Brendiar先生和太太

 

Remembrance Day裏想寫寫Brendiar先生和太太，其實多年前我以前寫過他們，文章還在我們當地的中文報紙上發表過呢，可我找不到了。要是寫起來那就話長了，會滔滔不絕滴，還會動感情滴。還是請朋友們看我的Mei Ling 故事裏的Brendiar先生和太太吧，這一段寫他們的都是真的。。。

我的Mei Ling 故事寫一個可愛的中國的小女孩在加拿大成長的故事，是孩子們喜愛的rhyming story詩化韻文的形式，讀起來朗朗上口，我覺得對中國孩子學習英語可能有幫助。

Brendiar先生去世後，我去看Brendiar太太時給她照的照片

 

Grandpa Dan And Grandma Joan

I am Mei Ling, a Chinese girl.

I came to Canada with Mom and Dad.

We moved out of the basement.

We were all very, very glad.

 

We moved into an apartment

That was pretty, clean and bright.

We would start our brand new life

In this new land, with delight.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Brendiar

Lived in this apartment before.

They moved into a seniors’ building

Which had some stores on the first floor.

 

The Brendiars’ and my family

Began to know each other.

Mrs. Brendiar said that she was 

My Canadian grandmother.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Brendiar

Let us call them Joan and Dan.

How would I address them?

I had a wonderful plan.

 

Chinese people don’t call seniors

By their first name. That’s a social law.

I affectionately called them

“Grandpa Dan” and “Grandma Joan” with awe.

 

They liked this form of address.

“It’s very cute,” remarked Grandpa.

Sometimes, I even directly

Called them Grandpa and Grandma.

 

Grandpa Dan came to Canada

From Eastern Europe when he was small.

He felt sorry he couldn’t speak

The language of his homeland at all.

 

“Don’t forget how to speak Chinese,”

One day, he talked with me, Mei Ling.

I remembered before I left China,

My real grandpa mentioned the same thing.

 

What my real grandpa had said,

I remembered in my heart.

I admire him, as he knows about

All Chinese history and art!

 

What Grandpa Dan had said,

I thought I couldn’t ignore

Because he got a big award

From the army before.

 

As a Canadiansoldier,

Grandpa Dan was inWorld War II.

I’d seen a pictureof him wearing

The uniform of his tankcrew.

 

In that old yellow picture,

Grandpa Dan looked verycool.

He was 18 years old and

Had just graduated from high school.

 

As a commander ofa tank,

All of the shots,he called!

“The gunfire wasso loud,”

Once, Grandpa Danrecalled.

 

The loud noise ofthe gunfire

Made his ears verysore.

He even lost hishearing

In one ear from thatwar.

 

“Dan is a Canadian hero,”

My mom chatted with Grandma Joan.

“He is my hero, my own hero,”

Grandma Joanreplied with a proud tone.

 

“I don’t really care whether Dan is

A Canadian hero or not.

He safely cameback from the war.

I thank God forthat, a lot.”

 

My dad often tells jokes.

He is a funny man.

“Dan, your ears are so great.”

He joked to Grandpa Dan.

 

“If you want to hear something,

You can use your good ear to hear.

If you don’t want to hear something,

You can use your bad right ear.”

 

Grandpa Dan heard the joke.

He laughed like a happy boy.

He preferred to use his good ear

To listen to jokes with joy.

 

Grandpa Dan came back safely

To Canada after the war.

He went to university

Because he wanted to learn more.

 

One year after he graduated,

Joan became his elegant bride.

They went to the America together.

He became a Christian pastor with pride.

 

Grandma Joan is special too.

She is of British descent.

She grew up in Canada.

She had an English accent.

 

She told us, “It is not easy

Being a good pastor’s wife.

I feel very weary from

Cooking so much food in my life.”

 

“I made food for each Christian

Who visited our church as a guest.

To help Dan and other people,

I was proud that I did my best.”

 

Now, I know why so much good food,

Grandma Joan knew how to make.

She was especially good at

Baking yummy cookies and cake.

 

“We came back to Canada,”

She recalled in a gentle voice.

“My mom was old and needed me.

I came back, with no other choice.”

 

“Dan retired ahead of time

Because his health wasn’t good.

I went out to workto make

As much money as Icould.”

 

“You know, I was already

Fifty-nine years oldthat year.

In the bustling business world,

I started my first career!”

 

“I worked as asecretary

In a senior home,”she stopped for a while.

“I really like tohelp others,”

She wore a big beautifulsmile.

 

“When I wassixty-three,

My boss sent me to learn

How to use a computer.

I had a big concern.”

 

“I thought I couldn’t learn it

But at last, I really did.”

She was a bit excited

And she looked like a proud kid.

 

 “It’s never too late to learn.”

What she said was so wise.

I saw a big bright fire

Light up in my mom’s eyes.