雨中的记忆

She had been shopping with her Mom at Wal-Mart. She must have been 6 years old；this beautiful brown haired， freckle-faced1 image of innocence2. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes3 over the top of rain gutters4， so much in a hurry to hit the Earth， it has no time to flow down the spout.

We all stood there under the awning（遮篷），just inside the door of the Wal-Mart. We all waited， some patiently， others irritated5， because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized6 by rainfall. I get lost in the sights and sounds of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running， splashing7 so carefree as a child come pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

Her voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in， “Mom， lets run through the rain.” she said.

“What？ ” Mom asked.

“Lets run through the rain！ ” She repeated.

“No， honey. Well wait until it slows down a bit.” Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated： “Mom， lets run through the rain.”

“Well get soaked if we do.” Mom said.

“No， we wont， Mom. Thats not what you said this morning，” the young girl said as she tugged at her Moms arm.

“This morning？ When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet？”

“Dont you remember？ When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer， you said， if God can get us through this， he can get us through anything！”

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldnt hear anything but the rain. No one came or left during the next few minutes. Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say.

Now some would laugh it off or scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation8 in a young childs life—a time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith. “Honey， you are absolutely right. Lets run through the rain. If we get wet， well maybe we just needed washing.”Mom said. Then off they ran.

We all stood watching， smiling and laughing as they darted9 past the cars and they held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars. And yes， I did too. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

她和妈妈刚在沃尔玛结束购物。这个天真的小女孩大约6岁，留着漂亮的棕色头发，脸上带着可爱的小雀斑。外面下着倾盆大雨。雨水来不及排走，迫不及待地从排水沟涌涨上地面。

我们站在沃尔玛门口的遮篷下等待，有人很耐心，有人很烦躁，老天给本已忙碌的人们添乱。雨天总引起我的遐思。我出神地听着、看着老天冲刷洗涤这世界的污垢和尘埃，儿时无忧无虑地在雨中奔跑戏水的记忆汹涌而至，短暂地缓解了我的焦虑。

小女孩甜美的声音打破了令人昏昏欲睡的气氛：“妈妈，我们跑过去吧。”她说。

“什么？”母亲问。

“我们跑过去吧。”她重复。

“不，亲爱的，我们等雨小一点再走。”母亲回答说。

过了一会儿，小女孩又说：“妈妈，我们跑过去吧。”

“这样的话我们会湿透的。”母亲说。

“不会的，妈妈。今天早上你不是这样说的。”小女孩一边说一边拉起母亲的手。

“今天早上？我什么时候说过我们淋雨不会湿啊？”

“你不记得了吗？你和爸爸谈到他的癌症时，你不是说‘如果上帝让我们闯过这一关，那我们就没有什么过不去的了。”

人群安静下来。除了雨声，几乎什么都听不到。接下来的几分钟，母亲停了一下，想着应该说些什么。

有人也许会对此一笑了之，或者责备这孩子不懂事，甚至不把她的话放在心上。但这是这个孩子一生中需要被肯定的时刻。若受到鼓舞，孩子此时单纯的信任会发展成为坚定的信念。“亲爱的，你说得对，我们跑过去吧。如果淋湿了，那也许是因为我们的确需要冲洗一下了。”母亲说完，带着小女孩冲进雨帘。

我们站在那里，笑着看她们飞快地跑过停下来等候的汽车。她们把购物袋举过头顶想挡挡雨，但还是湿透了。人群中有好几个人像孩子般尖叫着，大笑着，也跟着冲了出去，奔向自己的车子。我也这样做了，去接受雨水的洗礼。

Tip

※ mess up 搞亂；弄乱

例句：Without training， you will mess up. 不经过训练，你将会陷入困境。