15 Just What I"ve Always Wanted
总能让爸爸高兴的礼物
No matter how humble the contents of a package, Dad always took care to appreciate the time and thought that went into selecting a store-bought gift or the skill that went into making one. When we were young and had no money to buy Dad gifts, we often relied on imagination to make up for a shortage of shopping funds. Dad beamed with pleasure upon opening a coin pouch made at summer camp, a note redeemable for washing and waxing his car, or a homemade card with a message of a prayer said in his honor.
不管我们送的包裹里的东西有多不起眼，爸爸总是注意表示赞赏，感谢我们在挑选和购买那些礼物时所花费的时间和心思，或者赞叹我们在制作礼物的过程中所用到的技能。我们小时候没钱给爸爸买礼物，经常要靠想象力来弥补购物资金的不足。那时，我们送给爸爸的东西有夏令营时自己做的零钱包，一张许诺为他洗车和给汽车上蜡的字条，或者一张写着祝他好运的自制卡片。爸爸收到这些东西时， 总是笑容满面。
But even when our buying power increased through money from odd jobs and baby-sitting, we sometimes ran short on imagination. Still, Dad made our bland gifts seem like dreams come true. When he opened a plain white shirt just like the ones he wore to work, he would appear delightfully jolted as if he"d never seen anything like it. He"d pull the shirt out of the bag reverently and comment on its features. "Oh, this is really nice," he"d say, pointing out the button-down collar or extra-long shirttail. Then he"d carefully remove the packaging and try it on. "It"s exactly what I needed," he"d say several times in between praising the quality of workmanship and tidiness of the fabric. All the while, we watched, wallowing in the pleasure of pleasing Dad.
后来，尽管通过打零工和替别人看孩子我们的购买力有所增强，但有时我们却缺乏创意。即便如此，爸爸仍让我们觉得我们乏味的礼物是他梦寐以求的。当他打开一件和他穿着去上班的那些差不多一样的普通白衬衫时，他高兴的样子让你觉得他好像从来没有见过类似的东西似的。他会虔诚地将那件衬衫从袋子里取出来，评论一番。“噢，这个真不错。”他会指着缝有纽扣的领尖或者加长的衬衣下摆说。然后，他会小心翼翼地拆开包装并试穿。他一会儿赞扬其精细的做工，我爱范文，一会儿赞扬其布料的整洁，其间还会说上好多遍“这正是我需要的”。而在这个过程中，我们一直注视着，沉醉在取悦爸爸的快乐之中。
Over the years, we gave Dad a full closet of shirts—plaid flannels for the cold, short-sleeved knits for golf, and long-sleeved Oxford shirts for church and work. We gave him miles of ties. We gave him implements of leisure such as golf balls and gloves and fishing poles, and things to nurture hobbies like tools for woodworking and gardening.
在过去的数年里，我们送给爸爸的衬衣足足有一壁橱那么多——天冷时穿的格子图案的法兰绒衬衣，打高尔夫球时穿的短袖衬衣，去教堂和上班时穿的长袖牛津布衬衣。我们送给他的领带连起来有数英里长。我们送给他的娱乐工具有高尔夫球、手套和钓鱼竿，还有培养各类兴趣和爱好的物品，比如木工和园艺的工具。
If the color or size wasn"t perfect, or if his toolbox already held in triplicate the tool we gave him, Dad didn"t let on . He made us feel so good about our gifts that Father"s Day became an occasion we all looked forward to.
如果颜色或尺寸不是他称心的，或者我们又送了一件他工具箱里已有了三件的工具，爸爸也不会表露出不悦。他让我们觉得我们送给他的礼物非常好，以至于父亲节成了一个我们全都期待的日子。
I suspect Dad was always more comfortable with giving gifts than receiving them. I figure that"s what made him so good at appreciating our simple gifts--his ever-present awareness that every gift that comes to you brings an opportunity to give one back in the form of gratitude.
我猜送礼物比收礼物更让爸爸舒服。我想那正是让他善于欣赏我们的简单礼物的原因——他一直都知道，每次收到礼物我们都有机会用“表示感激”这种方式回馈对方。
Dad"s manner of receiving even the most mediocre of presents was a simple but enduring gift for our family. Although he is no longer with us, his gift lives on in our memories.
爸爸收礼的态度，即使是收到最普通的礼物的态度，是我们家里一份朴素而持久的礼物。虽然他已经不在了，但他的礼物依然活在我们的记忆中。
(By Susan Sarver)
