你身體中最重要的是什么？

My mother used to ask me what the most important part of the body is. Through the years, I would take a guess at what I thought was the correct answer.

When I was younger, I thought sound was very important to us as humans, so I said, "My ears, Mommy."

She said, "No. Many people are deaf. But you keep thinking about it and I will ask you again soon."

媽媽過去常會問我身體最重要的部分是什么。幾年來，我一直在想我認為正確的答案。

小的時候，我認為聲音對我們?nèi)祟悂碚f很重要，所以我說：“是我的耳朵，媽媽。”

而她卻說：“不是。很多人都聽不到聲音呀。不過你要繼續(xù)想這個問題，不久我還會再問你的。”

Several years passed before she asked me again. Since making my first attempt, I had contemplated the correct answer. So this time I told her, "Mommy, sight is very important to everybody, so it must be our eyes."

She looked at me and told me, "You are learning fast, but the answer is not correct because there are many people who are blind."

Stumped again, I continued my quest for knowledge and over the years, Mother asked me a couple more times and always her answer was, "No. But you are getting smarter every year, my child."

她再次問我，已是數(shù)年之后。自從第一次的嘗試后，我一直在思考著正確答案。因此，這次我告訴她：“媽媽，視覺對每個人都很重要，所以一定是我們的眼睛!”

媽媽看看我，說：“你學得可真快!可答案還是不對，因為有很多人什么也看不見。”再一次被難倒的我繼續(xù)探求知識。

幾年來，媽媽又問了我好幾次這個問題，可她每次的回答都是：“不對。不過，我的孩子，你一年比一年聰明了!”

Then last year, my grandpa died. Everybody was hurt. Everybody was crying. Even my father cried. I remember that especially because it was only the second time I saw him cry.

My Mom looked at me when it was our turn to say our final good-bye to grandpa. She asked me, "Do you know the most important body part yet, my son?"

I was shocked when she asked me this then. I always thought this was a game between her and me.

She saw the confusion on my face and told me, "This question is very important. It shows that you have really lived in your life. For every answer you gave me in the past, I have told you that you were wrong and I have given you an example why. But today is the day you need to learn this important lesson."

去年，我的祖父去世了。每個人都悲痛不已，每個人都在哭泣，就連我父親都落淚了。我對此印象十分深刻，因為那是我有生以來第二次看到他哭。

當輪到我們?nèi)ズ妥娓缸詈蟮绖e時，媽媽看了看我。她問我：“你現(xiàn)在知道身體最重要的部分是什么了嗎，我的兒子?”

我對她此時問我這個問題感到十分吃驚。我一直以為這只是媽媽和我之間的一個游戲。她看到我一臉的不解，告訴我：“這個問題很重要，它表明你一直都沉浸在自己的生活中。對于以前你給出的每個答案，我都告訴你答錯了，并都舉了例子做了說明。但今天該是你學習這重要一課的日子了。”

She looked down at me as only a mother can. I saw her eyes well up with tears. She said, "Son, the most important body part is your shoulder."

I asked, "Is it because it holds up my head?" She replied, "No, it is because it can hold the head of a friend or a loved one when they cry. Everybody needs a shoulder to cry on sometime in life, my son. I only hope that you have enough love and friends that you will always have a shoulder to cry on when you need it."

媽媽低下頭，用那種只有母親才有的眼神看著我。我看到她眼里涌上了淚水。她說：“兒子，身體最重要的部分是你的肩膀啊!”

我問道：“是因為它支撐著我的腦袋嗎?”她回答說：“不，是因為當一個朋友或一個你愛的人哭泣的時候，它能給予依靠。我的兒子，每個人一生中都有一些時候，需要一個可以依靠著哭泣的肩膀，我只希望你能有足夠多的愛心和朋友。這樣在你需要的時候，總能有一個肩膀可以讓你依靠著哭泣。”

Then and there I knew the most important body part is not a selfish one—it is sympathetic to the pain of others.

People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will NEVER forget how you made them feel.

此時此刻我才明白，原來身體最重要的部分應該是無私的，它是對別人的痛苦的同情。

人們會忘記你曾說過什么。人們會忘記你曾做過什么。但人們永遠也忘不了你曾帶給他們什么樣的感受。