I grew up in a small town where the elementary school was a ten-minute walk from my house and in an age, not so long ago , when children could go home for lunch and find their mothers waiting.我是在一個小鎮上長大的，從鎮上的小學校到我家， 只需步行10分鐘。離當前不算太太久遠的那個時代 ， 小學生可以回家吃午飯，而他們的母親，則會老早在家等候著。

　　At the time, I did not consider this a luxury, although today it certainly would be. I took it for granted that mothers were the sandwich-makers, the finger-painting appreciators and the homework monitors. I never questioned that this ambitious, intelligent woman, who had had a career before I was born and would eventually return to a career, would spend almost every lunch hour throughout my elementary school years just with me.這一切對如今的孩子來說，無疑是一種奢望了，可是那時的我，卻并不以為然。 我覺得做母親的給她的孩子制作三明治，鑒賞指畫，檢查他們的家庭作業，都是理所當然的事。我從來沒有想過：像我母親這樣一個頗有抱負又很聰明的女人，在我降生之前，她有一份工作，而且后來她又謀了份差事，可是，在我上小學那幾年，她卻幾乎天天陪著我吃午飯，一同打發午餐時的每一分鐘。

　　I only knew that when the noon bell rang, I would race breathlessly home. My mother would be standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at me with a look that suggested I was the only important thing she had on her mind. For this, I am forever grateful.只記得，每當午時鈴聲一響，我就一口氣地往家里跑。母親總是站在門前臺階的最高層，笑盈盈地望著我--那神情分明表示：我便是母親心目中唯一最重要的東西了。為此，我一輩子都要感謝我的母親。