My Father George H. W. Bush 我的总统父亲

赵越

乔治·H·W·布什（1924～），人称“老布什”，是美国第41届总统、世界政坛的风云人物之一，育有四子二女（其中大女儿早夭），其知名度最高的子女莫过于担任美国第43届总统的乔治·W·布什（人称“小布什”）。对于这样一位政治人物，我们只听过他在政治上的手腕，却对他在家庭中的形象知之甚少。下文中，老布什的女儿多萝西用深情的文字记述了她眼中的父亲，让我们也借此来了解一下这位总统父亲与我们的父亲有何不同。

This week I nervously watched my 90-year-old father parachute1） from a plane in Kennebunkport， Maine. I guess I should not have been surprised. He was the youngest pilot in World War II and now he is probably one of the oldest skydivers2）.

He has always been a risk-taker， brave and courageous in my eyes. Throughout his life， he never shied3） away from taking bold steps. Whether it was serving in the military or as president of the United States， my father wanted to greatly contribute to our nation and to lead effectively.

I will never forget when he wrote： "I love you more than tongue can tell."

For my father， it was never so much about soaring rhetoric4） as it was about practicing what you preach5）. His truth was conservative6） values always started with family and friends.

Behind the strong and bold leader， lives a gentle giant—the most loving father， grandfather， great grandfather and husband. As my parents have entered their golden years7）， I have seen their love only deepen. He still views my mother as the most beautiful （and smartest） woman in the room.

Even as he worked tirelessly all these years， we always felt so loved by him. My parents' love for us is the strong foundation of our family and has given each of us the courage to pursue our dreams.

While he can't physically walk anymore， he continues to show me how to walk in ways that fully treasure each moment God gives us. He is also teaching me the beauty of aging gracefully and the importance of family.

His joyous and optimistic personality is contagious8）. My friends would tell me that "I was the luckiest person in the world"， because they all adored my dad. Whether it was going on picnics or leading games outside， my dad knew how to create quality time. He was never too busy for us.

Growing up， I always felt the love and support of my dad， even when he was not around. Although， as a public servant， my father spent a lot of time on the road， he always had time to write letters to each of his five children， his wife and his friends. He best expressed himself through the written word. To this day， I have kept his special letters， which he always signed "Devotedly， Dad". I will never forget when he wrote： "I love you more than tongue can tell."

His determined， kind and adventurous spirit is part of who I am today. I am proud to continue the great work of my parents. My father has been an avid9） supporter of my mother's and my efforts at expanding the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. He is so proud of my mom and her work in promoting early learning and adult education， which includes teaching children and their parents how to read and write.

I hope every child can experience the joy of receiving a written letter from a mom， dad， grandparent or other family members. It is a special way to express one's love for our children. I know that receiving a written letter from my dad was incredibly comforting and made me feel greatly loved.

这周（编注：英文原文发表于2014年6月），我提心吊胆地注视着90岁高龄的父亲从缅因州肯纳邦克港上空的一架飞机上跳伞降落。我想我本不该为此大惊小怪的。他是二战期间最年轻的飞行员，现在他大概是最年长的特技跳伞者之一。

在我眼中，父亲一直都是一个敢于冒险的人，勇敢而无畏。终其一生，他从未在采取冒险行动这件事上畏惧退缩。无论是在军队服役还是担任美国总统，我的父亲都希望自己能对国家做出巨大的贡献，能够很好地领导这个国家。

我永远都不会忘记父亲曾在信中写道：“我对你的爱无以言表。”

对那时的父亲而言，说些激昂的华丽之辞远不如去践行你所宣传的理念。他将那些向来以家人和朋友为先的传统价值观奉为真理。

在这位强大果敢的领导人背后，其实是一位性格温和的伟人——一位最最慈爱的父亲、祖父、曾祖父和丈夫。随着父母早已步入晚年，我看到他们之间的爱却只是更加浓厚。父亲仍把母亲视为家中最美丽（也最具智慧）的女性。

甚至在父亲不知疲倦地工作的这些年里，我们也总能感受到他深深的爱。父母给予我们的爱构成了我们家坚实的根基，也让我们每个人都有勇气去追求自己的梦想。

尽管父亲现在无法再行走了，但他仍然在不断向我演示应如何怀着充分珍惜上帝赐予我们的每分每秒的心境在人世间行走。他还在教我懂得优雅老去的美丽之处以及家人是多么重要。

他愉快乐观的个性富有感染力。我的朋友们总说“我是世界上最幸运的人”，因为他们都非常喜爱我的父亲。不管是去野餐还是带大家在外面比赛，我的父亲都知道如何使之成为与家人共度的美好时光。他再忙都会留出时间与我们共处。

在我日渐长大的过程中，我总能感受到父亲给予我的关爱与支持，即使他不在我身边也是如此。尽管作为一名公职人员，父亲大部分的时间都在外奔波，但他也总会抽出时间分别给五个孩子、妻子和朋友们写信。通过手写的文字，他淋漓尽致地表达了自己的情感。时至今日，我都一直保留着他专门写给我的信件，在那些信的末尾他往往写着“挚爱你的父亲”。我永远都不会忘记父亲在信中写给我的那句话：“我对你的爱无以言表。”

今天的我身上继承了父亲坚定不移、仁慈友善、敢作敢为的精神。我很自豪能够将父母的伟大事业继续进行下去。对于母亲和我为壮大芭芭拉·布什（编注：老布什的妻子）家庭扫盲基金会所做出的努力，父亲一直给予热忱的支持。父亲为母亲深感自豪，也为她在推动早期教育和成人教育（包括教儿童及他们的父母学会读写）方面所做的努力感到无比骄傲。

我希望每个孩子都能体会到收到父母、祖父母或其他家庭成员给自己的亲笔书信的那份快乐。书信是对孩子表达爱的一种独特方式。我很确信，当时收到父亲的来信时，我就感到无比欣慰，也感受到了他对我的那份浓浓爱意。

1. parachute [?p?r??u?t] vi. 跳伞；空降

2. skydiver [?ska?da?v?（r）] n. 特技跳伞者

3. shy [?a?] vi. 后退

4. rhetoric [?ret?r?k] n. 花言巧语；华丽的辞藻；浮夸之词

5. preach [pri?t?] vt. 宣传；鼓吹

6. conservative [k?n?s??v?t?v] adj. 传统的；保守的

7. golden years： 指退休之后可以享受生活的时光，通常指65岁以后的岁月。

8. contagious [k?n?te?d??s] adj. （感情、态度等）感染性的，会迅速蔓延开的

9. avid [??v?d] adj. 热衷的；热心的