After having been settled in our new home for almost a year, I decided¹ to finish unpacking³ the last few boxes. Hidden low in the stack was a box simply marked “Nick”. Excitement jolted⁴ my empty-nest heart upon seeing the name of my eldest⁵ son, who now lives eleven hundred miles away.

搬到新房子快一年了，我才决定把带过来的最后那几个盒子都打开整理一下。在这堆盒子底下不起眼的地方，有一个盒子，上面只标注了两个字：尼克。尼克是我的大儿子，这会儿突然看见他的名字，我本来空落落的心顿时为之一振：尼克现在可是住在离我1100多英里远的地方啊。

Delighted, I spent hours poring through the artwork, awards and report cards that propped my memory door wide open and let the days of his childhood come home.

在接下来的几个小时里，我带着愉悦的心情细细地翻看着盒子里的那些画儿、奖状和成绩报告单。记忆的大门就此打开，尼克的儿时场景又回到家中，一幕幕在我眼前浮现。

I found his soccer “trading card” at age six and a Mother's Day card from the year he was nine with coupons for extra chores, neck rubs, and breakfast in bed. I found an award Nick won in the second grade for top sales in a school fundraiser. First place in the entire elementary school. Even at the age of seven, he had a way with people. Next I found an envelope addressed to Nick in my own handwriting.

我找到了他六岁时收藏的足球球星“交换卡”，还有他九岁时送给我的母亲节贺卡，上面还画了很多“优惠券”，表示他可以额外提供做家务、帮我揉脖子、送早餐到床边等服务。我还找到了尼克上二年级时得的一张奖状，奖励他在学校的筹集善款活动中卖东西卖得最多——在全小学里排名第一。当时他只有七岁，但向人推销起东西来却很有一套。接着，我又找到了一个信封，信是写给尼克的，信封上的笔迹是我的。

“For Nick to read when he is grown,” the envelope said. I have a tradition of writing letters to my kids at different times in their lives and saving them to read when they are older. This particular letter I had written to my son, now age twenty-one, was dated Mother's Day fifteen years ago. He had been in kindergarten, and reading it brought back memories of a day I realized what a truly selfless, kind child I had been blessed with.

信封上写着“致长大后的尼克”。我有一个习惯，就是在孩子成长的不同阶段都给他们写信，并把这些信都保存下来，留到他们长大以后再读。现在，尼克已经21岁了，这是我当初写给他的一封特殊的信，信上的日期是15年前的母亲节。那会儿他还在上幼儿园。读着这封信，我渐渐回想起那天发生的点点滴滴，正是在那一天，我意识到上帝赐给了我一个多么无私、善良的孩子。

Dear Nicholas,

亲爱的尼古拉斯：

Today was Mother's Day. As I watch your beautiful sleeping face, I wanted to write this letter to give you later so you will always know how much joy you bring me.

今天是母亲节。我看着你睡梦中漂亮的小脸，突然很想给你写下这封信，等你长大后交给你。这样，你就会知道，你给我带来了多少的欢乐。

You gave me the best present I've ever received today! It has a little story behind it that I will treasure forever. You have been diligently⁶ saving your allowance for weeks to buy some material for Grandma to make a teepee for you. You had $7.00 saved last week, but you asked me to take you to a nearby boutique where handmade crafts (which I love!) were sold. You were so cute, watching me as I looked at things, and if I liked something, you would ask how much it cost. We found an adorable little teddy bear with an antique lace collar and a ribbon tied around its neck and a ring attached. You pretended you loved it and even tried on the ring. You were very sneaky for a five year-old! You bought the bear all by yourself and said you were sorry, but you spent all your money and would just make me something for Mother's Day. (I would have loved anything you made!)

今天，你送给了我一份礼物，这是我收到过的最好的礼物！这份礼物的背后有一个小故事，我将会把它永远珍藏于心。这几个星期以来，你一直在辛苦地积攒零花钱，为的是买些布料让奶奶给你缝一个帐篷。上周，你终于攒够了七美元，但你却让我带你去附近的一个精品店转转，那儿专卖一些手工艺品(是我的最爱！)。你真的好可爱，我看东西的时候，你就在一边观察我，要是看见我喜欢什么，你就会问这东西多少钱。我们发现了一个非常可爱的小泰迪熊：古典的蕾丝领口，脖子上围了一条丝带，丝带上还系了一枚戒指。你假装很喜欢这个小熊，甚至还试了试那枚戒指。对于一个只有五岁的孩子来说，你还真挺狡猾的呢！你用自己的钱买下了这只小熊，还跟我说你很抱歉，但因为你把自己所有的钱都花了，母亲节就只能自己做个礼物送我了。(宝贝，如果真是那样，那无论你做什么礼物我都会非常喜欢！)

This morning you woke me up with a big grin and a package wrapped in paper towels and duct tape. You were so proud and excited! There inside was the little bear that I will always treasure. You sacrificed your teepee for me.

今天早晨，你跑来把我叫醒，脸上是灿烂的笑容，手里拿着一个用纸巾和胶带包好的包裹。你看上去既自豪又兴奋！包裹里正是你买的那只小熊，它将是我永远珍藏的宝贝。为了我，你放弃了你的帐篷。

I am so proud of your sweet, generous spirit and the many ways every single day that you bring me joy. You are truly special and I am honored to be your mom.

我为你的贴心与慷慨而自豪，更为你每一天带给我的快乐而骄傲。你真是一个特别的孩子，能做你的妈妈真是我的荣幸！

Love, Mom

爱你的妈妈

I still have the bear and the little ring. And Nick did get his teepee. I smile at the memories and place my letter for Nick in an envelope to mail to him. I hope reading it will remind him what a miracle he is and how blessed I feel to be his mother.

我到现在还保留着那个小熊和那枚小小的戒指。尼克后来也得到了他的帐篷。想到这一段往事，我欣然微笑，然后把这封我写给尼克的信装进了一个信封里，准备寄给尼克。我希望他读这封信时能够知晓：他是怎样的一个奇迹；而作为他的妈妈，我又何其有幸！

Also tucked inside the “Nick” box was a little Zip-lock bag with a tiny baby tooth.“Nick's first tooth” was written in marker on the bag, and a folded piece of lined grade-school handwriting paper was stapled to the bag. I carefully removed the paper and read the note in his awkward, just-learning-how-to-write printing.

在这个“尼克”盒子里，还塞有一个小自封袋，里面是一颗小小的乳牙。袋子的标签上写着“尼克的第一颗牙”。和袋子订在一起的还有一张折起来的纸，这是一张小学生练写字用的横格纸。我很小心地把纸拆了下来，这是尼克写的一张小条，字体有些笨拙，一看就是刚开始学写字的孩子写的。纸条上写着：

Dear Tooth Fairy,

亲爱的牙齿仙女：

I love you. Please leave me a lot of money.

我爱你。请给我好多好多钱吧。

From your best friend, Nick.

你最好的朋友，尼克

P.S. Don't keep my tooth.

另：请把我的牙齿还给我吧。

I laughed until I cried. How I missed my little guy!

我哈哈大笑起来，直笑得后来泪流满面。我多么怀念我的小家伙啊！

Now twenty-one, Nick has his own life and a fiancée. I know it won't be long before he has children of his own. I pictured him with a little one on his knee, helping⁷ her write her first letter to the Tooth Fairy.

尼克现在21岁了，有了自己的生活，还有了未婚妻。我知道，很快他也会有自己的孩子。我想象着有一个小宝贝坐在他的膝上，他抱着她，帮她给牙齿仙女写第一封信。

Each page in his school years book had a small school photo for that grade glued to it. If I flipped⁸ the pages fast, like a homemade cartoon flip-book, I could see the transformation⁹ from pre-school to a senior in high school. It was like watching him morph into an adult right before my eyes.

在他学校纪念册的每一页上，都贴有一张小照片，对应他上的年级。要是我像翻自制的手翻动画书那样快速地翻这本册子，我就能看到尼克从学前班到高中毕业的每一步变化。这感觉就像是我眼瞅着他在我面前长大成人。

This unexpected trip down memory lane was the best way I could think of to spend my Saturday. This is one box I will never unpack² and put away. It's definitely one to keep close by and on days when my heart longs for my first-born, I will dig it out, open a box of tissues, and let the memories come home again.

这次不经意间的重温往事是我能想到的度过这个周六的最好办法。这是一个我永远不会打开之后就束之高阁的盒子。这无疑是一个要随时随地放在身边的盒子，当我想念我第一个孩子的时候，我会把它拿出来，再打开一盒纸巾，让记忆再次慢慢地涌上心头。