|
一个身体虚弱的老人到儿子家和儿子、儿媳、还有一个四岁的孙子生活在一起。老人的双手总是不停地颤抖，眼睛看不清东西，走起路来摇晃。一家人每天晚上都在一张桌子上吃饭。可是老爷爷颤抖的双手和模糊的视力给他吃饭带来了很多麻烦。豌豆总是会从他的汤匙中滚落到地上。每次他拿起牛奶杯子时，总是会把牛奶洒在桌布上。儿子和儿媳对此非常恼火。 “我们必须得想个办法，”儿子说，“我受够了，他总是把牛奶撒一桌布，吃饭时声音还那么大，还把食物撒得满地都是。” 因此，两口子就在房间的一个角落里安了一张小桌子。每当一家人围着桌子吃饭时老爷爷都独自一个人呆在那里。而且由于老爷爷曾经打碎过一两个碟子，他的饭都是盛在一个木头碗里的。偶尔，这一家人向老爷爷所在的地方瞥一眼，老爷爷眼里总是噙着泪水，独自一人在那里吃饭。而当老爷爷掉了叉子或者把牛奶洒出来时，这对夫妇仍旧高声责备他。四岁的儿子一直沉默着，把这一切都看在了眼里。 一天晚上,晚饭前，父亲注意到儿子正在地上玩几块废木块。他温柔地问孩子："你在做什么呀？”儿子同样温柔地回答道：“噢，我在给你和妈妈做木头碗，等我长大了，你们好用它们吃饭啊。”四岁的儿子微笑着，又回头忙他的事情了。儿子的话犹如当头一棒，让父母无言以对。眼泪从他们脸颊上滑落下来。尽管没说什么，他们两个都知道自己应该做什么了。那天晚上，丈夫牵着老爷爷的手，慢慢地把他领回到大桌子旁边。 之后的日子里，老爷爷每顿饭都是和全家人一起吃的。而且，丈夫和妻子谁也没有再去在意叉子掉在地上，牛奶洒了出来或者桌布被弄脏了这些事情。孩子们有非同寻常的理解力。他们用眼睛观察，用耳朵倾听，他们总是会把看到听到的事情记在心里。如果大人们为家人营造了一个轻松愉快的家庭环境，在他们以后的生活中，他们也会用同样的态度去生活。 The Wooden Bowl A frail old man went to live with his son, daughter-in-law, and a four-year old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his eyesight was blurred, and his step faltered. The family ate together nightly at the dinner table. But the elderly grandfather's shaky hands and failing sight made eating rather difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon onto the floor. When he grasped the glass often milk spilled on the tablecloth. The son and daughter-in- law became irritated with the mess. “We must do something about grandfather,” said the son, “I’ve had enough of his spilled milk, noisy eating, and food on the floor. ” So the husband and wife set a small table in the corner. There, grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner at the dinner table. Since grandfather had broken a dish or two, his food was served in a wooden bowl. Sometimes when the family glanced in grandfather's direction, he had a tear in his eye as he ate alone. Still, the only words the couple had for him were sharp admonitions when he dropped a fork or spilled food. The four-year-old watched it all in silence. One evening before supper, the father noticed his son playing with wood scraps on the floor. He asked the child sweetly, “What are you making?” Just as sweetly, the boy responded，“〇h，I am making a little bowl for you and mama to eat your food from when I grow up. ’，The four-year-old smiled and went back to work. The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. Then tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though no word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening the husband took grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table. For the remainder of his days he ate every meal with the family. And for some reason, neither husband nor wife seemed to care any longer when a fork was dropped, milk spilled, or the tablecloth soiled. Children are remarkably perceptive. Their eyes ever observe ,their ears ever listen, and their minds ever process the messages they absorb. If they see adults patiently provide a happy home atmosphere for family members, they will imitate that attitude for the rest of their lives. |
