【雨中的記憶一】
She had been shopping with her Mom in Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful brown haired, freckle-faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the Earth, it has no time to flow down the spout.
她和媽媽剛在沃爾瑪結(jié)束購物。這個天真的小女孩應(yīng)該6歲大了，頭發(fā)是美麗的棕色，臉上有雀斑。外面下著傾盆大雨。雨水溢滿了檐槽，來不及排走，就迫不及待地涌漲上地面。
We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We all waited, some patiently, others irritated, because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I get lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.
我們都站在沃爾瑪門口的遮篷下。大家都在等待，有人很耐心，有人很煩躁，因為老天在給他們本已忙碌的一天添亂。雨天總引起我的遐思。我出神地聽著、看著老天沖刷洗滌這世界的污垢和塵埃，孩時無憂無慮地在雨中奔跑玩水的記憶洶涌而至，暫時緩解了我一天的焦慮。
Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in, “Mom, let's run through the rain." she said.
小女孩甜美的聲音打破了這令人昏昏欲睡的氣氛，“媽媽，我們在雨里跑吧。”她說。
"What?" Mom asked.
“什么？”母親問。
"Let's run through the rain!" She repeated.
“我們在雨里跑吧，”她重復(fù)。
"No, honey. We'll wait until it slows down a bit." Mom replied.
“不，親愛的，我們等雨小一點再走�！蹦赣H回答說。
This young child waited about another minute and repeated: "Mom, let's run through the rain."
過了一會小女孩又說：“媽媽，我們跑出去吧�！�
"We'll get soaked if we do." Mom said.
“這樣的話我們會濕透的�！蹦赣H說。
"No, we won't, Mom. That's not what you said this morning," the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom's arm."
“不會的，媽媽。你今天早上不是這樣說的�！毙∨⒁贿呎f一邊拉著母親的手。
"This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?"
“今天早上？我什么時候說過我們淋雨不會濕��？”
"Don't you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!"
“你不記得了嗎？你和爸爸談他的癌癥時，你不是說‘如果上帝讓我們闖過這一關(guān)，那我們就沒有什么過不去�！�
The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn't hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently. No one came or left in the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.
人群一片寂靜。我發(fā)誓，除了雨聲，你什么都聽不到。我們都靜靜地站著。接下來的幾分鐘沒有一個人走動。母親停了一下，想著應(yīng)該說些什么。
Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child's life. Time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. "Honey, you are absolutely right. Let's run through the rain. If get wet, well maybe we just needed washing." Mom said. Then off they ran.
有人也許會對此一笑了之，或者責(zé)備這孩子的不懂事，有人甚至不把她的話放在心上。但這卻是一個小孩子一生中需要被肯定的時候。若受到鼓舞，此時孩子單純的信任就會發(fā)展成為堅定的信念�！坝H愛的，你說得對，我們跑過去吧。如果淋濕了，那也許是因為我們的確需要沖洗一下了�！蹦赣H說。然后她們就沖出去了。
We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes, I did. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories. So, don't forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories every day!
我們站在那里，笑著看她們飛快地跑過停著的汽車。她們把購物袋高舉過頭想擋擋雨，但還是濕透了。好幾個人像孩子般尖叫著，大笑著，也跟著沖了出去，奔向自己的車子。當(dāng)然，我也這樣做了，跑了出去，淋濕了。我也需要接受洗禮。環(huán)境或其他人可以奪去你的物質(zhì)財富，搶走你的金錢，帶走你的健康，但沒有人可以帶走你珍貴的回憶。因此，記得要抓緊時間，抓住機會每天都給自己留下一些回憶吧
To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven. I hope you still take the time to run through the rain.
世間萬物皆有自己的季節(jié)，做任何事情也有一個恰當(dāng)?shù)臅r機。希望你有機會在雨中狂奔一回。
【永恒的承諾二】
In 1989 an 8.2 earthquake almost flattened America, killing over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of utter devastation and chaos, a father left his wife safely at home and rushed to the school where his son was supposed to be, only to discover that the building was as flat as a pancake.
1989年，一次8.2級的地震幾乎鏟平美國，在短短不到4分鐘的時間里，奪去了3萬多人的生命！在徹底的破壞與混亂之中，有位父親將他的妻子在家里安頓好后，跑到他兒子就讀的學(xué)校，而觸目所見，卻是被夷為平地的校園。
After the unforgettably initial shock, he remembered the promise he had made to his son: "No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!" And tears began to fill his eyes. As he looked at the pile of ruins that once was the school, it looked hopeless, but he kept remembering his commitment to his son.
看到這令人傷心的一幕，他想起了曾經(jīng)對兒子所作的承諾："不論發(fā)生什么事，我都會在你身邊。"至此，父親熱淚滿眶。目睹曾經(jīng)的學(xué)校成為了一堆瓦礫，真叫人絕望。但父親的腦中仍然牢記著他對兒子的諾言。
He began to direct his attention towards where he walked his son to class at school each morning. Remembering his son s classroom would be in the back right corner of the building; he rushed there and started digging through the ruins.
他開始努力回憶每天早上送兒子上學(xué)的必經(jīng)之路，終于記起兒子的教室應(yīng)該就在那幢建筑物后面，位于右邊的角落里，他跑到那兒，開始在碎石礫中挖掘，搜尋兒子的下落。
As he was digging, other helpless parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: "My son!" "My daughter!" Other well meaning parents tried to pull him off what was left of the school, saying: "It s too late! They’re all dead! You can’t help! Go home! Come on, face reality, there s nothing you can do!"
當(dāng)這位父親正在挖掘時，其他束手無策的學(xué)生家長趕到現(xiàn)場，揪心地叫著："我的兒子呀！" "我的女兒呀！"一些好意的家長試圖把這位父親勸離現(xiàn)場，告訴他"一切都太遲了！"他們?nèi)懒耍?這樣做沒用的"，"回去吧，這樣做只會使事情更糟"。
To each parent he responded with one line: "Are you going to help me now?" And then he continued to dig for his son, stone by stone. The fire chief showed up and tried to pull him off the school s ruins saying, "Fires are breaking out, explosions are happening everywhere. You’re in danger. We’ll take care of it. Go home." To which this loving, caring American father asked, "Are you going to help me now?"
面對種種勸告，這位父親的回答只有一句話："你們愿意幫我嗎？"然后繼續(xù)進行挖掘工作，在廢墟中尋找他的兒子。消防隊長出現(xiàn)了，他也試圖把這位父親勸走，對他說："火災(zāi)頻現(xiàn)，四處都在發(fā)生爆炸，你在這里太危險了，這邊的事我們會處理，你回家吧！"對此，這位慈愛、關(guān)切的父親仍然回答："你們要幫我嗎？"
The police came and said, "You’re angry, anxious and it s over. You’re endangering others. Go home. We’ll handle it!" To which he replied, "Are you going to help me now?" No one helped.Courageously he went on alone because he needed to know for himself: "Is my boy alive or is he dead?" He dug for eight hours...12 hours...24 hours...36 hours...then, in the 38th hour, he pulled back a large stone and heard his son s voice. He screamed his son s name, "ARMAND!" He heard back, "Dad!?! It s me, Dad! I told the other kids not to worry. I told them that if you were alive, you d save me and when you saved me, they d be saved. You promised, No matter what happens, I’ll always be there for you! You did it, Dad!" "What s going on in there? How is it?" the father asked.
警察趕到現(xiàn)場，對他說："你現(xiàn)在又氣又急，該結(jié)束了，你在危及他人，回家吧！我們會處理一切的。"這位父親依舊回答："你們愿意幫我嗎？" 然而，人們無動于衷。為了弄清楚兒子是死是活，這位父親獨自一人鼓起勇氣，繼續(xù)進行他的工作。他挖掘了8小時，--12小時，24小時，36小時--38小時后，父親推開了一塊巨大的石頭，聽到了兒子的聲音。父親尖叫著："阿曼德！"兒子的回音聽到了："爸爸嗎？是我，爸，我告訴其他的小朋友不要著急。我告訴他們?nèi)绻慊钪�，你會來救我的。如果我獲救了，他們也就獲救了。你答應(yīng)過我， 不論發(fā)生什么，我永遠(yuǎn)都會在你的身邊， 你做到了，爸！""你那里的情況怎樣？"父親問。
"There are 14 of us left out of 33, Dad. We’re scared, hungry, thirsty and thankful you re here. When the building collapsed, it made a triangle, and it saved us."
"我們有33個，只有14個活著。爸，我們好害怕，又渴又餓，謝天謝地，你在這兒。教室倒塌時，剛好形成一個三角形的洞，救了我們。"
"Come out, boy!"
"快出來吧！兒子！"
"No, Dad! Let the other kids out first, cause I know you ll get me! No matter what happens, I know you’ll always be there for me!"
"不，爸，讓其他小朋友先出來吧！因為我知道你會接我的！不管發(fā)生什么事，我知道你永遠(yuǎn)都會來到我的身邊！"
【父愛三】
Daddy just didn’t know how to show love. It was Mom who held the family together. He just went to work every day and came home; she’d have a list of sins we’d committed and he’d scold us about them.
爸爸根本不知道怎樣表達(dá)愛。把這個家維系在一起的人是媽媽。爸爸天天去上班，回家，然后是媽媽向他數(shù)落我們所做的一連串錯事，爸爸再為了這些事把我們罵一頓。
Once when I stole a candy bar, he made me take it back and tell the man I stole it and that I’d pay for it. But it was Mom who understood I was just a kid.
有一次我偷了一根棒棒糖。爸爸硬是要我送回去，還要我告訴賣糖的人是我偷了糖，并說我愿意幫他拆箱開包作為賠償。但媽媽卻理解我，她知道我只不過是個孩子。
I broke my leg once on the playground swing and it was Mom who held me in her arms all the way to the hospital. Dad pulled the car right up to the door of the emergency room and when they asked him to move it saying the space was reserved for emergency vehicles, He shouted, “What do you think this is? A tour bus?”
再有一次，我在操場蕩秋千摔壞了腿，一路抱著我到醫(yī)院的人是媽媽。爸爸將車正好停在急診室門口。因為那兒是專供急救車�？康�，醫(yī)院里的人就叫我爸爸把車開走。爸爸大聲吼叫起來：“你以為這是什么車？難道是旅游車嗎？”
At my birthday parties, Dad always seemed sort of out of place, He just busied himself blowing up balloons, setting up tables, and running errands, it was Mom who carried the cake with the candles on it for me to blow out.
在我的生日聚會上，爸爸總顯得有點不得其所。他不是忙于吹氣球，就是擺桌子，或做些跑腿的活兒。將插著蠟燭的生日蛋糕捧進來讓我吹滅的人總是媽媽。
When I leaf through picture albums, people always ask, “What does your Dad took like?” “Who knows? He was always fiddling around with the camera taking everyone else’s picture. I must have a zillion pictures of Mom and me smiling together.”
我隨便翻閱相冊時，別人總會問“你爸爸長什么模樣？”這還真說不出。他總是擺弄著相機為別人拍照。我和媽媽在一起微笑的照片一定多得都數(shù)不清了。
I remember when Mom told him to teach me how to ride a bicycle. I told him not to let it go, but he said it was time. I fell and Mom ran to pick me up, but he waved her off. I was so mad that I showed him, got right back on that bike and rode it myself. He didn’t even feel embarrassed and just smiled.
我還記得有一次媽媽叫爸爸教我騎自行車。我叫他扶著車子別松手，他卻說是時候了。我摔了下來，媽媽跑來扶我，他卻揮手讓媽媽開走。我真是氣得發(fā)瘋，決心非要讓他看看我的本事不可。我馬上騎上車，竟能一個人騎了。爸爸卻一點也不尷尬，只是笑笑。
When I went to college, Mom did all the writing. He just sent checks and a little note about how great his lawn looked now that I wasn’t playing football on it.
我上大學(xué)了，給我的信總是媽媽寫的。爸爸只知道寄錢，頂多附上一張便條，告訴我他的草坪現(xiàn)在修整得多么好，而如今我卻不能在上面踢球。
Whenever I called home, he acted like he wanted to talk, but he always said, “I’ll get your mother.”When I got married, it was Mom who cried. He just blew his nose loudly and left the room. All my life he said, “Where are you going? What time are you coming home? No, you cannot go.”
每次我打電話回家，爸爸總像是有話要說，但結(jié)果他總是說“我把你媽叫來接”。我結(jié)婚的時候，媽媽哭了，爸爸只是大聲打著鼻響，離走出了房間。在我一生中，他總是說：“你去哪兒？你什么時候回家？不，你不能去�！�
Daddy just didn’t know how to show love, unless…
爸爸就是不知道怎樣表達(dá)愛，只會這樣……
Is it possible he showed it and didn’t recognize it ?
爸爸向我們表達(dá)了愛，難道他只是沒有意識到嗎？
