I found a book that I thought was very good, called "The Secret Garden", and the storyline in it moved me deeply.

After I read this book, the wonderful content in this book deeply attracted me. The story takes place in India. One morning in India, a terrible plague broke out, which caused many people to lose their lives. A beautiful and gentle little girl - Ma Li lives there. Ma Li's mother was worried that Ma Li would also be infected with this terrible plague, so she sent Ma Li to her uncle's house. My uncle's house has a large garden, which is very beautiful, but it also has all kinds of strange phenomena: there is a garden without a door, and bursts of crying can be heard in the middle of the night. Blankets hang on the walls, and behind each blanket is a hallway. However, as the story develops, Ma Li uses her pure and kind heart to open the last garden without doors. As the garden opened up, she also discovered that the mysterious cry was actually coming from her cousin. The reason was that his cousin was seriously ill and was very sad, so he cried every night in this garden without a door.

After Ma Li found out the reason, she went for a walk with her cousin every day. Because of Ma Li’s company, her cousin felt better and better, and his health gradually got better and better. Finally, Finally defeated the disease. When the uncle learned that his son had recovered from his illness, he was overjoyed. Soon the terrible plague passed, and their family lived happily together again.

After reading this book, I deeply understand that no matter who in the family encounters difficulties, our family must work together to help him and face the difficulties together, so that we can overcome them. Difficulties can lead to a happy life. As primary school students, if anyone encounters difficulties in class, we should also extend our hand of friendship and do our best to help him.

Of course, I am also very happy that I study in a class full of friendship, and I am even more fortunate that I live in a very happy family, so we must cherish this hard-won happy life.