It was a few years ago.
这是几年前的事情。
A friend had sent me a restaurant gift card for Christmas
一个朋友送给我一张餐厅礼品券作为圣诞的礼物。
and I had picked a pretty, sunny Sunday afternoon to use it.
我选择了一个美好，阳光灿烂的周日下午用它。
It felt good
这种感觉真好
taking my two grown sons and daughter
携带我长大成人的儿子和女儿
to a nice sit-down restaurant
来到一个非常棒的堂食餐厅
instead of the fast food places we usually ate at.
而不是大家平常常常去的那种速食站
The meal was delicious
食物非常可口
and we all had a good time
大家度过了一段愉快的时光
just being together.
仅仅由于大家在一块这就足已
When the waitress brought the check
当酒保把账单递给我时
I looked down at it.
我低头看了一眼
The gift card covered almost all of it.
礼品券几乎抵消了全部的成本
I reached into my wallet
我拿出钱包
to get enough cash to cover the rest.
想取出现金支付剩余的成本
I saw two bills in the front of it.
我在钱包里发现了两张支票
The first would cover the rest of the bill
第一张可以支付剩余的餐费
and give the waitress a nice tip.
还可以给酒保一份丰厚的小费
The second bill was much larger
第二张支票的数额比第一张大得多
so I reached down to pick out the first one.
所以我躬身先拿出了第一张
At that moment
在这一刻
my mind flashed back to 30 years before.
我的思绪回到了三十年前
I was working as a [en]busboy
in a restaurant[/en]那时我在一家餐厅当勤杂工
much like the one we were in now.
那家餐厅与大家目前身处的餐厅十分类似
It was long hours of hard work for low pay.
那时我终日干活，工作艰辛，报酬却非常低
I went home
下班回家时
just barely making enough to feed my young family.
所挣的钱只能刚刚够养活我的老婆和幼小的小孩
I also remembered
我还记得
how more than once I saw the waitresses counting their [en]meager
tips[/en]自己怎么样眼巴巴的看着其他员工清点微薄的小费，不只一次
while worrying about
同时替她们担忧
how they were going to pay the rent
这类钱怎么才能付清房租
and buy their kids the things they needed.
还要为她们的小孩购买所需要的生活用品
I remembered the pain in their eyes
我记得她们眼中的苦痛
and saw the sadness in their faces at the end of the day.
一天结束时，我总看到她们脸上携带哀愁
I blinked
我眨了眨双眼
and was back in the present
思绪回到现实
again
再一次
my fingers touching the smaller bill in my wallet.
我的手指轻轻爱抚着钱包里那张金额小一些的支票
I smiled,
我微笑
pushed it back down,
把它放回钱包
and picked out the much larger bill.
拿起那张金额大得多的支票
I folded it around the gift card
我把它折起来，用它包住礼品券
and covered both of them with the check.
把它们都藏在账单里
As we all got up from the table
大家从桌前起身
I handed them to the hard working waitress.
我把它们交给了那位正在辛勤干活的员工
“You keep the change.”
不需要找了
I said with a smile and a happy heart.
我说时，脸上挂着微笑，内心充满幸福
We are all one family in this world.
在这个世界上，大家都是一个大伙庭的成员
We are all children of the same earth.
大家都是地球妈妈的小孩
We live together, rejoice together, and suffer together.
大家生息与共，欢乐与共，患难与共
Do your best to be kind then.
所以请尽量的友善吧
Do your best to be a good person
尽全力让自己成为一个好人
and loving child of nature.
成为自然妈妈的充满爱的小孩
Do your best to replace the suffering with joy.
尽你所能，叫人类的苦痛变成欢乐吧
