My Father George H. W. Bush 我的總統父親

趙越

喬治·H·W·布什（1924～），人稱“老布什”，是美國第41屆總統、世界政壇的風云人物之一，育有四子二女（其中大女兒早夭），其知名度最高的子女莫過于擔任美國第43屆總統的喬治·W·布什（人稱“小布什”）。對于這樣一位政治人物，我們只聽過他在政治上的手腕，卻對他在家庭中的形象知之甚少。下文中，老布什的女兒多蘿西用深情的文字記述了她眼中的父親，讓我們也借此來了解一下這位總統父親與我們的父親有何不同。

This week I nervously watched my 90-year-old father parachute1） from a plane in Kennebunkport， Maine. I guess I should not have been surprised. He was the youngest pilot in World War II and now he is probably one of the oldest skydivers2）.

He has always been a risk-taker， brave and courageous in my eyes. Throughout his life， he never shied3） away from taking bold steps. Whether it was serving in the military or as president of the United States， my father wanted to greatly contribute to our nation and to lead effectively.

I will never forget when he wrote： "I love you more than tongue can tell."

For my father， it was never so much about soaring rhetoric4） as it was about practicing what you preach5）. His truth was conservative6） values always started with family and friends.

Behind the strong and bold leader， lives a gentle giant—the most loving father， grandfather， great grandfather and husband. As my parents have entered their golden years7）， I have seen their love only deepen. He still views my mother as the most beautiful （and smartest） woman in the room.

Even as he worked tirelessly all these years， we always felt so loved by him. My parents' love for us is the strong foundation of our family and has given each of us the courage to pursue our dreams.

While he can't physically walk anymore， he continues to show me how to walk in ways that fully treasure each moment God gives us. He is also teaching me the beauty of aging gracefully and the importance of family.

His joyous and optimistic personality is contagious8）. My friends would tell me that "I was the luckiest person in the world"， because they all adored my dad. Whether it was going on picnics or leading games outside， my dad knew how to create quality time. He was never too busy for us.

Growing up， I always felt the love and support of my dad， even when he was not around. Although， as a public servant， my father spent a lot of time on the road， he always had time to write letters to each of his five children， his wife and his friends. He best expressed himself through the written word. To this day， I have kept his special letters， which he always signed "Devotedly， Dad". I will never forget when he wrote： "I love you more than tongue can tell."

His determined， kind and adventurous spirit is part of who I am today. I am proud to continue the great work of my parents. My father has been an avid9） supporter of my mother's and my efforts at expanding the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. He is so proud of my mom and her work in promoting early learning and adult education， which includes teaching children and their parents how to read and write.

I hope every child can experience the joy of receiving a written letter from a mom， dad， grandparent or other family members. It is a special way to express one's love for our children. I know that receiving a written letter from my dad was incredibly comforting and made me feel greatly loved.

這周（編注：英文原文發表于2014年6月），我提心吊膽地注視著90歲高齡的父親從緬因州肯納邦克港上空的一架飛機上跳傘降落。我想我本不該為此大驚小怪的。他是二戰期間最年輕的飛行員，現在他大概是最年長的特技跳傘者之一。

在我眼中，父親一直都是一個敢于冒險的人，勇敢而無畏。終其一生，他從未在采取冒險行動這件事上畏懼退縮。無論是在軍隊服役還是擔任美國總統，我的父親都希望自己能對國家做出巨大的貢獻，能夠很好地領導這個國家。

我永遠都不會忘記父親曾在信中寫道：“我對你的愛無以言表?！?/p>

對那時的父親而言，說些激昂的華麗之辭遠不如去踐行你所宣傳的理念。他將那些向來以家人和朋友為先的傳統價值觀奉為真理。

在這位強大果敢的領導人背后，其實是一位性格溫和的偉人——一位最最慈愛的父親、祖父、曾祖父和丈夫。隨著父母早已步入晚年，我看到他們之間的愛卻只是更加濃厚。父親仍把母親視為家中最美麗（也最具智慧）的女性。

甚至在父親不知疲倦地工作的這些年里，我們也總能感受到他深深的愛。父母給予我們的愛構成了我們家堅實的根基，也讓我們每個人都有勇氣去追求自己的夢想。

盡管父親現在無法再行走了，但他仍然在不斷向我演示應如何懷著充分珍惜上帝賜予我們的每分每秒的心境在人世間行走。他還在教我懂得優雅老去的美麗之處以及家人是多么重要。

他愉快樂觀的個性富有感染力。我的朋友們總說“我是世界上最幸運的人”，因為他們都非常喜愛我的父親。不管是去野餐還是帶大家在外面比賽，我的父親都知道如何使之成為與家人共度的美好時光。他再忙都會留出時間與我們共處。

在我日漸長大的過程中，我總能感受到父親給予我的關愛與支持，即使他不在我身邊也是如此。盡管作為一名公職人員，父親大部分的時間都在外奔波，但他也總會抽出時間分別給五個孩子、妻子和朋友們寫信。通過手寫的文字，他淋漓盡致地表達了自己的情感。時至今日，我都一直保留著他專門寫給我的信件，在那些信的末尾他往往寫著“摯愛你的父親”。我永遠都不會忘記父親在信中寫給我的那句話：“我對你的愛無以言表?！?/p>

今天的我身上繼承了父親堅定不移、仁慈友善、敢作敢為的精神。我很自豪能夠將父母的偉大事業繼續進行下去。對于母親和我為壯大芭芭拉·布什（編注：老布什的妻子）家庭掃盲基金會所做出的努力，父親一直給予熱忱的支持。父親為母親深感自豪，也為她在推動早期教育和成人教育（包括教兒童及他們的父母學會讀寫）方面所做的努力感到無比驕傲。

我希望每個孩子都能體會到收到父母、祖父母或其他家庭成員給自己的親筆書信的那份快樂。書信是對孩子表達愛的一種獨特方式。我很確信，當時收到父親的來信時，我就感到無比欣慰，也感受到了他對我的那份濃濃愛意。

1. parachute [?p?r??u?t] vi. 跳傘；空降

2. skydiver [?ska?da?v?（r）] n. 特技跳傘者

3. shy [?a?] vi. 后退

4. rhetoric [?ret?r?k] n. 花言巧語；華麗的辭藻；浮夸之詞

5. preach [pri?t?] vt. 宣傳；鼓吹

6. conservative [k?n?s??v?t?v] adj. 傳統的；保守的

7. golden years： 指退休之后可以享受生活的時光，通常指65歲以后的歲月。

8. contagious [k?n?te?d??s] adj. （感情、態度等）感染性的，會迅速蔓延開的

9. avid [??v?d] adj. 熱衷的；熱心的