这份母亲节礼物的价格：无价_大学英语阅读

这份母亲节礼物的价格：无价

有一种爱，伟大而平凡，如润物春雨，似拂面和风;有一份情，无私而博大，绵绵不断，情谊深长。这便是母爱，卑微如青苔，庄严如晨曦，无私付出，不求回报。母亲的年轮，记载着儿女人生的轨迹;母亲的四季，牵挂着儿女在外的冷暖。礼物诚可贵，母爱价更高。

The first time my mother made leg of lamb, she never connected the two events. The second time, she thought it was a coincidence . The third time, she knew it was a curse . Every time she prepared leg of lamb, my father was laid off a few days later. The first time it was for a few weeks; the second time for a few months; the third time for more than a year.

My father had a union job at a film-processing lab, and layoffs — and eventual rehirings — were common during the 1960s. He was laid off a few more times, but never after eating leg of lamb. My mother never served the dish again.

My father handled the layoffs with equanimity . He was an infantryman during the Battle of the Bulge and had vowed then that if he survived the war, he'd never let anything bother him again. He would enjoy and savor every day. And he did.

My mother, however, managed the family’s finances, and each layoff was extremely stressful . She worked, but money was tight as she struggled to pay the rent and the other bills until my dad was rehired. She always managed to shield my sister and me from the financial difficulties, and we never knew the extent of her worries.