雙語美文：我們都是地球母親的孩子
It was a few years ago.
這是幾年前的事情。
A friend had sent me a restaurant gift card for Christmas
一個朋友送給我一張餐廳禮品券作爲聖誕節的禮物。
and I had picked a pretty, sunny Sunday afternoon to use it.
我選擇了一個美好，陽光燦爛的週日下午使用它。
It felt good
這種感覺真好
taking my two grown sons and daughter
帶着我長大成人的兒子和女兒
to a nice sit-down restaurant
來到一個很棒的堂食餐廳
instead of the fast food places we usually ate at.
而不是我們平時經常去的那種快餐站
The meal was delicious
食物很美味
and we all had a good time
我們度過了一段愉快的時光
just being together.
僅僅因爲我們在一起這就足已
When the waitress brought the check
當侍者把賬單遞給我時
I looked down at it.
我低頭看了一眼
The gift card covered almost all of it.
禮品券幾乎抵消了全部的費用
I reached into my wallet
我拿出錢包
to get enough cash to cover the rest.
想取出現金支付剩餘的費用
I saw two bills in the front of it.
我在錢包裏發現了兩張支票
The first would cover the rest of the bill
第一張可以支付剩餘的餐費
and give the waitress a nice tip.
還可以給侍者一份豐厚的小費
The second bill was much larger
第二張支票的數額比第一張大得多
so I reached down to pick out the first one.
所以我躬身先拿出了第一張
At that moment
在這一刻
my mind flashed back to 30 years before.
我的思緒回到了三十年前
I was working as a [en]busboy
in a restaurant[/en]那時我在一家餐廳當勤雜工
much like the one we were in now.
那家餐廳與我們現在身處的餐廳十分類似
It was long hours of hard work for low pay.
那時我終日干活，工作艱辛，報酬卻很低
I went home
下班回家時
just barely making enough to feed my young family.
所掙的錢只能剛剛夠養活我的妻子和幼小的孩子
I also remembered
我還記得
how more than once I saw the waitresses counting their [en]meager
tips[/en]自己如何眼巴巴的看着其他服務員清點微薄的小費，不止一次
while worrying about
與此同時替她們擔心
how they were going to pay the rent
這些錢如何能夠付清房租
and buy their kids the things they needed.
還要爲她們的孩子購買所需要的生活用品
I remembered the pain in their eyes
我記得她們眼中的苦痛
and saw the sadness in their faces at the end of the day.
一天結束時，我總看到她們臉上帶着憂愁
I blinked
我眨了眨眼睛
and was back in the present
思緒回到現實
again
再一次
my fingers touching the smaller bill in my wallet.
我的手指輕輕撫摸着錢包裏那張金額小一些的支票
I smiled,
我微笑
pushed it back down,
把它放回錢包
and picked out the much larger bill.
拿起那張金額大得多的支票
I folded it around the gift card
我把它折起來，用它包住禮品券
and covered both of them with the check.
把它們都藏在賬單裏
As we all got up from the table
我們從桌前起身
I handed them to the hard working waitress.
我把它們交給了那位正在辛勤幹活的服務員
“You keep the change.”
不用找了
I said with a smile and a happy heart.
我說時，臉上掛着微笑，內心充滿幸福
We are all one family in this world.
在這個世界上，我們都是一個大家庭的成員
We are all children of the same earth.
我們都是地球母親的孩子
We live together, rejoice together, and suffer together.
我們生息與共，歡樂與共，患難與共
Do your best to be kind then.
所以請儘可能的友善吧
Do your best to be a good person
盡全力讓自己成爲一個好人
and loving child of nature.
成爲自然母親的充滿愛的孩子
Do your best to replace the suffering with joy.
盡你所能，讓人類的苦痛變成歡樂吧
