引路天使

By+Anonymous

M ygrandmagavemeacalendar picturewhen I waslittle. A beautiful angel was shown shepherding a boy and a girl acrossabridge. Ithad been in her house and I loved it. When it was a new year， she gave it to me. My mama tacked it up by my bed. Every night when I said my prayers， I would look at the angel and the children and think about how much God must love us to send angels to guide us. I knew all about it because mymamatoldmeeveryonehadaguardianangel.

She said that my angel was very special because I was born with a hole in my heart. The doctors had told my mama and my papa that there wasnt much of a chance for me to have anormallife， and ifI lived， itwould beamiracle. Mymamahad togiveme oxygen and prop me up with pillows. I couldnt walk becauseofmyweakheart.

IdidntknowIshouldmissplayingandrunningaround. I had my wonderful dogs， and Mama taught me how to read. I went everywhere and did everything when I read a story in a book. SometimesI wasreallysick. SometimesI had pneumonia andhadtostayatthehospital.

When I was five and a half， my mama heard of a new surgery that repaired little childrens hearts. It was risky， but MamawasbraveandbelievedthatGod had senther amessage. She wrote to the doctor and he wrote back. She told me that she prayed the operation would make me healthy and let me live a longlife.

The doctors who performed the surgery were all back East. We lived in rural California. My papa wanted me to have the surgery， but we were very poor. We couldnt travel back East， live in a hotel and wait for my turn for the new surgery. I played with my dogs and little plastic horses with cowboys， and I still read Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder， but I was getting weaker. Some days I couldnt even sit up.Myfingersgotbluefromlackofoxygen，andsodidmyface.

One day， the doctor from the East wrote to my mother. A doctor at a San Francisco hospital was learning to do the surgery， and he had asked for my name to be put on the list. We were excited， but worried. Mama said she would pray， and God wouldhaveitcomeoutright.

We took the Greyhound bus to San Francisco. One of my cousins drove us in his car to my Auntie Ednas house. The next morning， we went to the hospital. Mama carried me and Auntie Edna carried my oxygen tank. I dont remember much except I had to have a crib， not a cot like at home. I also had to havelotsoftests.

That night when I laid in the hospital crib， Mama and I prayed that God would help the doctor help me get well. Mama then told me，“Baby， I have to go back to Auntie Ednas， but Ill come back first thing in the morning and see you before your surgery. And Ill be here when you wake up. Youll be all well， pink and healthy. Youll be able to run and play like the otherlittlekids.”endprint

Then she gave me a stuffed cat that looked like my barn cat Tom back home. She also gave me the calendar picture my grandma had given me so long ago. I cried at the picture of the beautiful angel leading the children over the bridge. I could hearmymothersheelsclickingawaydownthehospitalhall.

I cried and cried. Finally， I looked at the picture of that angelandfelther puther wingsaround metohelp mepray. She led me in my prayers， and showed me the way to Gods love thatnight.Ifellasleep.

When I woke up， the doctor said my mama was waiting to come in to see me. She came to me and I saw her smiling with tearsonhercheeks.

“Baby，yourefixed now，”shesaid.“Nomoreholein your little heart.”“Now I can run and play like other kids.”I whispered to her.“Yes， baby， and live a long life， too.”Mama kissedmyforehead.

That was more than fifty years ago. When I see that same picture of the angel and the children crossing the bridge， I still feel that magnificent love for my mama and for God， that night beforemyheartsurgery.

小時(shí)候，奶奶給了我一張?jiān)職v畫。畫上，一個(gè)美麗的天使帶領(lǐng)著一個(gè)男孩和一個(gè)女孩過(guò)一座橋。這張畫以前是掛在她屋里的，我非常喜歡。到了新年的時(shí)候，奶奶把它送給了我。媽媽把它釘在我的床邊。每天晚上祈禱的時(shí)候，我都要看著天使和兩個(gè)小孩，心里想著，上帝派天使來(lái)指引我們，他的愛是何等博大。我知道這一切都是媽媽告訴我的，她說(shuō)每一個(gè)人都有一個(gè)護(hù)佑天使。

她說(shuō)我的天使非常特別，因?yàn)槲疑聛?lái)心臟有個(gè)洞。醫(yī)生告訴爸爸媽媽，我不太可能過(guò)上正常人的生活，除非奇跡發(fā)生。媽媽不得不給我輸氧，用枕頭把我墊高。因?yàn)樾呐K脆弱，我不能行走。

我知道玩耍、四處跑跳都將與我無(wú)緣。我有幾只非常棒的狗狗，媽媽教我讀書認(rèn)字。當(dāng)我讀著書里邊的故事時(shí)，我哪里都能去，什么都能做。有時(shí)我真的病得不輕。有時(shí)我會(huì)得肺炎，不得不住院。

我五歲半時(shí)，媽媽聽說(shuō)有一項(xiàng)新的手術(shù)，可以修復(fù)小孩的心臟。風(fēng)險(xiǎn)很大，但媽媽很勇敢，相信這是上帝給她傳達(dá)了一個(gè)信息。她寫了封信給醫(yī)生，并收到了回信。她告訴我，她祈禱手術(shù)能帶給我健康，讓我的生命得以延長(zhǎng)。

進(jìn)行手術(shù)的醫(yī)生都回東部去了。我們住在加州的農(nóng)村。爸爸想讓我做手術(shù)，但我們家里很窮。我們沒法去東部，住在旅館里等候進(jìn)行這項(xiàng)新手術(shù)。我和我的小狗，以及上面騎著牛仔的小塑料馬玩耍，還讀著勞拉·英格爾斯·懷爾德的《草原上的小屋》，但我越來(lái)越虛弱了。有些日子我連坐都坐不起來(lái)。因?yàn)槿毖?，我的手指變成了青紫色，我的臉也如此?/p>

一天，東部的醫(yī)生給媽媽來(lái)信了。舊金山醫(yī)院的一位醫(yī)生正在學(xué)習(xí)這項(xiàng)手術(shù)，并且要求將我列入名單內(nèi)。我們真是喜憂參半。媽媽說(shuō)她要祈禱，上帝會(huì)讓手術(shù)成功。

我們乘坐“灰狗”長(zhǎng)途汽車到了舊金山。我的一個(gè)表哥開著自己的車把我們送到了埃德娜姑媽家。第二天早上，我們前往醫(yī)院。媽媽抱著我，埃德娜姑媽抱著我的氧氣罐。我不大記得當(dāng)時(shí)的情景，只記得我得躺到一張有圍欄的床上，而不是家里的那種帆布床。我還必須做很多檢查。

那天晚上，我躺在醫(yī)院的圍欄床上，媽媽和我一起祈禱，上帝會(huì)幫助醫(yī)生讓我好起來(lái)。接著媽媽告訴我：“寶貝，我必須回埃德娜姑媽家，但我會(huì)一大清早回來(lái)，在你手術(shù)之前來(lái)看你。你醒來(lái)時(shí)我會(huì)在你身邊的。你會(huì)平平安安、健健康康的。你會(huì)像其他小朋友一樣可以跑動(dòng)、玩耍?！?/p>

然后她給了我一只布做的小貓，看上去就像家中谷倉(cāng)的小貓湯姆。她還把奶奶很久以前給我的那張?jiān)職v畫給了我?？粗撂焓诡I(lǐng)著兩個(gè)孩子過(guò)橋的畫面，我哭了。我可以聽見媽媽穿著高跟鞋走出醫(yī)院大廳的腳步聲。

我哭泣不止。最后，我盯著那張?zhí)焓沟漠?，感覺她用雙翼將我包裹，助我祈禱。那天晚上，在我的祈禱中，她帶領(lǐng)著我，為我指引上帝之愛的方向。我安然入睡。

我醒來(lái)時(shí)，醫(yī)生說(shuō)媽媽正等著要進(jìn)來(lái)看我。她走到我身旁，我看見了她的笑容，伴著滿臉的淚水。

“寶貝，你已經(jīng)無(wú)恙了?！彼f(shuō)，“你的小心臟不再有洞了?！薄艾F(xiàn)在我可以像其他小朋友一樣跑動(dòng)和玩耍了?！蔽业吐曄蛩f(shuō)?！笆堑模瑢氊?，你還會(huì)活得很長(zhǎng)久?！眿寢層H吻了我的前額。

那是50多年前的事了。當(dāng)我再看到那幅天使和兩個(gè)孩子過(guò)橋的畫時(shí)，我還能感覺到在我心臟手術(shù)前的那天晚上，我對(duì)媽媽和上帝無(wú)盡的愛。endprint