The Hand

手

過感恩節的真正意義并不在于收受他人給予我們的有形物質，

而是借此機會回饋他人，無論是如何的微小的付出。

A Thanksgiving Day editorial『社論』in the newspaper told of a school teacher who asked her class of first graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. But she knew that most of them would draw pictures of turkeys or tables with food. The teacher was taken aback『吃驚;驚訝』with the picture Douglas handed in… a smile childishly drawn hand.

感恩節那天，報紙刊登了一篇社論，其中講到這樣一個故事：有位小學一年級的老師叫班上的小朋友畫出他們感恩的東西。這些孩子均來自貧苦家庭，所以她料想他們多半會畫桌豐富的感恩節佳肴，外加一只香噴噴的火雞。但看到道格拉斯的作品后，她驚訝不已，上面畫了一只手!

But whose hand? The class was captivated『迷惑;困惑』by the abstract『抽象的』image. “I think it must be the hand of God that brings us food,” said one child. “A farmer,” said another, “because he grows the turkeys.” Finally when the others were at work, the teacher bent『彎腰;屈身』over Douglas’s desk and asked whose hand it was. “It’s your hand, Teacher,” he mumbled『咕噥;含糊地說』.

這是誰的手?班上的小朋友都興致勃勃地開始臆測，“這一定是賜給我們食物的上帝的手。”一個小孩說道。“是農夫，他用這手養出火雞。”另一個小孩也有意見。在一陣猜測后，小朋友們又跑回座位繼續畫畫。這時老師走到道格拉斯身旁，彎下腰問他那是誰的手。“那是您的手，老師。”他怯怯地回答。

She recalled that frequently at recess『課間休息』she had taken Douglas, a scrubby『身材矮小的』forlorn『孤獨的』child by the hand. She often did that with the children. But it meant so much to Douglas. Perhaps this was everyone’s Thanksgiving, not for the material things given to us but for the chance, in whatever small way, to give to others.

道格拉斯個頭矮小，平時落落寡歡，但老師在下課時總會過去牽牽他的手。她常這樣握孩童的手，但對道格拉斯而言，意義格外重大。也許過感恩節的真正意義并不在于收受他人給予我們的有形物質，而是借此機會回饋他人，無論是如何的微小的付出。