Anonymous
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在我的记忆之中，生命里充满您的身影，谁也不能够取代，永远也不会；
……
啊，慈母在我心，上天保佑您，福寿永绵长！
There's a spot in my heart
Which no colleen1 may own；
There's a depth in my soul
Never sounded or known；
There's a place in my memory
My life that you fill；
No other can take it
No one ever will；
Every sorrow or care
In the dear days gone by；
Was made bright by the light
Of the smile in your eye；
Like a candle that's set
In a window at night；
Your fond love has cheered me and guided me right；
Sure I love the dear silver
That shines in your hair；
And the brow that's all furrowed2
And wrinkled3 with care；
I kiss the dear fingers
So toil warm for me；
Oh！God bless you and
Keep you，mother machree！
在我的心中有个地方，
哪个少女都不曾涉入；
在我的灵魂深处，
其境无人耳闻或知晓；
在我的记忆之中，
生命里充满您的身影，
谁也不能够取代，
永远也不会；
美好的时光悄然逝去，
辛劳烦扰却永不消停
您眼中的微笑，其光彩，
使烦劳化作光明；
宛若深夜窗边
点亮的烛光；
您深情的爱激励我，
指引我正确的方向；
是的，我爱您如银的发丝，
闪耀着深情的光芒；
我爱您额上那道道皱纹，
用关爱刻满沧桑岁月；
我亲吻您的每根手指，
辛劳温暖着我的心房；
啊，慈母在我心，
上天保佑您，福寿永绵长！
注：本文为爱尔兰民间的一首家喻户晓的诗。
生词与短语 New Words and Expressions
1.colleen n.IRISH ENGLISH 少女
2.furrowed adj.长皱纹的
3.wrinkled adj.起皱纹的
wrinkle（up）one's forehead 皱起额头；wrinkle with age 老得皮肤起皱
妙语连珠：Beautiful Sentences
Every sorrow or care in the dear days gone by was made bright by the light of the smile in your eye；like a candle that's set in a window at night.
您眼中的微笑，其光彩，使烦劳化作光明；宛若深夜窗边点亮的烛光。
心灵感悟：
美好的时光悄然逝去，在母亲的额上刻下了道道皱纹。让我们如何能忘怀，慈母的关爱已深入灵魂。
第一章If I Could Have Picked Again，I Would Still Have Picked You 如果能重新选择，我始终会选你
Anonymous
本章内容导读
我们到底有多少次让这些珍贵的时刻白白溜走了？……我们只是应付着参加了那些仪式，却没有在人群中找到孩子，找个安静的地方，亲口道出他们对我们而言究竟有多么重要。
In the doorway of my home，I looked closely at the face of my 23-year-old son，Daniel，his backpack by his side.We were saying good-bye.In a few hours he would be flying to France.
He would be staying there for at least a year to learn another language and experience life in a different country.It was a transitional1 time in Daniel's life，a passage，a step from college into the adult world.I wanted to leave him some words that would have some meaning，some significance beyond the moment.
But nothing came from my lips.No sound broke the stillness of my beachside home.Outside，I could hear the shrill cries of sea gulls2 as they circled the ever changing surf on Long Island.Inside，I stood frozen and quiet，looking into the searching eyes of my son.What made it more difficult was that I knew this was not the first time I had let such a moment pass.When Daniel was five，I took him to the school-bus stop on his first day of kindergarten.I felt the tension in his hand holding mine as the bus turned the corner.I saw color flush his cheeks as the bus pulled up3.He looked at me—as he did now.
'What is it going to be like，Dad？Can I do it？Will I be okay？'And then he walked up the steps of the bus and disappeared inside.And the bus drove away.And I had said nothing.
A decade or so later，a similar scene played itself out.With his mother，I drove him to William and Mary College in Virginia.His first night，he went out with his new schoolmates，and when he met us the next morning，he was sick.He was coming down with mononucleosis4，but we could not know that then.We thought he had a hangover5.
In his room，Dan lay stretched out on his bed as I started to leave for the trip home.I tried to think of something to say to give him courage and confidence as he started this new phase of life.
Again，words failed me.I mumbled something like，'Hope you feel better Dan.'And I left.
Now，as I stood before him，I thought of those lost opportunities.How many times have we all let such moments pass？A boy graduates from school，a daughter gets married.We go through the motions of the ceremony，but we don't seek out our children and find a quiet moment to tell them what they have meant to us.Or what they might expect to face in the years ahead.
How fast the years had passed.Daniel was born in New Orleans，LA.，in 1962，slow to walk and talk，and small of stature.He was the tiniest in his class，but he developed a warm，outgoing nature and was popular with his peers.He was coordinated and agile，and he became adept6 in sports.
Baseball gave him his earliest challenge.He was an outstanding pitcher in Little League，and eventually，as a senior in high school，made the varsity，winning half the team's games with a record of five wins and two losses.At graduation，the coach named Daniel the team's most valuable player.
His finest hour，though，came at a school science fair7.He entered an exhibit showing how the circulatory system works.It was primitive and crude，especially compared to the fancy，computerized，blinking-light models entered by other students.My wife，Sara，felt embarrassed for him.
It turned out that the other kids had not done their own work-their parents had made their exhibits.As the judges went on their rounds，they found that these other kids couldn’t answer their questions.Daniel answered every one.When the judges awarded the Albert Einstein Plaque for the best exhibit，they gave it to him.
By the time Daniel left for college he stood six feet tall and weighed 170 pounds.He was muscular and in superb condition，but he never pitched another inning，having given up baseball for English literature.I was sorry that he would not develop his athletic talent，but proud that he had made such a mature decision.