Anonymous
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日子一天天过去，随着时间的流逝，我总是不由得想起那个夜晚。
我开始想念母亲的那双手，想念她印在我额上道“晚安”的吻。有时候，那一幕好像离我很近，有时候又好像很远。但是它始终潜藏在我心灵深处的某个角落。
Night after night，she came to tuck me in1，even long after my childhood years.Following her longstanding custom，she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way，then kiss my forehead.
I didn't remember when it first started annoying me—her hands pushing my hair in that way.But it did annoy me，for they felt work-worn and rough against my young skin.Finally，one night，I shouted out at her，'Don't do that anymore—your hands are too rough！'She didn't say anything in reply.But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
Time after time，with the passing years，my thoughts returned to that night.By then I missed my mother's hands，missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead.Sometimes the incident seemed very close，sometimes far away.But always it lurked2，in the back of my mind.
Well，the years have passed，and I'm not a little girl anymore.Mom is in her mid-seventies，and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.She's been our doctor，reaching into a medicine cabinet for the remedy to calm a young girl's stomach or soothe3 the boy's scraped4 knee.She cooks the best fried chicken in the world…… gets stains out of blue jeans like I never could……
Now，my own children are grown and gone.Mom no longer has Dad，and on special occasions，I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her.So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve，as I slept in the bedroom of my youth，a familiar hand hesitantly run across my face to brush the hair from my forehead.Then a kiss，ever so gently，touched my brow.
In my memory，for the thousand time，I recalled the night my young voice complained，'Don't do that anymore—your hands are too rough！'Catching Mom's hand in hand，I blurted out how sorry I was for that night.I thought she'd remember，as I did.But Mom didn't know what I was talking about.She had forgotten—and forgiven—long ago.
That night，I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her caring hands.And the guilty that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
每个晚上，母亲总是在我入睡之后，过来为我掖好被子，然后俯下身子，轻轻拨开贴在我脸上的长发，亲吻我的额头。即使很久以后，我已不再是个小孩子了，母亲还依然保持着这个习惯。
也不知从什么时候开始，母亲的这种习惯渐渐让我感到厌烦——我不喜欢她那样撩开我的头发。我是真的厌烦她用那双粗糙的，长满老茧的手来碰触我细嫩的皮肤。终于，一天晚上，我冲她吼了起来：“你不要再这样了，你的手太粗糙了！”母亲什么话也没有说。但是从那以后，她再也没有用这种我已经熟悉了的表达爱的方式来为我的一天画上句号。
日子一天天过去，随着时间的流逝，我总是不由得想起那个夜晚。我开始想念母亲的那双手，想念她印在我额上道“晚安”的吻。有时候，那一幕好像离我很近，有时候又好像很远。但是它始终潜藏在我心灵深处的某个角落。
许多年后，我长大了，已不再是那个小女孩了。母亲也已到了古稀之年，但她那双曾经被我视为“粗糙”的手却始终在不停地为我，为我的家庭操劳着。她是我们的家庭医生，小姑娘胃痛时，她会从药箱里找出胃药来，小男孩擦伤膝盖时，她又会去安抚他的伤痛。她能做出世界上最好吃的炸鸡……她还能把蓝色牛仔裤上的污渍洗得毫无痕迹……
现在，我自己的孩子也都已长大成人，有了自己的生活。母亲却没有了父亲的陪伴。在一些特殊日子里，我想到睡在母亲旁边的卧室里，陪她度过这一夜。所以，那次感恩节前夜，我就睡在了我儿时的卧室里。这时母亲那只熟悉的手犹豫着从我的脸上掠过，梳理着我搭在前额的头发，然后，一个吻，还是那样的温柔，轻轻地落在了我的额头。
在我的记忆里，曾几千次回想起那晚的情景和我那稚嫩的抱怨声：“你不要再这样了，你的手太粗糙了！”我一把抓住母亲的手，向她倾诉我对自己那晚上的所作所为的深深愧疚之情。我原以为，她一定也和我一样，对那晚的事记忆犹新。然而，母亲却不知我在说些什么——她早已经忘了，早就已经原谅我了。
那天晚上，我带着对母亲新的感激之情安然入睡，我感激她的温柔，感激她那双呵护备至的手。多年来一直压在我心头的负罪感也随之烟消云散。
生词与短语 New Words and Expressions
1.tuck sb in/up 把……的被子掖好
2.lurk v.埋伏，潜藏
3.scrape v.刮，擦
4.soothe v.安慰，使平静；减轻，缓和（痛苦等）
妙语连珠：Beautiful Sentences
I thought she'd remember，as I did.But Mom didn't know what I was talking about.She had forgotten—and forgiven—long ago.
我原以为，她一定也和我一样，对那晚的事记忆犹新。然而，母亲却不知我在说些什么——她早已经忘了，早就已经原谅我了。
心灵感悟：
童年的我们被一双温柔白皙的手呵护着，它给我们带来了无私的母爱。恍然间，那双手已经不再温柔了，甚至有些粗糙，但那双手依然带给我们无限温暖。世界上有种最无私的爱，那就是母爱，无论天涯海角，还是沧海桑田，母爱永远难以割断。记忆深处的那一双手，总是母亲的手。
