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生活需要信任、希望和爱。而最重要的是爱……
My day began on a decidedly sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling2with a limb of my azalea bush. By the time I got outside he’d broken it. “Can I take this to school today?” he asked.
With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes. I loved that azalea bush. I touched the broken limb as if to say silently, “I’m sorry.”
I wished I could have said that to my husband earlier, but I’d been angry. The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum3. If he’d just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers4 with Jonathan. What are his priorities5 anyway? I wondered. I was still mopping6up the mess when Jonathan walked into the kitchen. “What’s for breakfast, Mom?”
I opened the empty refrigerator. “Not cereal,”I said, watching the sides of his mouth drop. “How about toast and jelly?” I smeared7 the toast with jelly and set it in front of him. Why was I so angry? I tossed my husband’s dishes into the sudsy water.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I managed to lug 8the wet clothes to the laundromat9. I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. Staring at the graffiti10 on the walls, I felt as wrung-out as the clothes left in the washers.
As I finished hanging up the last of my husband’s shirts, Ilooked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan’s class let out at 2:15. I dumped the clothes in the back seat and hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher’s door and peered through the glass. With one finger, she motioned for me to wait. She said something to Jonathan and handed him and two other children crayons and a sheet of paper.
What now? I thought, as she rustled11 through the door and took me aside. “I want to talk to you about Jonathan,” she said.
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me.
“Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?” she asked.
I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. I glanced at my son busily coloring a picture. His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. His eyes burst with blue as he admired his handiwork12.
“Let me tell you about yesterday,” the teacher insisted. “See that little girl?”
I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
“Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical13. Her mother and father are going through a nasty14 divorce. She told me she didn’t want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for theclass to hear, ‘Nobody loves me.’I did all I could to console15 her, but it only seemed to make matters worse.”
“I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan,” I said.
“I do,” she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. “Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, “I love you.”
I felt my heart swell16 with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. “Thank you,” I said, reaching for Jonathan’s hand, “you’ve made my day.”
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my lopsided17 azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical18 verse came to me: ...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak19 of my husband’s brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling20 with pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of lovebeginning to bloom once again in me. My husband’s eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. “I love you,” I said.
一大早，当看见6岁的儿子乔纳森在奋力攀折我的杜鹃花时，我听到一声刺耳的响声。等我走到外面，他已经把它折断了。“今天我能把这个带到学校里去吗？”他问。
我挥了挥手，让他上学去。我转过身，以免让他看见我眼睛里涌出的泪水。我爱那些杜鹃花。我用手抚摸那被折断的枝条，在心里默默地说：“对不起。”
我希望能早一点对丈夫说这句话，但当时我非常生气。洗衣机里的水漏在我那崭新的油毯上。如果他头一天晚上听我的话，不和乔纳森下跳棋，而是费点时间把它修好，就不会发生这种事情了。我真不知道，对他来说，到底什么事情更重要。当乔纳森走进厨房的时候，我仍然在用拖布拖地上的水。“早餐吃什么，妈妈？”
我打开空空的冰箱。“没有麦片粥了，”我话音刚落，就看见他的小嘴嘟了起来。“吐司面包和果酱怎么样？”我把果酱涂在吐司面包上，放在他面前。我为什么这么生气？我把丈夫刚才吃饭用过的盘子扔进起着泡沫的水池中。
这样的日子常常使我觉得想要逃开。我只想驱车驶进群山中，躲在一个洞穴里，再也不出来。
虽然这么想，我还是设法把那些湿衣服拖到了自助洗衣店。我花了大半天时间在那里把那一大堆脏衣服洗净烘干，一边洗一边想着爱是怎样从我的生活中消失的。我看着墙壁上的那些乱七八糟的字迹，感觉自己就像被放进洗衣机里的衣服一样被绞扭着。
当我把丈夫的最后一件衬衫收好的时候，我看了看时钟。2 ：30。我已迟到了。乔纳森2 ：15放学。我把衣服丢在后面的座位上，慌忙开车向学校驶去。
我上气不接下气地来到乔纳森上课的教室外面，敲了敲教室的门，透过玻璃向里张望。老师用一根手指示意我等一会儿。她对乔纳森说了些什么，然后递给他和另外两个孩子每人一些蜡笔和一张纸。
难道乔纳森惹祸了？当她快步走出教室，把我拉到一边的时候，我心理正这么想着。她对我说：“我想跟你谈谈乔纳森。”
我在心里做好了面对最坏消息的准备。什么都不会令我吃惊。
“你知道乔纳森今天带花到学校里来了吗？”她问。
我点了点头，同时想到我心爱的杜鹃花，并竭力隐藏起眼睛里的受伤神情。我飞快地瞥了一眼正在埋头为一幅图画上色的儿子。他那微微卷曲的头发太长了，已经耷拉到眉毛下面了。他用手背把它往后抹了抹。当欣赏自己的作品时，他的眼睛里突然流露出沮丧的神色。
“让我告诉你昨天发生的事情吧，”老师强调地说，“看见那个小女孩了吗？”
我注视着那个眼睛亮晶晶的孩子大笑着用手指着贴在墙上的一幅色彩鲜艳的图画，点了点头。
“噢，昨天她差不多歇斯底里了。她的父母正在闹离婚。她告诉我她不想活了，她希望一死了之。我看着那个小女孩把脸埋进小手里，大声说：‘没有人爱我。’她的声音很大，大得足以让全班同学都能听到。我竭力安慰她，但是，那似乎只能让事情变得更糟。”
“我以为你想跟我谈有关乔纳森的事情，”我说。
“是的，”她边说边用手碰了碰我的宽松上衣的袖子，“今天，你的儿子径直走到那个孩子身边。我看着他把一些美丽的粉红色杜鹃花递给她，并轻声说，‘我爱你。’”
我感到心中涌动着一种骄傲的感觉，我为儿子所做的事情感到骄傲。我对老师笑了笑。“谢谢你，”我边说边伸手去拉乔纳森的手，“你使我今天非常愉快。”
那天晚上晚些时候，我开始为倒向一边的杜鹃花除杂草。当我回想起乔纳森向那个小女孩展示爱的时候，我的脑海里浮现起《圣经》里的一句诗 ：……这三个方面保持不变：信任、希望和爱。而最重要的是爱。当我的儿子把爱付诸于实践的时候，我却感到生气。
我听到外面车道上传来熟悉的汽车刹车声，我知道是丈夫回来了。我从花丛中折下一小枝开着粉红色花朵的杜鹃花。我感到爱的种子又开始在我的心中盛开了。当我把花递给丈夫时，他的眼睛因惊讶而睁得大大的。“我爱你，”我说。
紫藤花 摘译自 My Family
My day began on a decidedly sour note when I saw my six-year-old wrestling2with a limb of my azalea bush. By the time I got outside he’d broken it. “Can I take this to school today?” he asked.
With a wave of my hand, I sent him off. I turned my back so he wouldn’t see the tears gathering in my eyes. I loved that azalea bush. I touched the broken limb as if to say silently, “I’m sorry.”
I wished I could have said that to my husband earlier, but I’d been angry. The washing machine had leaked on my brand-new linoleum3. If he’d just taken the time to fix it the night before when I asked him instead of playing checkers4 with Jonathan. What are his priorities5 anyway? I wondered. I was still mopping6up the mess when Jonathan walked into the kitchen. “What’s for breakfast, Mom?”
I opened the empty refrigerator. “Not cereal,”I said, watching the sides of his mouth drop. “How about toast and jelly?” I smeared7 the toast with jelly and set it in front of him. Why was I so angry? I tossed my husband’s dishes into the sudsy water.
It was days like this that made me want to quit. I just wanted to drive up to the mountains, hide in a cave, and never come out.
Somehow I managed to lug 8the wet clothes to the laundromat9. I spent most of the day washing and drying clothes and thinking how love had disappeared from my life. Staring at the graffiti10 on the walls, I felt as wrung-out as the clothes left in the washers.
As I finished hanging up the last of my husband’s shirts, Ilooked at the clock. 2:30. I was late. Jonathan’s class let out at 2:15. I dumped the clothes in the back seat and hurriedly drove to the school.
I was out of breath by the time I knocked on the teacher’s door and peered through the glass. With one finger, she motioned for me to wait. She said something to Jonathan and handed him and two other children crayons and a sheet of paper.
What now? I thought, as she rustled11 through the door and took me aside. “I want to talk to you about Jonathan,” she said.
I prepared myself for the worst. Nothing would have surprised me.
“Did you know Jonathan brought flowers to school today?” she asked.
I nodded, thinking about my favorite bush and trying to hide the hurt in my eyes. I glanced at my son busily coloring a picture. His wavy hair was too long and flopped just beneath his brow. He brushed it away with the back of his hand. His eyes burst with blue as he admired his handiwork12.
“Let me tell you about yesterday,” the teacher insisted. “See that little girl?”
I watched the bright-eyed child laugh and point to a colorful picture taped to the wall. I nodded.
“Well, yesterday she was almost hysterical13. Her mother and father are going through a nasty14 divorce. She told me she didn’t want to live, she wished she could die. I watched that little girl bury her face in her hands and say loud enough for theclass to hear, ‘Nobody loves me.’I did all I could to console15 her, but it only seemed to make matters worse.”
“I thought you wanted to talk to me about Jonathan,” I said.
“I do,” she said, touching the sleeve of my blouse. “Today your son walked straight over to that child. I watched him hand her some pretty pink flowers and whisper, “I love you.”
I felt my heart swell16 with pride for what my son had done. I smiled at the teacher. “Thank you,” I said, reaching for Jonathan’s hand, “you’ve made my day.”
Later that evening, I began pulling weeds from around my lopsided17 azalea bush. As my mind wandered back to the love Jonathan showed the little girl, a biblical18 verse came to me: ...these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.While my son had put love into practice, I had only felt anger.
I heard the familiar squeak19 of my husband’s brakes as he pulled into the drive. I snapped a small limb bristling20 with pink azaleas off the bush. I felt the seed of lovebeginning to bloom once again in me. My husband’s eyes widened in surprise as I handed him the flowers. “I love you,” I said.
一大早，当看见6岁的儿子乔纳森在奋力攀折我的杜鹃花时，我听到一声刺耳的响声。等我走到外面，他已经把它折断了。“今天我能把这个带到学校里去吗？”他问。
我挥了挥手，让他上学去。我转过身，以免让他看见我眼睛里涌出的泪水。我爱那些杜鹃花。我用手抚摸那被折断的枝条，在心里默默地说：“对不起。”
我希望能早一点对丈夫说这句话，但当时我非常生气。洗衣机里的水漏在我那崭新的油毯上。如果他头一天晚上听我的话，不和乔纳森下跳棋，而是费点时间把它修好，就不会发生这种事情了。我真不知道，对他来说，到底什么事情更重要。当乔纳森走进厨房的时候，我仍然在用拖布拖地上的水。“早餐吃什么，妈妈？”
我打开空空的冰箱。“没有麦片粥了，”我话音刚落，就看见他的小嘴嘟了起来。“吐司面包和果酱怎么样？”我把果酱涂在吐司面包上，放在他面前。我为什么这么生气？我把丈夫刚才吃饭用过的盘子扔进起着泡沫的水池中。
这样的日子常常使我觉得想要逃开。我只想驱车驶进群山中，躲在一个洞穴里，再也不出来。
虽然这么想，我还是设法把那些湿衣服拖到了自助洗衣店。我花了大半天时间在那里把那一大堆脏衣服洗净烘干，一边洗一边想着爱是怎样从我的生活中消失的。我看着墙壁上的那些乱七八糟的字迹，感觉自己就像被放进洗衣机里的衣服一样被绞扭着。
当我把丈夫的最后一件衬衫收好的时候，我看了看时钟。2 ：30。我已迟到了。乔纳森2 ：15放学。我把衣服丢在后面的座位上，慌忙开车向学校驶去。
我上气不接下气地来到乔纳森上课的教室外面，敲了敲教室的门，透过玻璃向里张望。老师用一根手指示意我等一会儿。她对乔纳森说了些什么，然后递给他和另外两个孩子每人一些蜡笔和一张纸。
难道乔纳森惹祸了？当她快步走出教室，把我拉到一边的时候，我心理正这么想着。她对我说：“我想跟你谈谈乔纳森。”
我在心里做好了面对最坏消息的准备。什么都不会令我吃惊。
“你知道乔纳森今天带花到学校里来了吗？”她问。
我点了点头，同时想到我心爱的杜鹃花，并竭力隐藏起眼睛里的受伤神情。我飞快地瞥了一眼正在埋头为一幅图画上色的儿子。他那微微卷曲的头发太长了，已经耷拉到眉毛下面了。他用手背把它往后抹了抹。当欣赏自己的作品时，他的眼睛里突然流露出沮丧的神色。
“让我告诉你昨天发生的事情吧，”老师强调地说，“看见那个小女孩了吗？”
我注视着那个眼睛亮晶晶的孩子大笑着用手指着贴在墙上的一幅色彩鲜艳的图画，点了点头。
“噢，昨天她差不多歇斯底里了。她的父母正在闹离婚。她告诉我她不想活了，她希望一死了之。我看着那个小女孩把脸埋进小手里，大声说：‘没有人爱我。’她的声音很大，大得足以让全班同学都能听到。我竭力安慰她，但是，那似乎只能让事情变得更糟。”
“我以为你想跟我谈有关乔纳森的事情，”我说。
“是的，”她边说边用手碰了碰我的宽松上衣的袖子，“今天，你的儿子径直走到那个孩子身边。我看着他把一些美丽的粉红色杜鹃花递给她，并轻声说，‘我爱你。’”
我感到心中涌动着一种骄傲的感觉，我为儿子所做的事情感到骄傲。我对老师笑了笑。“谢谢你，”我边说边伸手去拉乔纳森的手，“你使我今天非常愉快。”
那天晚上晚些时候，我开始为倒向一边的杜鹃花除杂草。当我回想起乔纳森向那个小女孩展示爱的时候，我的脑海里浮现起《圣经》里的一句诗 ：……这三个方面保持不变：信任、希望和爱。而最重要的是爱。当我的儿子把爱付诸于实践的时候，我却感到生气。
我听到外面车道上传来熟悉的汽车刹车声，我知道是丈夫回来了。我从花丛中折下一小枝开着粉红色花朵的杜鹃花。我感到爱的种子又开始在我的心中盛开了。当我把花递给丈夫时，他的眼睛因惊讶而睁得大大的。“我爱你，”我说。
紫藤花 摘译自 My Family