人生最重要的就是生命本身

Lisa Avery age14

利萨・艾弗里 14岁

I FIRST BEGAN WRITING this paper while in Oklahoma City on the fifth anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. To start with I thought about all the good qualities I admire in people. I came up with many, but as I sat listening to the dedication ceremony of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, it became clear to me. It is not any of these wonderful characteristics that are the most important law of life. I realized that the most important part of life is life itself.

As I listened to the ceremony, I heard many speakers; first, a mother who lost her youngest child, then an employee who lost many co-workers and friends, and next the fire chief who helped save so many lives. The next speakers included the mayor, sena- tor, Attorney General Janet Reno and finally the president, Bill Clinton. Death and tragedy can impact so many people and touch them all in different ways. The tragedy in Oklahoma City was felt by people all over the country. The whole country united as Americans to prove that love can overpower hatred and joy overcome sor- row. The death of a loved one is a loss that can only be understood by a person that has felt this pain. The families of the 168 victims know this feeling all too well. Nineteen of the victims were children or unborn children. There are seven to eight hundred people who survived the bombing that day. I am sure they now know how important it is to appreciate and cherish life.

On April 19, 1994, my aunt was sitting in her home about twenty miles north of downtown Oklahoma City. At 9:02 am, she felt such a vibration that she believed the house next door had exploded. My uncle, a doctor, was covering the Emergency Room at Veteran's Hospital in downtown Oklahoma City. He helped care for many people injured in the blast, including some young children. One young girl and her mother came back to the hospital a few days after the bombing to thank my uncle for his care. I'm sure it is occasions like this that make it clear to him why he became a doctor, to help people in their time of crisis. This is also the great feeling of joy and accomplishment that makes me consider possibly having a career in the medical field.

This January I lost the last of my grandparents. The first of my grandparents to pass away was my grandpa ten years ago. His wife, my grandma, died of lung cancer three years later in 1993. My other grandma died in 1996 when I was in the fifth grade. My last grandpa passed away in January.

Grandparents are a very important part of any person's life. They are always there to help you or cheer you up when you are sad. Grandparents are around to spend holidays with, to give presents to and get presents from. Grandparents are meant to tell stories and encourage their grandchildren. Most supportive grandparents go to dance recitals, baseball games, honor banquets, basketball games, and graduations whenever they can.

When a person's grandparents pass away, a big part of their life is lost. It is hard to sit and listen to all my friends talk about going to their grandparents or all the presents their grandparents gave them for their birthday or Christmas. I know that I will never be able to experience that part of my life again. It makes me sad to go to all the baseball games and see all the grandparents sitting there cheering on their grandchildren. I also feel a sense of joy for the children whose grandparents support and encourage them in everything they do. I wish I could tell them all how lucky they are and how important it is to enjoy the special time they have with their grandparents. I would tell them to always appreciate and respect their grandparents and everything they do for them. They will never know when one of them could suddenly pass away. It is also hard for me because I have two little cousins who never got to meet their grandparents and a few more that were too young to re-member a lot about them. They will go their whole lives without ever meeting or knowing much about their grandparents.

The memories I have of my grandparents are something I never want to lose. I remember playing dress-up at Grandma's house and throwing a ball up and down the laundry chute. I remember skating in the basement and playing cars on the kitchen floor. I also recall all the Fourth of July celebrations I spent at the lake with Grandma and going for long walks with her at dusk. I remember visiting my other grandma and her always having some kind of present for me. Although I was very young I can remember sitting on my grandpa's lap and him asking me for hugs. I also have clear memories of the drives to Wyoming to see my other grandpa and playing Frisbee in the back yard. Each of my grandparents had their own distinct smell. It was a good smell, the smell that grandparents have. It was their smell and only their smell. The memories of all the good times are things I can share with my little cousins, but the smell is something they will never know. It can- not be described.

I also have memories of not such good times. I have an extremely vivid memory of each of their funerals. I describe the weather that day, the somber mood, the way the church looked. I can also see their faces the last time I saw them, right before the casket was closed. I remember the day my grandma died after her fight with lung cancer. She didn't want to stay in the hospital so she was staying with my aunt and uncle and cousins. I was sitting on the front porch steps with my cousin when my mom and aunt called us in to tell us. I remember going up to her room and seeing her. Her eyes and mouth were closed and her chest not moving. She looked peaceful, but I would not touch her. I was eight at the time and I guess I was frightened, but if I could do it over again, I would hold her hand and give her a kiss goodbye. I can also recollect the night my dad got a call from one of his mom's friends saying she had not been answering her phone. My dad went to her house to check on her and she had passed away. I remember when he called to tell us he had found her.

There are too many people in the world that don't take the time to just enjoy life or enjoy the time they have with loved ones. There are so many sayings about "living life to the fullest," "live each day as if it's your last," or "there's no time like the present." I believe that there is truth in all these sayings. I believe when given the opportunities, they should be taken. You never know when or if you will get the chance again. I also think if there is something that you want to say to someone, you should say it and not put it off. Death can come so suddenly. There are thousands of people that die each day, from newborns to centenarians.

Life itself is my most important law of life. Death touches everyone, whether it is very personal or a national death, it tou- ches everyone's heart. I ask you to think about how important your life is to you and what your life means to others. Also think about all the loved ones in your life. If they passed away, would there be something you wish you had said or done? A life is something that can never be relived. You only have one chance at it.

我是在俄克拉荷马市动笔写这篇文章的，当时正值阿尔弗雷得幕拉联邦大楼遭轰炸五周年纪念日。动笔之前，我把我所敬佩的人们的优秀品质一一想过，不知该写些什么才好。然而当我静听着俄克拉荷马市国家纪念碑的献辞仪式时，我豁然开朗，找到了答案：其实人生最重要的莫过于生命本身。

在献辞仪式上有很多人发言。首先是位失去幼子的母亲，然后是一位失去多位同事和朋友的职员，再后来是一位消防队长，在灾难中他挽救了很多人的性命。随后发言的还有市长、议员、律师珍妮特・里诺，最后发言的是克林顿总统。死亡和悲剧能触动如此多的人们，给他们不同的感悟。俄克拉荷马的悲剧举国同哀。全国人民团结一心，因为我们同是美国人。我们要向世人证明，爱能够战胜仇恨，快乐能够战胜悲痛。在这场灾难中有168人遇难。他们的亲人饱尝了这彻骨的痛苦。除非亲身经历，否则人们是无法体会这种失去至爱的亲人的痛苦的。遇难的19名儿童中还有尚在母腹之中的胎儿。当天有七八百人在轰炸中幸免于难。我相信他们一定深深地懂得了珍惜生命、感激生命的重要。

灾难发生的当天，即1994年4月19日，我姑妈正呆在位于俄克拉荷马市闹事区以北20英里的家中。上午9点零2分，她感到一阵剧烈的震动，她当时以为一定是邻居家发生了爆炸。姑父是位于该市闹事区的退伍军人医院的医生，当时正在急诊室查房。灾难发生后，姑父抢救了包括儿童在内的许多伤者，其中一个小女孩几天后和妈妈专程去医院向姑父致谢。如此情形一定使姑父更明白了自己身为医生的责任，那就是在危难的时刻救死扶伤。正是这救人于危难而带来的成就感和快乐打动了我，使我萌生了做一名医生的想法。

这一年的一月，我失去了最后一位祖辈亲人。他们中先离开我们的是我姥爷，他在十年前就去世了。他的老伴，我姥姥在三年后，也就是1993年因肺癌也与世长辞了。奶奶是在我上五年级的时候去世的，最后，我爷爷在一月份离开了我们。

祖父母和外祖父母在任何人的生活中都是很重要的一部分，他们总是帮助你，或在你情绪低落时，鼓励你。孩子们可以与祖父母和外祖父母一起度假，还可以赠送礼物和接受他们的礼物。祖父母和外祖父母总会给孩子们讲故事，或鼓励他们。大多数的祖父母和外祖父母都在时间允许的情况下，去参加舞蹈表演会、棒球赛、荣誉宴会、篮球赛、毕业典礼。

当一个人的祖辈亲人都没有了，那他们也就失去了生活的一大部分。我就不愿意坐下来听朋友们谈论去爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷家的事，更不愿意听他们说收到爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷的什么生日礼物和圣诞礼物的事。我知道我以后再也不会有这种感受了。去参加棒球比赛的时候，看到所有的爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷坐在那里，为他们的孩子加油，我心里特别难受，但也为那些孩子感到高兴，因为他们的爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷在任何时候都给予他们支持和鼓励。我真希望能够告诉他们，他们非常幸运，能和自己的爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷在一起享受那特别的时刻有多么重要。我还想告诉他们要珍重和尊重爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷以及他们所付出的一切。他们绝不会知道什么时候其中一个就会突然离去。我有两个小堂表弟妹，他们从来没见过爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷是什么样，还有几个年龄太小，对爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷都记不清了。他们一辈子都不会再见到爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷了，也不会对他们有更多的认识。

我对于爷爷奶奶、姥姥姥爷的那些记忆是我最不愿意忘却的。我记得在奶奶家里瞎打扮、在洗衣间的斜槽上扔球玩的事；我记得在地下室溜冰、在厨房地板上玩汽车的情景；我还记得每年七月四日庆祝时与奶奶在湖边的情景，黄昏时，还和她一起去散步。我记得去看望姥姥的情景，她总有什么礼物送给我。虽然我那时很小，但我仍能记得坐在姥爷腿上，让我搂着他的情景。我也记得开车到怀俄明去看望爷爷，在后院玩飞盘的情景。我这几个祖辈亲人个个都有自己清晰易辨的气味。那是很好闻的气味，是他们身上的气味，也只有他们有这种气味。记忆中美好的时刻都是我和小堂表弟妹们可以共同分享的，但这气味是他们永远不会感受到的，是难以用语言形容的。

我对那些不好的事情也都记忆犹新。他们每个人的葬礼，我都记得清清楚楚。我记得那天的天气，记得当时沉闷的心情，记得教堂的样子。我还能想起来最后一次看到他们时，也就是在棺材盖上之前，他们各自的模样。我还记得姥姥与肺癌搏斗之后去世那天的情景。她不想再住院了，于是就和我舅舅、舅妈、表弟妹们住在一起。那天，我正和表妹在前门廊的台阶上玩，忽然妈妈和舅妈把我们叫进去告诉我们姥姥去世了。记得我还到房间里去看她，她的眼睛和嘴巴都紧紧地闭着，胸口一动也不动了，看起来很是安详，可我却不敢摸她。我当时刚刚八岁，我想我是吓的，但如果能重新来一次的话，我就会抓住她的手，最后亲她一口。我也记得有一天晚上，爸爸接到一个我奶奶的朋友打来的电话，说好久没给我奶奶打通电话了。我爸爸去奶奶家看个究竟，她已经死去。我记得他打电话告诉我们这一切时的情景。

世上有太多的人不知道珍惜时间去享受生活，去享受与亲人在一起其乐融融的气氛。有许多格言： “享受充实的人生”，“把每一天当成最后一天而生活”，或“任何时候都比不上现在”。我相信所有这些格言都有它的道理，我相信只要有机会，就应该抓住不放，因为你永远不会知道什么时候还会有这样的机会，或者是否还会有这样的机会。而且，我认为如果你有什么话要对谁说，你就应该马上说，千万不要留到以后说。死亡都是突然到来的，每天都有成千上万的人死去，有刚出生的婴儿，也有百岁老人，什么人都有。

生命本身是最重要的“人生法则”。死亡会触动到我们每个人的心灵，不管是为个人而死，还是为国家而死，它都让每个人感到震惊。我请你考虑一下，你的生命对于你自己的意义如何，对于别人又意味着什么?也想一想你所爱的亲人们。如果他们死去，你是否还有什么想说却没有说、想干却没有干的事情呢?生命是不能生还的东西，生命属于你只有一次。