卷首语
文/张颖 ；译/蔡伊舟
母爱是什么？有人说，母爱是与生俱来的天赋，是长久进化以来写进基因序列的代码。因为母亲，因为母爱，这世间的万物生灵才得以生生不息、代代繁衍。
作为高等动物的人类，出生之前，我们住在母亲的身体里；出生之后，如果没有命运捉弄，母亲和孩子，在一生的呵护与牵挂中，永远住在彼此的心上。
母爱，是望着襁褓中的婴儿，那一低头的慈祥与温柔；是日日夜夜的晨昏，端上饭桌的美味与温馨。母爱，是守护着儿女身心健康的成长，谆谆不倦的教诲；是望着儿女远行高飞的背影，不舍又欣慰的祝福。
但是，造化弄人，这世间，不是每一份母子、母女情缘都了无缺憾、完美无瑕。同时，大爱无疆，无私和深沉的母爱，照亮了多少不幸儿童的人生，让他们生来便被抛弃的命运得以改变。
即便不是十月怀胎阵痛而生，依然有视若己出的呵护；即便没有血脉相连，依然有最丰盈的母爱，就像人间美好的四月天，让一个孩子的童年温暖如春，忘记被嫌弃，忘记被遗弃。
也许你觉得，如此大爱无疆的母爱，只发生在新闻宣传中，就像一生未婚接生五万人的“万婴之母”林巧稚，她流芳百世的嘉誉似乎离我们很遥远。其实，如海洋般浩瀚的母爱就流淌在我们的身边，让我们走近方妈妈，走进方妈妈的生活吧。
方妈妈，曾经在她与方先生钻石婚六十周年庆典的时候，收到时任加拿大总理哈帕的贺信。作为全职母亲的方妈妈，作为女儿们强大的精神支柱，向女儿们诠释了母爱是一种大爱、博爱、是对每个不同生命平等的尊重和关爱。
Preamble to “Greatest Motherly Love”
by: Ivory Zhang / Tr. by: Linda Cai
What is a mothers’ love? Some would say that it is an innate ability, programmed into our DNA sequences. Because of mothers, because of mothers’ love, living beings thrive and reproduce on earth.
As human beings, we resided inside our mothers’ wombs before coming into this world. After we were born, mothers and we would stay forever in each others’hearts in normal circumstances.
A mother’s love is the kindness and gentleness while looking at her baby in her arms, the delicacy and warmth she brings to the table days and nights, mornings and evenings. She guards for the growth and mental health of offspring with tireless teaching; she stands behind them as her children fly away, reluctant to part yet sending them delightful wishes.
Unfortunately, not all mothers and children in this world have perfect relationships without regrets. On the other hand, however, love is boundless. Mother’s love is so selfless and heavy that they can light up the lives of countless less fortunate children who were abandoned at birth.
Though not born after ten months of pregnancy and hours of labor, though not related by blood, mothers still treat these children as their own. They care and love them like the April breeze, giving them warm and memorable childhoods, forgetting that they were once abandoned.
You might think that such a kind of boundless love and generosity only exists in newspapers. For example, Lin Qiaozhi, the “Mother of Ten Thousand Babies” who stayed a bachelor all her life and delivered 50,000 children, her immortal reputation seems very far away from us. If Fact, mother’s love as vast as the ocean exists right among us. Let us walk into the life of Mrs. Fang.
Mrs. Fang received a congratulatory letter from Canadian Prime Minister John Harper on the occasion of her and Mr. Fang’s sixtieth diamond wedding anniversary. As a full-time mother, Mrs. Fang is a strong spiritual pillar for her daughters. Through her actions, she explained to them that maternal love is a great love, a universal love, respecting and caring for all different lives.
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作者简介：
嘉妮，四川南充人，现旅居加拿大。在加拿大出版中英双语儿童故事系列。作品多次获奖。
李玉真，生于重庆。中国作家协会会员。著书8部。歌曲《采油姑娘上山来》获全国“五一”文化奖。
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大爱母亲
方妈妈已年过八旬，曾是毕业于医科大学的医生。她的直系亲属有五代人在加拿大, 她是第三代。1977年与丈夫携带四个儿女移民加拿大，为了子女的教育成长，她做了专职母亲。如今，两个女儿是医生，一个女儿是对外贸易专家，小儿子是加拿大著名的黑莓公司的工程师。在她与方先生钻石婚六十周年庆典时，曾收到总理哈伯的贺信，真是和睦幸福的一家人。
认识方妈妈，缘于她到埃德蒙顿中文图书馆来捐赠一本她先生著的书。当时，我是图书管理员，她慈善的笑容和轻言细语知书达理的言谈，令人喜爱。我们都爱好写作，一来二去，就成了朋友。每次见面，我们除了交流写作，时而还拉拉家常。但只要一提到小儿子，她的脸上就会露出一点儿焦虑。快四十的人了，没有对象，自己也一点儿都不上心。她说她坚持要儿子找一个中国媳妇，源于三个女儿都找了洋女婿。
那一年，方妈妈的大女儿把一个洋人小伙子带回家时，语言、文化、肤色的不同，让方妈妈难以接受而掉泪。见母亲伤心，另外两个女儿在一旁赶紧打圆场：不是还有两个女儿嘛，一定给妈妈找中国女婿。谁知，两年后，老二带回来的还是一个洋人。这一次，方妈妈干脆哭了起来。手足无措的小女儿说，保证再也不让妈妈失望，一定给妈妈找一个中国女婿。可是，忐忑不安的小女儿最终带回家的，仍然是一个洋女婿。这一回，方妈妈没有掉泪。她说：“不是我不喜欢洋人，我这三个女婿都很优秀，一个是教授，另外两个都是高级技术员。只是我们祖祖辈辈都是华人，骨子里还是有些传统。所以还是希望儿子找一个中国媳妇。”
一个飘雪的冬天，方妈妈来图书馆还书，说是要去蒙特利尔照顾动手术的小外孙。“这个孩子特别乖，每次见面，都用中文叫外婆。如果他的亲外婆见到他这么可爱，该多好啊！“方妈妈有些感慨和遗憾的说。
“亲外婆？”我有些诧异。
“是啊，这个孙子是我的大女儿从中国收养的。”方妈妈的话语里分明透着自豪。
在我的请求下，她娓娓地道出了一个温馨的、充满人间大爱的故事。
十年前的一个周末，一家人围坐在壁炉前，女儿说：“已经和我先生商量好了，想在中国收养一个儿子。”这话让方妈妈感到意外，他们有自己的孩子，而且还那么年轻，完全可以自己生啊！女儿说：“自己生的，与收养的会有什么区别呢？父母的责任不就是把一个生命抚养成一个合格的公民吗？”女婿在边上直点头。女儿的话，让方妈妈释然。可是，孤儿院传来消息说只有女孩儿，没有男孩儿。女儿跟女婿商定，女孩儿也要。就这样，一个黑头发的小女孩来到了加拿大，一家人给她取了一个中文名字：昆洋阳，随父亲的音译姓昆，名字的意思是，过了太平洋就见到太阳。
方妈妈很欣慰，爱的教育，已深深地植入在儿女们的骨髓里了。
方妈妈的家庭有大爱的传统。她的父亲十几岁被祖父带到美国打工赚钱养家糊口。因胸有大爱，受到孙中山的赏识，当了孙中山“提包的随从”。孙中山回中国之后，由他在美国华侨中募集捐款，支援孙中山领导的革命。
方妈妈到加拿大后，放下了医生本行。为了儿女，她到工厂当缝纫女工，到养老院护理老人，同时刻苦学习当地语言。她的女儿说：“妈妈心地善良，回到家里，当爸爸的外祖父和母亲生活难以自理的时候，妈妈长年累月尽力照顾他们。为了让老一代和下一代的孩子们更和谐美好地生活，方妈妈付出了巨大的心血。在她七十高龄的岁月，仍然不辞辛劳，千里迢迢到各地协助照料女儿们的襁褓期和照顾孙辈。”
方妈妈曾经对孩子们说：“要像我的父亲那样，把自己当成放弃了花果山的孙悟空，只有一心跟随唐僧，历尽艰辛才能修成正果。这个唐僧就是当地的民俗文化和纳税人。”孩子们知道，妈妈在困难面前从不低头，是因为充满爱，乐意学习，有良好的心态。
或许是出于同样的家教，有着相同的价值观和人生观，抑或是姊妹间的相互感染，两年后，住蒙特利尔的二女儿与丈夫商量，他们的女儿已经六岁，也要去中国收养一个孩子。但这一次，孤儿院寄来相片，是一个天生兔唇、上腭还有一个洞的男孩儿。真可怜啊！身体残疾，没有父爱和母爱，望着相片，二女儿的眼睛里盈满了泪水。丈夫搂着她的肩膀，鼓励她收养这个孩子，等孩子长到可以修复的年龄，给他做修复手术。女儿在电话那头对妈妈说：“我们可以改变他一生的命运，我们已经决定了。”
方妈妈再一次给女儿最大的精神支持。她还从那口陈旧的木箱中，翻出年轻时用来背孩子的红布带，洗干净后，郑重地交给女儿：“我把这个传给你，你用它去背你的孩子，让他在你的背上，感受妈妈的温暖吧。”女儿接过红背带，独自去中国。在路人好奇的眼光中，她背着孩子去了长城、天安门，回到了加拿大。全家人对这个残疾孩子疼爱有加，也给他取了一个中文名字：高太佳。随父亲的音译姓高。中间有个“太”字，是来自太原。最后一个‘佳’字，是因为方妈妈说，孩子身体有缺陷，但我们一定会把他培养成一个好孩子。
一个秋意盎然的傍晚，在一家意大利餐馆，我有幸遇到了方妈妈的大女儿全家。望着黑头发的妹妹嬉笑着一会儿与金头发的姐姐说英文，一会儿又用中文跟妈妈对话，我感慨地说：
“这个女孩儿好有福气啊，假如你们不收养她，真不知她的命运又将如何？”
回答出乎我的意料：“不是她有福气，是我们有福气，我们收养了这么乖的女儿。”
“她知道自己是收养的吗？”在国内，许多家庭都比较忌讳让孩子知道自己是被收养的。
“她知道。我们还告诉她，如果想去中国找亲妈妈，我们会陪她去。”
我被震撼了，一股暖流在心中涌动。是啊，人人都有爱，不同的是，有些爱，仅限于恋人、家庭与朋友。而大爱是无私的，是对每个人、每种不同生命的爱。这是博爱，是只有充满爱心，胸襟宽广的人，才能做到的爱。我相信，方妈妈一家，对什么是大爱，给出了一个最好的诠释。
后来方妈妈得了乳腺癌。见到她时，她依然笑容满面。她对我说：“癌症不可怕，只需要有一个好的心态。”手术后，她在家里休养。有一天，我去看她，她正要陪着方先生去溜冰场，我劝方妈妈别去。她笑着说：“你别担心，手术后，我照旧去学英语，去健身中心锻炼，并且还担任了一个宣传中国文化的老年小组组长。我怎么能不陪他去呢？”是啊，他俩恩爱如初，这是众所周知的。方妈妈每次出外参加活动，八十多岁的方先生都开车接送。他俩常写文章，落名“方有余”，她叫余蔼仪，这名字里包含的爱情不言而喻。那天我陪他俩去了溜冰场。我亲眼目睹了一个耄耋老人在巨大的溜冰场上舒展着健美的姿态；更为方妈妈看着方先生滑翔的炽热的爱的眼神，以及时而发出的孩童那样的欢呼声，感叹不已。
我想起了他们的女儿说的一句话：“我的父母亲长期同舟共济，同甘共苦，乐于为社会和他人服务。他们的爱给我们姐妹和胞弟做出了良好的榜样，也是支持我们的力量。”
The Greatest Motherly Love
by: Jia Ni, Yuzhen Li
Mrs. Fang is over the age of eighty, and a graduate of medical school. Her closely related family has been in Canada for five generations, she is the third-gen. She and her husband immigrated to Canada in 1977 and became a full-time housewife for the education and wellbeing of her children. Now, two of her daughters have grown into doctors, the last daughter became a foreign trade expert, and the youngest son became an engineer for the famous Canadian Blackberry company. On the 60th anniversary of her and her husband Mr. Fang’s marriage, they received a letter from then Canada’s Prime Minister Harper, such a wonderful family.
I got to know Mrs. Fang when she came to the Edmonton Chinese Library to donate a book to her husband. At that time, I was a librarian, and we all love her charitable smile and gentle whispers of knowledge. We both like writing, and we become friends day by day. Every time we met, in addition to communicating about writing, sometimes we also chat about our daily lives. But at the mere mention of her youngest son, her face shows a hint of anxiety: nearly 40 years of age, no girlfriend, and he doesn’t even care about it. She said she insisted on her son find a Chinese girl because all three of her daughters have foreign sons-in-law.
That year, when the eldest daughter of Mrs. Fang brought home a foreigner young man, of different cultures, skin color, and language, Mrs. Fang had a hard time accepting and shed tears. Seeing her mother cry, the other two daughters hurried aside to make up for the situation: there are two daughters, they will find a Chinese son-in-law for her mother. Two years later, the second daughter still brought back a foreigner. This time, Mrs. Fang burst right into tears. The youngest daughter promised never to let her mother down again and would find her a Chinese son-in-law. However, the nervous little daughter still brought home a foreign son-in-law in the end. This time, Mrs. Fang did not shed tears. She said, “It’s not that I don’t like foreigners. My three sons-in-law are all excellent. One is a professor and the other two are senior technicians. It’s just that we are Chinese for generations, we are still somewhat traditional in our bones. So I still hope my son can find a Chinese daughter-in-law.”
One snowy winter, Mrs. Fang came to the library to return books, saying she was going to Montreal to take care of her little granddaughter who just underwent surgery. “The child is very well-behaved. Every time we meet, she calls me a grandma in Chinese. If only her grandmother could see him so cute! “Fang mother sighed and said.
“Her grandmother?” I was surprised.
“Yes, she was adopted from China by my eldest daughter.” Mrs. Fang’s said with joy and pride.
Upon my request, she told me a sweet story full of love.
One weekend ten years ago, the family sat around the fireplace, and the eldest daughter said, “I’ve discussed with my husband, we want to adopt a son from China.” This surprised Mrs. Fang. They already have a child of their own, and they were so young that they could have a child by themselves. The daughter asked, “What’s the difference between my children and those I adopted? Is it not the duty of parents to raise a human being into a fine citizen?” The son-in-law nodded from the side. Her daughter’s words relieved Mrs. Fang. However, word came from the orphanage that there were only girls, no boys. The daughter and the son-in-law agreed, a girl is fine too. In this way, a little girl with black hair came to Canada. Her family gave her a Chinese name: Kun Yang (Ocean) yang (Sun). Her surname was Kun after her father’s transliteration, and the name meant “after passing the Pacific Ocean, you see the sun”.
Mrs. Fang is very pleased as the education of love has been deeply implanted in the hearts of her children.
Mrs. Fang’s family has a tradition of the generosity of love. Her father was brought to the United States by her grandfather as a teenager to work and raise the family. Because of his great love, he was noticed by Sun Yat-sen and became his “entourage with a bag”. After Mr. Sun returned to China, he collected donations from overseas Chinese in the United States to support the revolution led by Mr. Sun.
When Mrs. Fang moved to Canada, she dropped her career as a doctor. For her children, she worked as a sewing girl in a factory, and a nurse at an elderly’s home, while studying the local language assiduously. “She had a kind heart,” her daughter said. “She would come home and take care of my father’s grandfather and mother all the time when they couldn’t take care of themselves. To create more harmonious and beautiful lives for the older generation and the younger generation, she has paid great effort. At the age of 70, Mrs. Fang still travels thousands of miles to take care of her daughters in postpartum states and help babysit her grandchildren.
Mrs. Fang once said to her children, “Just like my father, you should think of yourself as the Monkey King who gave up the Flower and Fruit Mountain. Only by following Tang Seng with all your heart can you achieve your goal through all the hardships. This Tang Seng is the local culture and taxpayers.” The children knew that their mother never lowers her head in the face of difficulties because she is full of love, willing to learn, and stays optimistic at all times.
Maybe it was the same education, sharing the same values and outlooks on life, or maybe it was a mutual influence between sisters, two years later the second daughter, who lives in Montreal, discussed with her husband that their daughter is six years old and they would also like to go to China to adopt a child. But this time, the orphanage sent a picture of a boy born with a cleft lip and a hole in the roof of his mouth. What a poor angel! Physical deformity, no parental love… Looking at the photo, the second daughter’s eyes were filled with tears. Her husband put his arm around her shoulders and encouraged her to adopt the child and allow the child to undergo surgery when he’s older. The daughter said to her mother on the other end of the phone, “We can change his life. We have made our decision.”
Once again, Mrs. Fang gave her daughter the greatest moral support. She dug out the red cloth belt she used to carry her child when she was young from an old wooden box. After washing it, she solemnly gave it to her daughter: “I will pass this to you. You can use it to carry your child, let him stay on your back and feel the warmth of his mother.” The daughter took over the red sling and went to China alone. In the curious eyes of passers-by, she carried her children to the Great Wall, Tian ‘anmen Square, and back to Canada. The whole family loved the child very much despite his defects and gave him a Chinese name: Gao Taijia. His father’s transliteration surname is Gao. The middle character “Tai” is taken from Taiyuan, and the last word is “Jia” (nice) because Mrs. Fang said that the child has physical defects, but we will bring him up to be a good child.
One cool autumn afternoon, I was lucky enough to meet Mrs. Fang and her whole family at an Italian restaurant. Looking at the black-haired girl giggling and talking to her blonde-haired sister in English, and then talking to her mom in Chinese, I was moved:
“This girl is blessed. I can’t believe what would become of her if your family didn’t adopt her.”
Mrs. Fang’s family gave me an answer I wasn’t expecting: “It’s not her who is blessed, we are. We have adopted such a good girl.”
“Does she know that she was adopted?” In China, many families are careful about letting their children know that they were adopted.
“She does. We also told her that if she wants to go to China to find her birth mother, we will accompany her.”
I was shocked, a warm current flew through my heart. Yes, everyone has love, the difference is that some love is limited to lovers, family, and friends. But great love is selfless, it is the love for every person and every different kind of life. This is a generous love, which can only be achieved by a wise, broad-minded person. I believe that Mrs. Fang’s family has given me the best explanation of what great love is.
Sometime after, Mrs. Fang was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was still smiling when I saw her. She said to me, “Cancer is not scary. You just need to maintain a good attitude.” She convalesced at home after the operation. One day, I went to visit her. She was going to accompany Mr. Fang to the skating rink. I persuaded Mrs. Fang not to go. “Don’t worry,” she said with a smile. “After the operation, I continued to study English, work out in a fitness center and become the leader of a group for senior citizens to promote Chinese culture. How could I not go with him?” Yes, they love each other just as much as before, everybody knows. Every time Mrs. Fang went out to attend an event, Mr. Fang, who was in his 80s, drives her. They often wrote articles under the pen name “Fang You Yu” (Fang has Yu). Her name was Yu Ai Yi, and the love in the name was self-evident. I accompanied them to the rink that day and witnessed an old man stretching a healthy and stunning posture on the huge ice rink, as well as the fervent love in Mrs. Fang’s eyes as she watched Mr. Fang glide and her childlike cheers from time to time. I was marveled.
I remembered what their daughter said once: “My parents have been together for a long time, through the ups and downs, thicks and thins, and willing to serve the community or others. Their great love set awesome examples for me and my siblings, strengthening and supporting us.”
朗读者——海外精英 编委
主办单位
加拿大国际华人作家协会
团体名誉主席团
加拿大华人同乡会联合总会会长：韩加良
多伦多华人团体联合总会主席：翁国宁
加拿大中国商会团体联盟主席：王海澄
加拿大大西洋文化艺术交流协会会长：于琮章
加中海外交流協会会長：陸炳雄
加拿大多元文化民间艺术协会会长：沈谢元
加拿大多伦多艺空间文创中心总监：刘向平
加拿大中国专业妇女协会会长：梁梅英
加拿大加中经贸文化交流协会会长：周建成
加中地产投资总商会会长：孙志峰
北美华人健康协会会长：王培忠
加拿大国际摄影艺术交流协会/北美手机摄影协会/几何艺术中心主席：琥珀
多伦多商业俱乐部：程炯
企业名誉主席团
加雄集团董事长：陆炳雄
传媒名誉主席团
华人头条多伦多通讯董事长：彭良健
环球华语融媒体台长：王瑞军、向希拉
枫华传媒集团总裁：梁晓敏
名誉顾问
中国作协会员，著名作家，《激情燃烧的岁月》编剧：石钟山
中国作协会员，世界华文微型小说研究会会长：凌鼎年
中国作协会员，诗人,小说家,剧作家,翻译家,主编：曹谁
编委
总策划：程炯
总编辑：彧蛇
主编：曼都拉、尚佳莉、真子
责任编辑：何根祥、刘俊民、铁木尔、朗文玲
英译指导：伊人在岸、彧蛇
英文翻译：彧蛇、伊人在岸、朗文玲、尚佳莉、鲁四彬、悠悠玫瑰、赵宜忠John、蔡伊舟
朗读指导：陈阳、Salina
朗读编委：陈阳、Salina、尔凡、楚楚、玉华、玲儿、竹笛
排版编辑：烟花易冷、夢緑烟蘿、彧蛇
主要执行编辑：彧蛇、程炯、曼都拉、何根祥、庄朝兰、姜尼、伊人在岸、铁木尔、刘俊民、孙瑞祥、玉华、由之、尚佳莉、朗文玲、张颖
协办单位
诗情太平洋国际文学社
加拿大中国文学研究社
美洲文化之声国际传媒网
活水北读书会
加拿大海河文学社
醉茶听雨
《美洲文化之声》简介
《美洲文化之声》国际传媒网（Sound of USA）成立于2016年，是美国政府批准的综合网络平台，主要从事华语文学作品的交流推广。目前已与Google、百度、Youku、Youtube 等搜索引擎联网，凡在这里发表的作品均可同时在以上网站搜索阅读。我们致力于弘扬中华传统文化，同时提倡文学创作的思想性和唯美主义风格，为世界各地的华语文学作品交流尽一份微博之力。同时，美洲文化之声俱乐部也正式成立，俱乐部团结了众多的海内外知名诗人、作家和评论家，正在形成华语世界高端文学沙龙。不分国籍和地区、不分流派，相互交流学习，共同为华语文学的发展效力。“传播中华优秀文化、倾听世界美好声音”，这是我们美好的追求和义不容辞的责任。
《美洲文化之声》国际传媒网编辑部：
总编：韩舸友
副总编：李学、冷观、Jinwen Han
编委：韩舸友、李学、冷观、Jinwen Han、王喆、王柯、阮小丽