介绍:
为你读英语美文 · 特别回顾 第17期
主播：Ms. liz
2014年录制于美国
Helping-the Greater Gift
助人—更好的礼物
作者：Elizabeth Wach, 翻译：永清
“Shall we do Helping Hand this year?” I asked my husband.
"我们今年应该参加Helping Hand的活动吗？“ 我问先生。
“Mmmm.” he replied, and we came to no decision.
"嗯，" 他回答，我们没有做出决定。
We had finished our Christmas shopping unusually early. Like many Christmases, this was an “overspent” one as we tried to fill every request of our five children. The loot nearly submerged the Christmas tree, and Santa was yet to come! My husband’s line of work was most rewarding that year. Because he made enough money-even “after inflation,” we could give very generously to our children.
我们很早就完成了圣诞采购。和往年的许多圣诞节一样，这是一个"超支"的圣诞节，因为我们尽量满足五个孩子的所有需求。圣诞老人都还没来，但战利品就几乎淹没了圣诞树。那年，先生的工作回报颇丰。因为他赚的钱足够多，即使考虑到"通货膨胀”，我们也可以慷慨地给予孩子们。
We hadn’t forgotten our extended family. Parents, brothers and sisters, nieces, nephews and cousins received Christmas gives. We gave to my husband’s office staff, business associates and to our personal friends.
我们没有忘记我们的大家庭，我们给父母、兄弟姐妹、侄女、侄子和表兄妹送了礼物，也送给了先生的同事、业务伙伴和朋友们送了礼物。
And our children gave to their friends, teachers and to each other. Three times we replenished our supply of Christmas wrapping paper!
孩子们给他们的朋友，老师，也互相赠送了礼物。光圣诞礼物的包装纸，我们就补了三次。
We remembered the less fortunate, too: Salvation Army, Christmas Seals, Quarters for Christmas and United Fund. We provided for people we loved and people who needed.
我们也记得那些不是太幸运的人：Salvation Army（救世军，慈善公益组织）, Christmas Seals（圣诞节期间募资帮助穷人的慈善机构）, Quarters for Christmas（圣诞节期间募资帮助穷人的慈善机构），United Fund（美国联合基金，慈善机构）。我们给予了我们爱的人和需要帮助的人。
But something was missing.
但是，总觉得缺失点什么。
As a family we reviewed the marvelous story of the birth of the Christ Child. We listened to Christmas music for weeks and had Christmas decorations throughout the house. Our Christmas cards were mailed.
作为一个家庭，我们回顾了圣婴诞生的奇妙故事，连续几周听了圣诞音乐，把房子装饰成圣诞的样子，还邮寄了圣诞卡片。
Yet somehow we felt uneasy, depressed. We could not catch the elusive and sought-after spirit of Christmas.
然而，不知何故，我们感到不安和沮丧。我们还是没有领悟到圣诞节隐秘和为何备受青睐的精神。
Every year we talked about providing a Christmas for a Helping Hand family, but we never did sign up. Our children participated at school in the program, but as a family---no.
每年，我们都谈论为Helping Hand活动的家庭提供圣诞节，却没有付诸行动。孩子们参加了学校的活动，但作为一个家庭---没有。
’
One early December day, almost on impulse, I called the newspaper. We requested a family with five children, so that each one of ours could have a child to shop for. In a few days we had our family.
12月初的一天，几乎一时冲动，我给报社打了电话。我们要求寻找一个有五个孩子的家庭，这样孩子们可以一一准备礼物。几天后，我们找到了这个家庭。
I was stunned.
我震惊了。
They had requested only one thing through Helping Hand: children’s underwear. I stared at the letter in disbelief. After the bounties of my own household, one homely item was incredible.
通过Helping Hand, 他们只要求了一样东西：孩子的内衣。我难以置信地盯着那封信。对比了我们自己家里的富足，这样东西是如此平凡和难以置信。
At Family Home Evening before Christmas, we bought the necessary underwear. Then each child selected two or three things his Helping Hand child might enjoy. My husband and I added a few items for the parents, and we went home to wrap everything.
圣诞前夕的“家庭之夜”，我们买了所需的内衣。之后，每个孩子都为Helping Hand的小朋友选择了两到三件他们可能会喜欢的东西。我和先生给对方家庭的父母准备了一些东西，回家以后，我们把所有礼物都包装起来。
Two days later, we delivered the gifts. Since the home was quite far from our suburban neighborhood, we had some difficulty finding the address in a rural part of the valley. A single, bare light glowed through a curtainless window. We crossed the frozen pasture and quietly stepped on the porch.
两天后，我们去送礼物。由于对方家里我们所住的街区很远，我们寻找有点困难，最后在山谷里的一个乡村地区找到了。一颗裸露的灯泡透过一扇没有窗帘的窗户发着光。我们穿过结冰的牧场，静悄悄第来到了门廊。
Sitting around a small, black-and-white TV, wearing coats and huddled under blanket, was our Helping Hand family. Three daughters and the mother sat upon a sagging sofa. The father and two children were on the floor, wrapped in an old quilt. There was no other furniture in the room, no Christmas tree.
坐在一台黑白两边的小电视机周围，穿着外套，裹着毯子的，是我们的" Helping Hand"结对的一家人。三个女儿和母亲坐在下陷的沙发上。父亲和两个孩子躺在地板上，裹着一床旧被子。房间里没有别的家具，也没有圣诞树。
We were speechless. Sheltered by our overabundant life, we had forgotten that some people had to live like this.
我们说不出话来。被富足生活庇佑的我们，几乎忘了还有人是这样生活的。
And all the wanted for Christmas was underwear for the children.
圣诞节他们最想要的是孩子的内衣。
We knocked on the door. When the children saw our boxes piled high with colorfully wrapped gifts, their mouths dropped and their eyes sparkled. The father of the family shook our hands and thanked us; the mother hugged us. We stood in the doorway and wept with gratitude and joy.
我们敲门，当孩子们看到我们的五颜六色，堆得高高的礼物盒子时，他们的下巴都快掉了下来，眼睛闪闪发光。孩子们的父亲和我们握手，感谢我们，母亲拥抱了我们。我们站在门口，感恩和喜悦的泪水润湿了双眼。
On the way home we were silent, a million thoughts in our minds. We were humbled, taught and blessed by the tremendous experience of giving-not only to those we love, but also to the truly needy.
在回家的路上，我们都沉默了，心中思绪万千。这次给予的经历让我们变得前辈，仿佛接受了洗礼和祝福—不仅要给予我们爱的人，还要给予真正需要帮助的人。
But we were the recipients of a far greater gift. For only a fraction of what we lavished on our own family we received the true spirit of Christmas into our hearts.
其实，我们收获了更美好的礼物。这些礼物或许只是我们家消费的一小部分，我们却把圣诞节真正的精神融入了心中。
This is what Christmas---the mission of Jesus Christ---is all about：a personal sharing of abundance and need, a face-to-face loving of our brothers and sisters.
这就是圣诞节---耶稣基督的使命---的一切：自己富足时分享和帮助别人，对兄弟姐妹切实的爱。
And that is the Christmas I will always remember.
这就是我最难忘的圣诞节。
▎背后小故事
1980年12月，Ms. Liz一如既往地在Salt Lake City的家中为家人，朋友，同事准备圣诞礼物，当然还打算捐助Salvation Army等慈善组织。礼物多得甚至没过了圣诞树，但Ms. Liz觉得少了一些什么。这时，她想起了当地报纸Deseret News的Santa’s Helping Hand，也就是圣诞节帮助困难家庭准备礼物的活动。Ms. Liz报名参加了。收到Helping Hand family的礼物要求时，Ms. Liz震惊了，孩子的内衣。赠送礼物的当天，Ms. Liz和家人备受启发：Sheltered by our overabundant life, we had forgotten that some people had to live like this. Ms. Liz和家人真正感受到了圣诞节的精髓：给予，帮助和爱。 是的，予人玫瑰，手留余香。
2006年，Ms. Liz 和Mr. Phil来到西安外国语大学担任外教，他们的善良，他们的爱，他们的用心赢得了每一位学生的喜欢和尊敬。Ms. Liz和Mr. Phil喜欢教学生们唱英文歌，因为歌声是启迪心灵的最好方式。You Are My Sunshine就是众多歌曲中的一首，也是我们最温暖的记忆。
2014年，永清来到Ms. Liz美国的家里，录下了这期节目珍贵的音频。希望听节目的你，也和我们一起唱起：You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away……
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