All flowers are beautiful

One lunchtime when I was in the third grade will stay with me always.I had been picked to be the princess in the school play,and for weeks my mother had painstakingly rehearsed my lines with me.But no matter how easily I delivered them at home,as soon as I stepped on stage,every word disappeared from my head.

Finally,my teachertook me aside.She explained that she had written a narrator’s part to the play,and asked me to switch roles.Her words,kindly delivered,still stung,especially when I saw my part go to another girl.

I didn’t tell my mother what had happened when I went home for lunch that day.But she sensed my unease,and instead of suggesting we practice my lines,she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.

It was a lovely spring day.I watched my mother casually bend down by one of the clumps.“I think I’m going to dig up all these weeds,” she said,yanking a blossom up by its roots.“ From now on,we’ll have only roses in this garden.”

三年級時的一個午餐時間我將永志難忘。那時候，我在學校排演的一出話劇中被選中飾演公主。在那幾個星期里，媽媽費心地陪著我一遍又一遍地排練臺詞。但是，無論我在家里把臺詞背得多嫻熟，一上舞臺，那些詞兒就消失得無影無蹤了。

最后，老師把我叫到一旁，向我解釋說，她為這出戲寫了一個旁白的角色，要我換成旁白。盡管她說得很委婉，但仍刺痛了我，尤其是當我看到別的女孩取代自己演公主的時候，我心里難受極了。

那天中午回家吃飯時，我沒把這件事告訴媽媽，但她感覺到了我的不安。于是，她沒有提議我們繼續練臺詞，而是問我愿不愿意和她一起到院子里走一走。

那是一個美好的春日。我看見媽媽在一叢花旁漫不經心地彎下腰?！拔蚁胛覒摪堰@些野草全拔掉，”她一邊說一邊將一蔸開得正茂盛的花兒連根拔起?！皬慕褚院?，我們的花園里只有玫瑰?！?/p>

“可是，我喜歡蒲公英啊，”我抗議道，“所有的花兒都美麗——即使是蒲公英?！?/p>

媽媽神情嚴肅地看著我，若有所思地說：“不錯。每一種花都以自己的方式給我們帶來美的享受，難道不是嗎？”我點了點頭，很高興自己說服了她?！捌鋵?，人也是如此，”她補充道，“并不是每個人都可以成為公主，這沒什么可丟人的?！?/p>

隨后的幾個星期，在媽媽的不斷鼓勵下，我漸漸對這一角色感到自豪。而在那些午餐時間里，我們不是排練我的臺詞，就是討論演出時我該穿什么服裝。

演出那天晚上，我在后臺感到很緊張。就在開演前的幾分鐘，老師向我走了過來?！澳銒寢屪屛野堰@個交給你，”她一邊說一邊把一朵蒲公英遞給我。它的邊緣處已經開始卷曲，花葉從莖桿上耷拉下來。就是這短暫的一瞥，我就知道我的媽媽此刻坐在臺下，想起我們午餐時間的談話，一種自豪感不禁油然而生。

演出結束后，我把那朵蒲公英塞進了我演出服的口袋里帶回了家。媽媽把它壓在兩張紙巾之間再夾進字典里。

“But I like dandelions （蒲公英）,” I protested，“All flowers are beautiful,even dandelions.”

My mother looked at me seriously. “Yes,every flower gives pleasure in its own way,doesn’t it?”She asked thoughtfully.I nodded,pleased that I had won her over. “And that is true of people too”,she added，“Not everyone can be a princess,but there is no shame in that.”

Over the next few weeks,with her constant encouragment,I learned to take pride in the role.Lunchtimes were spent reading over my lines and talking about what I would wear.

Backstage the night of the performance,I felt nervous.A few minutes before the play,my teacher came over to me.“Your mother asked me to give this to you,”she said,handing me a dandelion.Its edges were already beginning to curl and it flopped（沉重地躺下）lazily from its stem.But just looking at it,knowing my mother was out there and thinking of our lunchtime talk,made me proud.

After the play,I took home the flower I had put in the pocket of my costume.My mother pressed it between two sheets of paper toweling in a dictionary.