It's an old photograph with bad composition and lousy color. The edges are curled up and brown. But none of that matters. The photo is laced with poignant1 memories so vivid that when my gaze slides across it, tears prick2 at the backs of my eyes. I am immediately transported to a place where only good and beautiful images can be found, a place where life revolves3 around lazy afternoons spent on the beach. In this magical place mothers share secrets with daughters, and grandchildren glean4 immeasurable bits of wisdom from the cadence5 of the waves and the soft tones of the women they love.
A mere6 moment of our lives, tucked neatly7 into a small rectangle and preserved forever - years before anything bad came calling.
In the photo, the beach spreads out on either side, a fishing dock to the left, one of Calcite's great limestone8 boats far out on the horizon, and on the right, miles and miles of undisturbed beach. The photo is alive with children and women: mothers, sisters, sons and daughters, nieces and nephews, grandchildren. The lone9 man in the photo is my father. His shadow stretches long and lean across the restless blue waters of Lake Huron. With immense patience, he casts his line, again and again. My toddler son, his blond curls bleached10 white, peers across the endless stretch of sand. Mesmerized11 by his grandfather, he jets down the wet beach as fast as his chubby12 legs can carry him. His sisters give chase.
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A million dancing whitecaps become myriad13 diamonds, straining to outshine one another. The glimmering14 trail sparkles on the vast and seemingly endless body of water that starts at my feet and disappears into the sky, where seagulls dip and swirl15, calling to one another as an anxious mother calls to a wayward child.
A chaise lounge dominates the photo. In it a woman - my mother - reclines. Mom is spread out in the chair like thick, sweet frosting on a cake. Languid, her arms raised above her head, her legs splayed, pant legs rolled up to expose a goodly length of pale skin. Her arms are bare, the undersides pasty in comparison to the tops. Her smile in repose16 is tender, sweet, unassuming, and peaceful.
To my knowledge, Mom never owned a bathing suit. I don't recall ever seeing her step into the lake, and never before had she sunbathed17. That day, however, was different. It was as if all her cares had floated out to deep waters like the unattended beach ball had done just minutes before. <a Href=http://www.zequeka.cn/minifoRm.html>蘇州作文輔導班</a>
We are a large family. When my siblings18 and I were young, Dad was the one who took us to the beach. He sat in the car and watched as we frolicked in the shallows. Mom stayed home to ensure we had a hot meal when we returned. Perhaps Mom was happy for the few moments of alone time at home in the kitchen, as was Dad, alone in the car.
On this day, their grown children, with children of our own, treat them to dinner on the beach. Dad fishes off the dock, never swaying from his pleasantries. And, for once, Mom forgets about making dinner.
It is a day of memories, a day never to be forgotten.
My three children are in the photo, and Dad is in the background, as are two of my sisters and their children, but everyone who gazes at the poorly developed photo is drawn19 inexplicably20 to Mom's smile. In the photo, her face is raised up to the sky. To the sun or to our Creator, she alone knows. Her eyes are closed.
I remember how warm it was that day and how she had squinted21 up at me, shielding her eyes with both hands. <a hrEf=http://www.zequeka.cn/MinifOrm.html>蘇州閱讀寫作培訓班</a>
"Are my legs getting red?" she'd asked.
My eyes brim with unshed tears as I remember the feel of her skin on the palm of my hand. Hot. The scalding tears run down my face. How I wish I could touch her one more time.
"No, Mom," I replied. "But better put some sunscreen on before you get a burn." Reluctantly, she'd sat up, the peaceful smile disappearing, and rolled her pant legs down, again.
"Save it for the kids," she said, her eyes scanning the group of children splashing in and out of the water. The whisper of a smile touched her lips as she watched for a long, wistful moment. With a sigh, she rose from the chair and moved toward the car where the coolers awaited.
"Maybe we should get lunch going," she said as she opened the first cooler.
Now it is my turn to smile. Mom was not ready to relinquish22 dinner duties, after all. On a whim23, I turn my face heavenward and close my eyes. I draw a deep breath and search for the special place Mom found that afternoon. It comes to me easily. Without pomp or ceremony, there she is, smiling again. Tears squeeze from beneath my closed lids, and I fervently24 pray that anyone who might come upon me at this moment will say my smile reminds them of Mom's smile, that day on the beach so long ago. Tender, sweet, unassuming - and despite our loss it was peaceful.
1 poignant
adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，慘痛的
參考例句：
His lyrics are as acerbic and poignant as they ever have been.他的歌詞一如既往的犀利辛辣。 It is especially poignant that he died on the day before his wedding.他在婚禮前一天去世了，這尤其令人悲慟。
2 prick
v.刺傷，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺傷，刺痛
參考例句：
He felt a sharp prick when he stepped on an upturned nail.當他踩在一個尖朝上的釘子上時，他感到劇烈的疼痛。 He burst the balloon with a prick of the pin.他用針一戳，氣球就爆了。
3 revolves
v.（使）旋轉( revolve的第三人稱單數 )；細想
參考例句：
The earth revolves both round the sun and on its own axis. 地球既公轉又自轉。 來自《現代漢英綜合大詞典》 Thus a wheel revolves on its axle. 于是，輪子在軸上旋轉。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》
4 glean
v.收集(消息、資料、情報等)
參考例句：
The little information that we could glean about them was largely contradictory.我們能夠收集到的有關它們的少量信息大部分是自相矛盾的。 From what I was able to glean,it appears they don't intend to take any action yet.根據我所收集到的資料分析，他們看來還不打算采取任何行動。
5 cadence
n.（說話聲調的）抑揚頓挫
參考例句：
He delivered his words in slow,measured cadences.他講話緩慢而抑揚頓挫、把握有度。 He liked the relaxed cadence of his retired life.他喜歡退休生活的悠閑的節(jié)奏。
6 mere
adj.純粹的；僅僅，只不過
參考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不過是重復了你以前講的話。 It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去純粹是浪費時間。
7 neatly
adv.整潔地，干凈地，靈巧地，熟練地
參考例句：
Sailors know how to wind up a long rope neatly.水手們知道怎樣把一條大繩利落地纏好。 The child's dress is neatly gathered at the neck.那孩子的衣服在領口處打著整齊的皺褶。
8 limestone
n.石灰石
參考例句：
Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰?guī)r常用于建筑。 Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。
9 lone
adj.孤寂的，單獨的；唯一的
參考例句：
A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤獨的海鷗在空中飛過。 She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空曠的海灘上能看到一個孤獨的身影。
10 bleached
漂白的，曬白的，顏色變淺的
參考例句：
His hair was bleached by the sun . 他的頭發(fā)被太陽曬得發(fā)白。 The sun has bleached her yellow skirt. 陽光把她的黃裙子曬得褪色了。
11 mesmerized
v.使入迷( mesmerize的過去式和過去分詞 )
參考例句：
The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾駛而過的一輛輛車迷住了。 來自《現代英漢綜合大詞典》 My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14歲的女兒完全被電影《泰坦尼克號》迷住了。 來自互聯網
12 chubby
adj.豐滿的，圓胖的
參考例句：
He is stocky though not chubby.他長得敦實，可并不發(fā)胖。 The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那個既矮又胖的紳士是我們的新主任。
13 myriad
adj.無數的；n.無數，極大數量
參考例句：
They offered no solution for all our myriad problems.對于我們數不清的問題他們束手無策。 I had three weeks to make a myriad of arrangements.我花了三個星期做大量準備工作。
14 glimmering
n.微光，隱約的一瞥adj.薄弱地發(fā)光的v.發(fā)閃光，發(fā)微光( glimmer的現在分詞 )
參考例句：
I got some glimmering of what he was driving at. 他這么說是什么意思，我有點明白了。 來自辭典例句 Now that darkness was falling, only their silhouettes were outlined against the faintly glimmering sky. 這時節(jié)兩山只剩余一抹深黑，賴天空微明為畫出一個輪廓。 來自漢英文學 - 散文英譯
15 swirl
v.(使)打漩，(使)渦卷；n.漩渦，螺旋形
參考例句：
The car raced roughly along in a swirl of pink dust.汽車在一股粉紅色塵土的漩渦中顛簸著快速前進。 You could lie up there,watching the flakes swirl past.你可以躺在那兒，看著雪花飄飄。
16 repose
v.(使)休息；n.安息
參考例句：
Don't disturb her repose.不要打擾她休息。 Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎總是掛著微笑，即使在睡眠時也是這樣。
17 sunbathed
日光浴( sunbathe的過去式和過去分詞 )
參考例句：
Q: Have you ever sunbathed on a nude beach? 你在裸體海灘浴場進行過日光浴么？ Sometimes we went to the beach and at other times we sunbathed on the patio. 我們有時去海灘， 有時在院子里做日光浴。
18 siblings
n.兄弟，姐妹( sibling的名詞復數 )
參考例句：
A triplet sleeps amongst its two siblings. 一個三胞胎睡在其兩個同胞之間。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》 She has no way of tracking the donor or her half-siblings down. 她沒辦法找到那個捐精者或她的兄弟姐妹。 來自時文部分
19 drawn
v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，緊張的
參考例句：
All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物 都取材于生活。 Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的風景所吸引。
20 inexplicably
adv.無法說明地，難以理解地，令人難以理解的是
參考例句：
Inexplicably, Mary said she loved John. 真是不可思議，瑪麗說她愛約翰。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》 Inexplicably, she never turned up. 令人不解的是，她從未露面。 來自辭典例句
21 squinted
斜視( squint的過去式和過去分詞 )； 瞇著眼睛； 瞟； 從小孔或縫隙里看
參考例句：
Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把槍頂肩，瞇起眼睛瞄準。 I squinted through the keyhole. 我從鎖眼窺看。
22 relinquish
v.放棄，撤回，讓與，放手
參考例句：
He was forced to relinquish control of the company.他被迫放棄公司的掌控權。 They will never voluntarily relinquish their independence.他們絕對不會自動放棄獨立。
23 whim
n.一時的興致，突然的念頭；奇想，幻想
參考例句：
I bought the encyclopedia on a whim.我憑一時的興致買了這本百科全書。 He had a sudden whim to go sailing today.今天他突然想要去航海。
24 fervently
adv.熱烈地，熱情地，強烈地
參考例句：
"Oh, I am glad!'she said fervently. “哦，我真高興！”她熱烈地說道。 來自《簡明英漢詞典》 O my dear, my dear, will you bless me as fervently to-morrow?' 啊，我親愛的，親愛的，你明天也愿這樣熱烈地為我祝福么？” 來自英漢文學 - 雙城記
《Mom‘s Smile》添加時間：2024-12-14；更新時間：2025-03-09
