溪水流長
淙淙溪水，源遠流長，駐足芳園，滋潤心田。
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3217H8JppI
Symphony No. 9 ~ Beethoven
今天是母親節（2018年5月13日），發上我的第一篇英文作文《Long，Long Journey》籍以紀念我深愛的，在天堂的母親。。。
去年年底，我應邀去參加一個約二三十位美國朋友的聖誕聚會。請帖是早早地就收到了，可聚會前一晚，喜愛獨出心裁的女主人又追加了一個補充郵件，希望客人們能準備自己的節目與大家一起分享，這個節目就是每人朗誦一則自己寫的，或心怡的故事，或詩歌。
我作為唯一的English as a second language 的客人，也不能拂了主人的美意，就隻能趕鴨子上架，在參加聚會前的幾小時，匆匆翻譯了一篇我已經寫就的作文，是一個至1949年後，我家六十多年的故事。（今年剛開博不久，我已經把中文篇發在我的博客裏，《一個美國洋娃娃的故事-大妹回家》，隻是中英文兩篇略有不同，英文篇就貼在下麵，如您有興趣看中文篇，請查看我的博客，謝謝！）
聖誕聚會，燭光鮮花~美酒佳肴，朋友歡聚歌聲笑語。。終於輪到我~讀我的英文作文了。。
當我讀完我作文的最後一句，一屋子的人鴉雀無聲。我心裏納悶，老美聽懂了我這中國口音的英文了嗎？來美近三十年了，在公司上班時，英文交流基本沒出過什麽大問題。然而這種語言上的不自信，常還會悄然而至，防不勝防。突然， to my big surprise ，大家熱烈地鼓起掌來，還有幾位淚光閃閃。
老美朋友們的反應之強烈和激動是我出乎意料之外的，一位資深攝影評論家對我說，我的故事深深地觸動了她的內心，說著淚珠就滾落了下來。一位專利律師(A patent lawyer)過來給我一個大大的擁抱， 說她簡直不能想象我家那十年裏，家人被迫四散分離的悲哀。還有一位化學係的教授說要讓他的倆雙胞胎兒子也讀讀我的故事，要他們懂得珍惜現在所擁有的自由和幸福，還要學學我揣著五十美金到美國追夢打拚的精神。一位石油業工程師很是吃驚地說他稱得上博覽群書，竟然不知道中國那十年真正所發生的事情。 還有一兩位堅持要我投稿到星期六88.7FM， The Moth (a program,一個由作者本人朗讀自己所寫作的真實故事）。
老美朋友們對我獻身於中國護理教育事業，親愛的媽媽很是敬佩，對她和AE的父親還是Vanderbilt大學前後十年的校友也很感興趣。我告訴他們，我媽媽過世後，幾年前，我和AE特別去了Nashville，訪問了媽媽40年代在美留學的Vanderbilt大學。我還把兩塊多彩的南京雨花石放在了校園裏一棵參天的青鬆下，象征我陪著媽媽重遊了她夢中縈回，留駐了她青春芳華和孕育了她人生理想的校園。也算為媽媽圓了她的夢（媽媽八十年代初第二次訪美，但沒有機會舊地重遊）。
朋友們聽完我的故事後，反複地說我家和我的經曆簡直不可思議，大概因為我是他們的同代人？而他們讀到或聽到類似的故事是從書本或從他們的老一輩，美國本土畢竟很久沒有發生過大規模的戰爭和災難吧，而他們的祖父或曽祖父輩艱辛移民，開發新大陸的年代也畢竟太久遠了？
有位退休中學老師問我是從中國哪裏來的，我說是從南京來的。好幾位老美朋友馬上說他們讀過《The Rape of Nanking》by Iris Chang (這裏特別為這位用她自己的年輕生命，來還原曆史殘酷真相的華裔女作家點上紀念心香）， 還說如果沒有讀過這本書，他們真不知道日本侵略軍在中國所犯下的，罄竹難書的滔天罪行。所以說真實文學的能量是巨大的，還有用心筆寫成的文字（即使隻有初中水平）也是可以打動人心，得到共鳴的，即使是用as a second language的英文與不同文化，不同語言的讀者或聽眾交流。。（這裏特別感謝網友高斯曼和風清fq的啟發和鼓勵）。
文學城中有不少博主寫得一手漂亮的英文博文，令我敬佩，也很想向她（他）們學習，以下是我第一篇英文篇作文 ，也算是我學習英文寫博的開始吧。謝謝友好網友們花時間閱讀的同時，也請不吝賜教，感謝！
《Long Long Journey 》
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laaq6rw9eJ0
Enya - Long Long Journey (Lyrics)
I believe Music is the gift from God. It is said, that music has no time barrier, no land barrier and no language barrier. Music is universal, meanwhile it is so personal, that the same music or songs can move and touch people’s heart in such different, delicate and unique ways. That is why I had the urge to tell my little story right after I listened to Irish singer Enya’s song ”Long, Long Journey”.
Damei, an American doll, was brought back to China by my mom from USA at the end of 1940s. Damei, in Chinese means elder sister. Damei’s Chinese pronunciation is the same as winter plum flower, which is one of Chinese peoples' favorite flowers, blossoming in late winter and early spring. For years, many Chinese girls were named as Mei since their parents wished that their little daughters could be like winter plum flower to survive strongly and blossom happily from hardships as cold and bare winters. Meanwhile, this word has the same pronunciation for “Rose” in Chinese, the beautiful American national flower and also many American girls were named as Rose since their parents believed that their dear daughters would grow up beautifully and prosperously just as morning new roses opened in sunshine days.
About 70 years ago, from Shanghai, China, my dad exchanged Chinese money for 15 dollars and sent it to my mom in USA (they were poor students and almost had nothing then) just before my mom finished her study in Vanderbilt University, Tennessee and was ready to go home to China. My dad asked my mom to buy a gift from my dad for herself as a souvenir for her unforgettable experience in USA. So my mom picked Damei in a department store in Nashville.
Before I took Damei back to my home in Texas. Damei always sat on a pile of clothes in my mom’s bedroom closet. If you opened the door of the closet, you could see Dame’s bright green eyes, brown curly hair with two little braids made by my older sister when she was a kid.
My mom said that when my older sister was just born, she was put with Damei side by side; Damei’s head was a little bigger than my older sister’s was. Also I remembered an old picture that my older sister was about one year old, sitting with Damei, she was pushing Damei away very hard with a frowning little face. On the picture, mom wrote “Dislike Damei?” I guessed my older sister was suddenly recalling and unhappy about the fact that Damei’s head size had beaten hers when she was just born (please see the picture below).
I still remembered during my childhood, my mom sometimes talked to us “Why you girls grew up so quickly, looked at Damei, she was always little and not naughty at all.”
Flying over mountains and crossing ocean, my mom took Damei home from America to China. It was a long, long journey and it took around two weeks for my mom and Damei to sail on a boat and at last they landed at the port of Shanghai. Since then, Damei became a member of my family. She saw my mom and my dad get married and saw my sister and me being born. When we were children, we took a lot of pictures with Damei, on which we smiled our big smiles and laughed happily. Damei saw me go to elementary school and my older sister got admitted into a very prestigious middle school in Nanjing.
Then in 1966, the disaster began。Mao, the communist party leader then，began the Cultural Revolution, and my parents were persecuted and put into separate labor camps simply because they were college educated and taken as political opponents of the regime. My sister and I were kicked out of Junior high and sent to the countryside to labor in the fields without enough food or basic necessities. We shared the same fate with millions of other Chinese youths with similar family backgrounds to ours. During the ten years of the Cultural Revolution, schools were closed, there were no books (except one, Mao’s red book), no music, no laughter, only tears, persecution and suffering. Damei was the only one left in the home. She was bravely sitting on a pile of clothes in my mom’s bedroom closet. She was waiting patiently for her family members come home one by one gradually - we finally all came home by 1976. I bet Damei was very happy to see we all survived that horrible 10 years’ catastrophes and had eventually come back home. After the Cultural Revolution, we started a new life again, everyone worked hard, trying to catch up with the 10 years’ tremendous losses. I worked in an electronical parts assembly line during daytime and went to school to learn English and other high school courses during night. I eventually earned a college degree later. My mom devoted her heart and all of her efforts to revive Chinese nursing education field and she worked hard until she retired at 79 years of age.
At the beginning of the 80s, my mom was invited to Boston by her American nursing colleagues to learn and introduce more modern nursing technology and concepts to China. I knew Damei definitely wanted to go back to America with mom to see her homeland again after she left so long ago, but Damei knew her duties, she just faithfully sat on a pile of clothes in my mom’s bedroom closet to accompany my dad while we were all out of the house, busy with our working and studying. During the Cultural Revolution, my dad was badly tortured mentally and physically and lost his health. He was bedridden for 9 years before he lost his battle in 1985. Anyway, my dad did live to the time when he could listen to his favorite classic music as he wished without being fearful of getting into any trouble (any western music was forbidden during that ten years) and the classic music lifted my dad’s spirit and took his imagination to those beautiful lands, mountains and rivers where my dad was too sick to go. Damei told me that my dad listened to the 10 world’s most famous violin concertos and Beethoven’s 9 symphonies day by day while he lay on bed by himself with only Damei present.
Since I was a child. I always wondered what kind of American homeland Damei came from. Even during those cold, hungry and exhausting labor days in that poor village, my imagination about America always warmed my heart and brought me some hope and strength to get through my intolerable hardships. When Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger visited China in early 70s, my parents came back home from labor camps for a short visit, my sister and I came home to see them. My family had a secret celebration, my parents and Damei sang together “America the Beautiful” very quietly almost like whispers, scaring others might hear and report us to the red guards. I could never forget that night, their faces were lit up and their eyes were shining with hope while they sang.
America The Beautiful with Lyrics
At the end of 1980s, with 50 dollars in my pocket and Damei’s words “if you can dream it, you can do it”, like my mom, I was flying over mountains and crossing oceans to go to America for a higher education and my American dream. At the beginning, in order to survive, I worked at all kinds of low paying jobs (waitress, baby sitter, housekeeper, and laundress). I tried to save each penny for my school, for a long time, I only ate 0.29/lb. Chicken legs, the cheapest food in the grocery store until one day I really had enough of chicken and even tasted the chicken poo smell from my food.
While I was striving for realizing my American dream, Damei was quietly and patiently sitting on a pile of clothes in my mom’s bedroom closet to keep company with my mom every day and night, waiting for my monthly overseas letters or the very few phone calls (international phone call was very expensive then) to tell mom her daughter was doing fine in America. Damei told me how happy my mom was after I eventually got my master degree in Accounting with a 3.95 GPA and how proud she was after I passed my Texas CPA license exam. After I brought AE home to meet my mom , Damei secretly passed on my mom’s opinion and advice that AE was a very kind and honest man, I must treasure his love and must not bully him in any way.
My mom passed away peacefully at home when she was 91 years old. I knew Damei must be sad and cry for a long, long time. Damei eventually stopped crying and told me that my parents were happy together in heaven forever now. However, Damei was still sitting on a pile of clothes in my mom’s bedroom closet, waiting for me, the far-away daughter come home to go to the green mountain where my parent’s ashes spread out and paid them a daughter’s final love and respect.
Just before I was about to fly back to Texas after my last visit to my hometown in Nanjing, Damei decided to say a Goodbye to her Chinese family and friends and fly back to Texas with me, back to her home land after she left it so many years ago.
After taking such a long, long journey to China, then back to America, Damei at last settled in our home in Texas. During one of our visits to Bill (AE’s father) in Dallas, we took Damei to see him. Bill was an old brave American marine guy and a tough vice president in a big electronical company during his career. By the way, Bill was also from Tennessee and had graduated from Vanderbilt, and so was Damei’s “Lao xiang” (hometown next-door neighbor in Chinese). After I told Bill about Damei’s story, Bill was silent for a while. I thought he might take a nap when I was telling the story, but to AE’s and my surprise, we saw a drop of transparent tear slowly flowing down Bill’s weather-beaten cheek, eventually, he sighed softly and said “ it was really a touching story”.
這是我的一位在大學教小提琴的英國教授朋友（她的名字叫玫瑰）讀了我《Long Long Journey》後，寄給我的謝卡。
我姐的隨拍~金陵梅春
我姐的詩
梅嶺春色
春
如約
姍姍至
梅嶺花開
綠了江南岸
更幾番風雨後
姹紫嫣紅競風流
看不盡人間好景色
都進眼底心頭永駐留
此情需寄直到海角天涯
悠悠
更念想
親朋好友
何日同聚首
上高樓放眼望
春濃原鄉微朦裏
東風熙微草長鶯飛
十分晴柔更情懷無限
無酒人已醉放歌九霄雲
謝謝您的閱讀和時間，原創拙文，請勿轉載，Thanks again
再多問一句，您的小說是早就寫成，陸續在文城博客發表的，還是每晚不睡覺，靈感大發寫成的？如是熬夜寫書，要注意休息。我個人認為專業寫作的路也不比寫Codes輕鬆，當然作自己喜歡的事會更愉快。
我特別對您用尊稱，也希望您在網上對網友們，尤其是不同意見的網友們以禮相待，您目前心情欠佳，可以理解。不開心就不回言總可以吧，情緒不好，出言往往會不友好。當然這是我多餘的話。您可忽略不計。
Thank you so much for your visit to my blog, your time reading my story and your precious comments, which really meant a lot to my generation and me.
I appreciated that AlaskaLilyD already helped me to explain the part of my story which confused you.
I feel honored to get to know you further by visiting your blog and reading your great articles more and later.
Wish you and your family all the best.
“Just a bit unclear here: My dad asked my mom to buy a gift from my dad for herself as a souvenir for her unforgettable experience in USA. Maybe it's a typo.”
My dad asked my mom to buy a gift for herself (on behalf of/from my dad) as a souvenir for her experience in the USA. 我爸爸要我媽媽替他（我爸爸）給她自己買個禮物，作為難忘的美國之行的紀念。
I don’t think there’s any typo here.
Just a bit unclear here: My dad asked my mom to buy a gift from my dad for herself as a souvenir for her unforgettable experience in USA. Maybe it's a typo...
其實真不用道歉的。那天在您家，說清楚了，誤會已經消除了。那個“哈哈哈哈”也可能在和您相似的情況下，留下了令人困龍的留言，說不定本意也是好的呢。在文學城裏交流，要像喜清靜，百合妹妹學習，遇人遇事要先往好裏想。我也在慢慢學，還真不容易學。
我是下鄉知青，比你年紀大不少，也許會有些代溝，也是說不定的事。大家善意交流，共同進步，寫博愉快就好了。
祝你找工作順利，生活愉快，特別請代問候你家小妹好，你真是有福之人，找了這麽賢惠善良的太太。我真很欣賞敬佩她的為人。
和我相同經曆的下鄉初中老三屆後來又來美國洋插隊的，都和我一樣拚，比我優秀的多得是。那個從我心裏跑出來的小女孩在喜孩兒家‘嬌嗔’，那是被你慣的。
大家閨秀更會嬌嗔的。小溪姐姐在我家，那是嬌嗔！
I cannot think of all the words that would be enough to express my gratitude to you in response to your kind and sincere comments. I was so touched and moved by your warm comments, those words bring tears to my eyes each time I read them.
From reading the stories in your blog, I knew you were also a Zhiqing. I thought you were a few years younger than I was. We apparently shared some similar experiences in our lives. I especially appreciated your praise and encouragement as a Zhiqing from my generation, which really means much to me.
I did not reach the triumphs as you did (I admired that you got your PhD and were successful in your career). Thank you again for your kind words. However, I did one thing important, I thought, in that I did make my mom happy by getting an American degree and survived in this country.
I earnestly hope that you have fully recovered from your surgery and you have felt energetic enough each day to enjoy your life now. I have a lot of respect for your wife and your daughter, so please say “hello” to them; your family’s unconditional love did help you through your hardest time in your life. My husband and I will continue to pray for you and your family.
Also, please let me know if you and your family ever come to visit in Houston, as my husband and I would like to entertain you.
應該是我佩服小小和尼斯啊，你們是真正學到了知識，聰明能幹有理想的年輕一輩，你們辛勤努力學習，工作，持家。你們所取得的成就 是你們父母最大的驕傲，因為你們實現了他們不能實現的理想。你們正用你們的愛，盡心盡責把自己的兒女培養成對社會，世界有貢獻的人。
很幸運能夠在城裏遇見你們，和你們成為筆友知音真是令我幸福滿滿啊。謝謝你們對我的美言和鼓勵，我更是要常向你們學習。小小對我姐的誇讚，一定轉達，文革前，她中學上的南師附中，聽了小小的誇獎，我姐一定很開心，代她謝謝你。
也衷心祝福尼斯和小小兩位和你們的家人平安，健康，幸福！
Because of the cultural revolution,the author was sent to the remote countryside, separating from her family and going through the hardship at 16, such an early age. It is the family inheritance and the author’s strong will, she not only survived the hardship, but also triumphed it by entering a college.
After graduated from the college, she went to America for advanced education. In order to fulfill her American dream, she worked very hard, doing different low level jobs at first, and eventually finished the master degree in accounting, then passed the CPA test.
The author uses Damei, the doll, as personification of her family. Damei in Chinese symbolizes both the grace and tenancy. She not only had a long journey, but also witnessed the family’s long journey interwoven with joy and sorrow. The story brought down tears from Bill, her father in law and her mother’ alumni, also among the readers like us.
Ability may get someone to the top, but it takes the character to keep her there. It is your character that leads your triumph!
祝福善良的你，好人平安！
音樂正如小溪姐姐所說，不論你說什麽語言，也不論你姓甚名誰，人在何方，都能在音樂中找到知音與共鳴！也很喜歡enya的這首歌，打動人心！
還有姐姐的姐姐，多才多藝，金陵之春在姐姐的鏡頭裏魅力迷人，詩歌也寫的很美！
問好小溪姐姐，新周快樂！：））
Happy Mother's Day, 小溪姐姐。
二十年前我去中國出差，帶回兩個中國娃娃，後來小妹會坐了，放在她身旁拍照，和你家一樣，哈哈。
小溪姐姐母親節快樂！
憶舊心中有沈哀
縱使冬寒仍不懼
迎風靜待臘梅開
祝好
看到女兒優秀好文和大家一致的讚譽。天上的媽媽一定很欣慰，很高興。
This is a very well written piece in English. Congratulations on your first step, and your journey to recount your stories, told and untold, in English! We are here for you.
I just went to visit your blog; apparently, you are an English expert. I already marked your website as one of my favorites. I will visit you often later and learn from you. Thanks again.
Happy mother's day.