Family
佚名 / Anonymous
I ran into a stranger as he passed by.“I’m so sorry！” was my reply. Then he said，“Excuse me too...I wasn’t even watching for you.” We were very polite， this stranger and I. Then we went on our ways after saying good-bye.
But at home， a different story is told. How we tread our loved ones， young and old. Later， in the kitchen， as I cooked our meal， my daughter crept up to me， very still. When I turned， I nearly knocked her down. “Get out of the way！” I barked with a frown. She sauntered away，with her little heart broken. I didn’t realize how harshly I’d spoken.
That night， as I lay awake in bed， God’s quiet voice spoke to me and said， “While dealing with a stranger， you’re calm and polite， but with those you love， you’re quick to excite...Go and look right now on the kitchen floor， you’ll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers she brought for you. She picked them herself—pink， yellow， and blue. She stood there quietly， not to spoil your surprise， and you never saw the tears in her eyes.”
By this time， I felt sad and small and now my own tears had begun to fall. I quietly went and knelt by her bed， “Wake up， sweetheart， wake up，” I said， “Are these the flowers you picked for me？” She smiled，“I found them out by the tree， I wrapped them in a napkin， just for you. I knew you’d like them. Especially the blue.” I said， “I’m so sorry that I missed them today...And I shouldn’t have fussed at you that way.”
And she whispered， “Mommy， that’s okay...I still love you any way.” I hugged her and said， “I love you too...And I love my flowers， especially the blue.”
Are you aware that： If you die tomorrow， the company that you are working for could easily replace you in a matter of days. But the family you leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it， we pour ourselves more into our work than into our families—an unwise investment indeed.
我与一位路过的陌生人相撞了。我赶忙说声：“对不起！”他却说：“我也很抱歉……我没有注意到你。”我们彼此都彬彬有礼——陌生人和我。之后我们道别，各自上路。
但是，在家里的情况却完全不同。我们是怎样对待自己的爱人、孩子和老人呢？之后，当我在厨房做饭时，我的女儿蹑手蹑脚地进来，静悄悄地躲在我的背后。当我转身时差点撞倒了她。“让开！”我皱着眉头咆哮。她怏怏地离开，带着破碎的小小心灵。我没有意识到自己说得多严厉。
那晚，我躺在床上，上帝轻声地对我说：“与陌生人打交道，你沉着冷静、彬彬有礼。但与亲人相处，你却很容易激动……现在，去看看厨房的地上，你会看到门边的一些花。那些美丽的花朵是她带给你的。她亲手采摘下来的——粉色的、黄色的，还有蓝色的。她悄悄地站在那里，是想给你一个惊喜。你都没看到她眼中的泪水。”
到现在，我感觉自己很悲哀、很渺小，此刻，我的泪水开始奔涌。我悄悄地来到她的床前，跪在床边：“醒醒，小甜心，醒一下，”我轻声地唤着她，“那些花是你采给我的吗？”自豪的笑容浮上她的嘴角，“我在外面的树旁发现的。我用一张餐巾纸包起来，就是为了送给你。我知道你一定会喜欢，尤其是蓝色的。”我感动地说：“对不起，宝贝，我今天没看到它们……我不该那样对你大喊大叫。”
她低声地说：“没事的，妈妈……不管怎样，我还是爱你。”我紧紧地拥抱住她说：“妈妈也爱你……妈妈也爱宝贝送的花，尤其喜欢那些蓝色的。”
你是否意识到这点：如果你明天就要死去，你所在的公司不到几天就会找到替代你的人，而你抛下的家人，会在余生里感受着失去你的哀伤。好好想想吧，我们把更多的精力投放在事业上，而不是在家庭上，这是多么愚蠢的投资啊！
记忆填空
1. That night， as I lay in bed， God’s quiet voice spoke to me and ， “While dealing with a stranger， you’re and polite， but with those you ， you’re quick to excite... Go and look right now on the kitchen floor， you’ll find some there by the door...”
2. Are you aware ： If you die tomorrow， the company that you are working could easily replace you in a matter of . But the family you leave behind will feel the for the rest of their lives. And come to think of ， we pour ourselves more into our work than into our families—an unwise investment .
佳句翻译
1. 我们彼此都彬彬有礼——陌生人和我。
2. 她悄悄地站在那里，是想给你一个惊喜。你都没看到她眼中的泪水。
3. 到现在，我感觉自己很悲哀、很渺小，此刻，我的泪水开始奔涌。
短语应用
1. While dealing with a stranger， you’re calm and polite， but with those you love， you’re quick to excite...
deal with：处理；涉及；做生意
2. But the family you leave behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives.
leave behind：留下；遗留；超过