From the time I was a child growing up in New Jersey, I loved spending weekends with my grandparents. Their big old house was cozy, and I felt especially welcome and relaxed in Granny’s small kitchen. It was there that we had intimate conversations,and Granny always seemed to include morsels of wisdom with every recipe she prepared.
小的時候我是在新澤西長大的，那時，我就喜歡和祖父母一起度周末。他們的老房子很大，溫暖又舒適。我覺得在奶奶的小廚房裡特別隨意、放鬆。我們常在那裡進行親密的交談。奶奶總是在她準備的每一個菜譜裡加上點滴哲理。
I remember one Saturday morning in particular. I was about 11years old and had spent the night. After breakfast i asked Granny, 「What kind of soup are you making to day?」 I could smell the broth simmering in a blue-speckled enamel ware pot on top the of the old gas stove.
我特別清楚地記得，那是 一個星期六的早晨，那時我大概是11歲，前一天我在那兒剛過的夜，吃完早點，我問奶奶「你今天做什麼湯？」我已經聞到舊煤氣爐上藍色斑點的搪瓷裡燉的肉湯的香味。
「Vegetable beef, 」 she answered.」And you can help by chopping some carrots and celery.」
Granny tied an apron around her full waist. we got the vegetables from the refrigerator: onions, carrots, celery,potatoes and cauliflower. she gave me a knife and cutting board so I could do my share of the work.
「蔬菜牛肉湯，」她回答道「你可以幫我切點兒胡蘿蔔和芹菜」
奶奶在她那粗壯的腰上系了個圍裙。我們從冰箱裡取出了蔬菜：洋蔥、胡蘿蔔、芹菜、土豆，還有菜花。她遞給我刀和菜板，以便我做我那份活。
As I slowly peeled carrots,I lamented, I』ve got to give an oral book report next week and I am scared.
我邊慢吞吞地給胡蘿蔔削著皮，邊抱怨道：「我下禮拜還要做一個口頭的讀書報告，我有些害怕。」
Granny looked at me and then back to the handful of chopped onions she had measured in her hand. she dumped them into the soup pot and said, 「most people are afraid of public speeking: But remember,the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. So,what exactly are you afraid of?」
奶奶看了看我，然後回頭看了看她手裡的那把掂量好的切碎的洋蔥。她把洋蔥放在湯鍋裡，說：「大多數都害怕在公眾面前講話，但你要知道，我們唯一要怕的就是害怕本身。那麼你到底怕什麼呢？」
I slumped in my chair.」everything, I guess. I don’t like standing up in front of everybody. What if i forget what i am going to say? Or what if sombody laughs?」
我一下倒在靠椅裡。「好像什麼都怕，我不喜歡站在眾人面前。我如果忘了要說的話怎麼辦？如果有人嘲笑我怎麼辦？」
「And what if you do just fine? 」 Granny asked . 「have you prepared notes?」
「要是你一切都做的很好呢？」奶奶說。「你有沒有準備發言稿？」
"well,no. That would be a lot of extra work."
「嗯，沒有，那要多花工夫。」
「hard work never hurt anyone,」 Granny cautioned as she pointed the wooden spoon toward me. 「you could try practicing in front of a mirror.」
「多幹活累不壞人，」奶奶用手中的木勺子指著我告誡說。「你可以對著鏡子試著練練。」
I pushed the pieces of carrots to the side of the cutting board. The room was quiet except for Granny’s thick-heeled lace-up shoes clicking across the worn linoleum floor. She took the chopped carrots to the stove and added them to soup. Then,as i sliced celery, i went on to complain about schoolwork, friends and family. As far as i was concerned, i had more troubles than the amount of chopped vegetables on the wooden cutting board in front of me.
我把菜板上的胡蘿蔔塊推到一邊。屋子裡寂靜無聲，只能聽到奶奶系帶的厚跟鞋在破舊的鋪著漆布的地板上發出的咔噠聲，她把切好的胡蘿蔔拿下到煤氣爐前放在湯裡。接著我一邊把芹菜切成小細條一邊繼續抱怨學校的作業、朋友以及家人。在我看來，我的麻煩要比我面前木菜板上切好的菜的數量還要多。
Granny took it all in, listening patiently while i sputtered about the bits and pieces of grief in my life. Wiping her hands on her apron, she brushed a strand of curly gray hair from her brow and sat down next to me. That close, i could smell the scent of her face powder. It not only whitened her face but made every wrinkle show up too.
當我結結巴巴地講訴著那些瑣碎的不愉快的事情時，奶奶耐心地聽著，都要聽明白了。她在圍裙上擦了擦手，將額頭的一縷捲曲的白髮理了一下，在我的身邊坐下來，坐得那樣近，我幾乎聞到了臉上的香粉氣息。這不僅使用她的臉看起來白皙了，而且使用皺紋都露了出來。
I stopped cutting and looked into my grandmother’s blue-gray eyes. Her expression was stern yet gentle. 「Nancy,」she started, 「there’s nothing wrong with a little trouble in your life. It adds character.」
我停住了切菜的手，盯著奶奶灰藍的眼睛，她的表情和藹而嚴肅。「南希」，她開始說：「生活中有一點點麻煩算不了什麼，這會磨勵性格的。」
I sat back, but Granny leaned closer. Her glasses, which hung from a chain around her neck, hit the table, emphasizing her movement. I know she must have something important to say.
我往後靠了靠，她卻向前逼得更近了。她那用鏈子掛在脖子上的眼鏡碰在桌子上，突出了她的動作。我知道她一定有重要的話要說。
「do you like my soup?」 she asked. Soup? I woudered. I thought we were talking about my life.
「I love your soup,Granny. 」 i said.
「你喜歡我的湯嗎？」她問道。湯？我們談的是我的生活呀，我心裡想著。「我喜歡你的湯，奶奶，」我說。
「well, you know, a lot of people don’t make homemade soup these days. They say it」s too much trouble. First you have to cook a nice broth and then chop all the vegetables into bite-size pieces.」
「那麼你知道，現在很多人不再自己人做湯了，他們說太麻煩，你得先調好肉湯，然後把所有的蔬菜切成適口的小塊。」
「but i don’t mind a little trouble,」 she said. 「it adds variety and flavor to my soup-and to my life. My soup would be pretty bland without the vegetables, and so would my life if it didn’t have the little ups and downs.」
「但是小麻煩我是不在乎人，」她說。這使用我的湯和我的生活增添了花樣和滋味。沒有這些蔬菜，我的湯就會泛味，生活中如果沒有點小坎坷同樣會如此的。
After pausing she added, 「besides, you have to remember that God knows exactly what he’s cooking up in your life. You』ve got to trust him with the recipe.」 she smiled and then walded to the sink to start washing the dishes.
停了一會，奶奶又接著說：「而且，你要記住，上帝完全知道他要把你的生活安排成什麼樣，你要相信他的菜譜。」她笑了，然後走到洗滌槽前開始刷碗。
While i helped Granny clean up,i thought about what she had said. I still had a few days to practice my oral report.
我幫奶奶收拾的時候思考著她說的話。我還有幾天時間可以練習我的口氣報告。
That Saturday , Granny gave me food for thought as well as a bowl of her homemade soup. Every spoonful of Granny’s masterpiece was loaded with delicious bits of meat and vegetables. As i enjoyed the meal with my grandparents, somehow my problems didn’t seem quite so big anymore. I would have to work on them , but Granny had said hard work paid off. Maybe i too could turn a little trouble into something as special as Granny’s homemade soup.
那個星期六，奶奶不僅給我一碗自家做的燉菜湯，也給我提出了一個引人深思的總是。奶奶那精心調製的每一勺湯，都含有美味的肉和菜。當我和爺爺奶奶敦用美餐時，不知怎的，我的總是似乎不那麼大了。我得應付我的總是，奶奶說過努力工作是有回報的。也許我也能將一點麻煩變成一個像奶奶自家燉的菜湯一樣特別的東西。