给母亲的祈祷

　　安·兰德拉

　　亲爱的上帝：

　　如今我已不再年轻，一些朋友的母亲已经去世了。我曾听这些儿女们说过，他们从没有好好地向母亲表示过他们的感激之情，而待到要告诉她们时又已经为时太晚。

　　幸运的是，我的母亲依然健在。我对她的感激之情与日俱增。母亲没有变化，而我依然在变。随着年岁与智慧的增长，我认识到她是一个杰出非凡的人。这些话在她面前我难以启齿，但在笔下却可以轻易地写出来，这真令我感到难过。

　　一个女儿该怎样开口来感谢她的母亲所给予的生命?还有她在抚养孩子时所付出的爱、耐心以及辛勤劳动?还有她跟在蹒跚学步的孩子身后的奔跑，对情绪不定的少女的理解，以及对一个自以为是的大学生的宽容?还有她等待着女儿认识到她是一位良母的这一天?

　　一个成年女子该怎样感谢母亲依然故我地继续着她母亲的角色?为了在被问到时她准备好的建议，还有在需要时她的沉默?为了她没有说“我告诉过你”而她本有机会说上许多次?为了她本人所具有的爱心、周详、耐心与谅解?

　　我不知道该怎样来表达，亲爱的上帝，除了请求您好好地保佑她——那是她应该得到的——并帮助我朝她做出的榜样看齐。我祈愿在孩子的眼中我会如同母亲在我眼中一般好。

　　——一个女儿

　　prayer for my mother

　　by ann landers

　　dear god,

　　now that i am no longer young, i have friends whose mothers have passed away. i have heard these sons and daughters say they never fully appreciated their mothers until it was too late to tell them.

　　i am blessed with the dear mother who is still alive. i appreciate her more each day. my mother does not change, but i do. as i grow older and wiser, i realize what an extraordinary person she is. how sad that i am unable to speak these words in her presence, but they flow easily from my pen.

　　how does a daughter begin to thank her mother for life itself? for the love, patience and just plain hard work that go into raising a child? for running after a toddler, for understanding a moody teenager, for tolerating a college student who knows everything? for waiting for the day when a daughter realizes how wise her mother really is?

　　how does a grown woman thank a mother for continuing to be a mother? for being ready with advice (when asked) or remaining silent when it is most appreciated? for not saying, “i told you so,” when she could have uttered these words dozens of times? for being essentially herself —loving, thoughtful, patient, and forgiving?

　　i don not how, dear god, except to ask you to bless her as richly as she deserves and to help me live up to the example she has set. i pray that i will look as good in the eyes of my children as my mother looks in mine.

　　——a daughter