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 her mother really is?

　　How does a grown woman thank for 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't know how, dear God, except 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

　　　　　　　　　　　為我的母親祈禱

親愛的上帝：

　　如今我已不再年輕，一些朋友的母親已經去世了。我曾聽這些子女們說過，他們從沒有向母親充分表示過他們的感激之情，而待到要告訴時為時已晚了。

　　幸運的是，我親愛的母親依然健在。我對她的感情與日俱增。母親沒有變，而我卻變了。隨著年歲的增長，我越來越懂事了，我認識到她是個非常了不起的人。這些話在她面前我難以啟齒，但在筆下卻可以輕易地寫出來，這令我感到多么難過。

　　一個女兒該怎樣開口感謝她的母親所給予的生命？感謝她在撫養孩子時所付出的愛、耐心以及無私的辛勤勞動？感謝她跟在蹣跚學步的孩子身后奔跑，對情緒不定的少女的理解，以及對一個自以為是的大學生的寬容？感謝她等待女兒認識到她真是一位好母親的這一天？

　　一個成年女子該怎樣感謝母親依然如故的角色？感謝在被問到時她會及時提供良言，而在不需要時她會保持沉默？感謝她沒有說：“我告訴過你，”而她本來可以說上許多次？感謝她始終不變的愛心、體貼周到、耐心與寬容厚道？

　　我不知道該怎樣來表達，親愛的上帝，除了請求你好好地保佑她---那是她該得到的---并幫助我朝她做出的榜樣看齊。我祈愿在孩子的眼里我會如同母親在我眼里一般好。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　一個女兒

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