Grandpa’s Wishes
We tried so hard to make things better for our kids that we made them worse.For my grandchildren，I’d know better.
I’d really like for them to know about handmedown clothes and homemade ice cream and leftover meatloaf.I really would.
My cherished grandson，I hope you learn humility by surviving failure and that you learn to be honest even when no one is looking.
I hope you learn to make your bed and mow the lawn and wash the car—and I hope nobody gives you a brandnew car when you are sixteen.
It will be good if at least one time you can see a baby calf born，and you have a good friend to be with you if you ever have to put your old dog to sleep.
I hope you get a black eye fighting for something you believe in.
I hope you have to share a bedroom with your younger brother.And it is all right to draw a line down the middle of the room，but when he wants to crawl under the covers with you because he’s scared，I hope you’ll let him.
And when you want to see a Disney movie and your kid brother wants to tag along，I hope you take him.
I hope you have to walk uphill with your friends and that you live in a town where you can do it safely.
If you want a slingshot，I hope your father teaches you how to make one instead of buying one.I hope you learn to dig in the dirt and read books，and when you learn to use computers，you also learn how to add and subtract in your head.
I hope you get razzed by friends when you have your first crush on a girl，and that when you talk back to your mother you learn what Ivory soap tastes like.
May you skin your knee climbing a mountain，burn your hand on the stove and stick your tongue on a frozen flagpole.
I hope you get sick when someone blows smoke in your face.I don t care if you try beer once，but I hope you won t like it.And if a friend offers you a joint or any drugs，I hope you are smart enough to realize that person is not your friend.
I sure hope you make time to sit on a porch with your grandpa or go fishing with your uncle.
I hope your mother punishes you when you throw a baseball through a neighbor’s window，and that she hugs you and kisses you when you give her a plaster of pared mold of your hand.
These things I wish for you—tough times and disappointment，hard work and happiness.
爷爷的期望
我们竭尽全力想让我们的儿女们过得更好，而结果却是适得其反。对我的孙辈们，我就明智得多了。
我真的希望他们能够了解什么是兄长传下来的旧衣服，家制的冰淇淋，以及吃剩的肉糕。我真的希望。
我的宝贝孙子，我希望你在经受失败的考验之后能学会谦卑，也希望你能学会诚实，即使在没有人注视你的时候。
我希望你能学会自己叠被子，自己刈草坪，自己洗车——我还希望在你满十六岁时没有人送给你一辆崭新的轿车。
假如你至少有一次机会看见小牛犊出生，假如你不得不为你的老狗送终，那时有一位好朋友在场为你作伴——那样该有多好啊！
我希望你能为自己的信仰与人斗得眼青脸肿。
我希望你能和你弟弟共一间卧室——即使你在卧室中间划一条分界线也没关系。可是，当弟弟因为害怕而要爬进你的被窝时，我希望你会接纳他。
当你要出去看迪斯尼电影，你的小弟弟想做你的小尾巴时，我希望你能带上他。
我希望你能和朋友们一起爬山，而在你所生活的城市里做这项运动不会有什么危险。
如果你想要一把弹弓，我希望你父亲能教你怎样自己做一把，而不是为你买一把现成的。我还希望你能学会挖泥巴和读书；而当你学会使用电脑时，你也应该学会加减法的心算。
当你第一次恋上一个女孩时，我希望你会受到朋友们的嘲弄；而当你跟你母亲顶嘴时，希望她叫你尝一尝象牙肥皂的滋味。
但愿你能在爬山时弄破膝盖上的皮，或者在炉子上烧伤手，或者让舌头粘在结冰的旗杆上。
我希望吸烟者对着你的脸上喷吐烟雾时，你会感到恶心。如果你尝试喝一次啤酒，我不会在意；但是我希望你不会喜欢上它。如果有一位朋友请你吸一口含大麻的香烟，或者任何毒品，我希望你明智地意识到他不是你的朋友。
我当然希望你能抽时间来陪你爷爷在门廊上坐一坐，或者陪你叔叔钓钓鱼。
如果你把棒球扔进了邻居的窗户，我希望你母亲惩罚你。如果你能剪掉指甲，用石膏做一只自己的手的模型送给你妈，我希望她会给你拥抱和亲吻。
我希望你能经历：艰难的岁月、挫折和失望；希望你努力工作，幸福快乐。
Grandpa’s Bees
A long time before I was born，my Grandma and Grandpa moved into the house on Beechwood Avenue.They had a young family—of 4little girls.The little girls Slept in the attic in a big feather bed.It was cold there on winter night.Grandma put hot bricks under the covers at the foot of the bed to keep the little girls warm.
During the Great Depression，work was Hard to find，so Grandpa did whatever jobs he could.He dug ditches during the week and on weekend he and Grandma dug a garden to grow some of their own food.
The house on Beechwood Avenue had a big front yard with shade trees and fruit trees.In the middle of the yard was a water pump where the four little girls pumped water for cooking，cleaning and watering the garden.On one side of the yard，Grandma and Grandpa planted tomatoes，beans，squash，cucumbers，peppers and strawberries to feed their growing family.They planted roses，geraniums，lilacs and irises on the other side of the yard，around the statue of the Blessed Mother.
Everybody worked to keep the garden growing.All summer long，the family ate food from the garden and enjoyed the beautiful flowers.Grandma put up strawberry jam，tomatoes，beans，peppers，pears and peaches in canning jam.They were good to eat through the long winter.
The family grew up，and before too many years had passed，the grandchildren came to visit.
Grandma and Grandpa still planted their garden every spring.Everyone still enjoyed the good food from the garden and always took some home.
Grandchilden grow up，and grandparents grow older.It became harder for Grandma and Grandpa to keep up the garden.So they made it a little smaller.There was still plenty to eat from the garden and lovely flowers to enjoy.
Then one sunmmer when Grandpa was eightynine years old，all he could do was watch from his lawn chair as the vegetables grew and the roses bloomed.Summer slowly faded，and Grandpa died before it was time to bring in the harvest.
It was a lonely winter for Grandma.She sat near the window，looking out at the yard and wondering if she could plant the garden in the spring.It would be hard to care for it by herself.
When spring came，she planted only a little garden.
One sunny day in the early summer，Grandma heard a commotion in the front yard and looked out the window to see a frightening sight agigantic swarm of bees filled the air between two tall trees.There was thousands of bees in the air，so many that the swarm reached the treetops！The buzzing sound was tremendous.Grandma watched as the bees made their way into a ho1e up in one of the trees.Before long，everyone of those bees had disappeard into its new home.
Grandma wondered what in the world she could do.Should she hire someone to get rid of bees？That would cost more than she could afford.She decided to wait and think it over.