I presented each boy with their own plate and it was Nathaniel, the oldest and most discerning that asked me, "Mom, what' s that on the brownies?"I gingerly walk around the question and encouraged him to dig in.The bite had barely entered his mouth when he grimaced and contorted. He held the moist brownie bits on the curl of his tongue hoping not to swallow any and cried, "Ugh! Mom, these are sick! What did you do? They taste terrible!" I tried not to laugh and despite me encouraging him to try another bite, （he was almost gagging from the first one, ） he quickly declined. Seeing their big brother so grossed out, the other boys suddenly lost their interest in their snack.They just wanted to leave the table on an empty stomach without incident.
Perhaps you can relate. I wanted to be the best mom in the world with a homemade snack and some health food all rolled up into one great afternoon treat. Again my attempt to sneak more nutrition into their meals was foiled. The tofu I had added to their tacos one time was a bomb. The seitan （mashed soy bean curd） I had cooked and tried to present as chicken was a culinary calamity. And although I had experienced moderate success with spinach brownies, it was clear I blew it again!
While the taste of that nasty concoction will hopefully fade from my son' s mind one day, I do hope he does remember one thing. His mom tried. God bless her soul, she tried. She didn' t hit the mark with everything she made but she did have a yummy kind of love for her family. She didn' t always make the best stuff in the world but she had a good recipe for life. She never forgot the secret ingredient of sweet love. It was never omitted.
Perhaps when he gets older, recalling all the food disasters, Nathaniel will be able to reflect upon our life as a family and see the deliciousness in it all. And simply smile remembering the taste of love only a mother can give.
恼人的疼痛纠缠了我几个月后，一个朋友提议让我尝试一下维生素和一些有机的、未提炼的油类产品，以促进我身体健康的全面恢复。
我正对尽快恢复求之不得，所以毫不犹豫地接受了朋友的建议。然后，当我试用这些补品以后，头疼减少了，精力更旺盛，这令我十分满意。看来是这些补品发挥了作用。在需要购买补品之前，我每天都按时服用五粒胶囊。
我查看商品的邮购目录，找到自己要订购的东西。然后，我又往下看，看到任何一位好母亲都不会错过的产品。我发现我一直服用的油类补药还有儿童服系列。我认认真真地看了一下说明书，然后毫不犹豫地签了订单。
我很快就收到了订购的商品。那会儿，我的大儿子和二儿子还没放学。我先是把刚出炉的果仁巧克力蛋糕放在厨房的案子上凉着，然后满怀兴奋地等待儿子们回家。看着漂亮的小瓶子——里面是为孩子买的特殊商品，我感到很高兴，并且会心地笑了起来。瓶子上的图案是可爱的丛林小动物，大大的粗体字进一步突出了这种产品拥有绝妙的奶油糖果香味。一个非常醒目的标题告诉我们：把它放在甜点上味道会更加美妙！这时，一个想法在我的心里突然闪现。
我的儿子们蹦蹦跳跳地从街上跑回来，然后就坐在厨房餐桌旁各自的老位置上，满怀期待地准备享用下午餐点。不出所料，当我说出做了果仁巧克力蛋糕时，他们差点儿口水直流。我小心地给三个儿子每人切了一块还有温度的蛋糕。我先引开他们的注意力，然后在蛋糕上滴了几滴黏稠的补品油。油在蛋糕上待了一会儿，好像在说：“你确定要这么干吗？”可是，不久就渗进了深色的巧克力中。孩子们做梦也不会想到，我在他们的美味里加进了营养物质。哈哈！
我依次把盘子端给孩子们。这时，最有警惕性的大儿子纳撒尼尔问我：“妈妈，蛋糕上是什么东西？”我谨慎地回避他的询问，只是督促他吃蛋糕。还没等到咬的第一口吃到嘴里，他的面部就扭曲起来，显得非常痛苦。他赶忙伸出舌头，希望在舌尖上面已经潮湿的那口蛋糕不要进入自己的嘴里。随后痛苦不堪地哭着说：“啊，妈妈，真恶心，你放了什么？味道太糟糕了。”我强忍着不笑出声来，鼓励他再吃一口，（实际上，吃第一口时，他几乎快要吐了。）他不假思索地拒绝了。看到他们的大哥如此受罪，另外两个儿子马上对蛋糕没了兴趣。他们为了安然无恙地离开，宁可饿着肚子。
也许，你能够理解我的苦心。我想做世界上最好的妈妈，所以我为孩子们精心准备了下午的小吃，在自制的甜点里加进了有助健康的营养品。可是，我私下里给孩子们增加营养的计划又一次失败了。
我曾经在玉米面卷中加入豆腐，产生了炸弹似的风波。我曾经努力把豆腐泥做成鸡块的样子，结果是灾难性的。尽管我在果仁巧克力蛋糕里放入菠菜被他们接受了，但这次我是彻底失败了。
虽然我希望那令人厌恶的味道一天内就会被儿子遗忘，但我确实希望他能记住一件事：他的妈妈竭尽全力了。上帝会保佑她，她的确竭尽全力了。她做的食物都没有她想得那么好，但是，她有一颗爱家的心。她不是总能做出美味的食物，但是，她有正确的生活处方。她从未忘记甜蜜爱意的要素。它永远不会被舍弃。
也许，纳撒尼尔长大后，想起所体验的食物风波时，能够深深体会到我们一家人生活中的经历，感悟到其中的美味。一旦想起母亲赋予自己的爱之味时，他会心满意足地微笑。
丢掉爱的记分卡
The Scorecard
佚名/Anonymous
As the movie came to an end the room filled with chatter. The warm fire, twinkling Christmas lights and laughter from family brought a contented smile to my face. The minute Mom said, "Who wants..."the room emptied quicker than the stands at a losing football game.
My boyfriend Todd and I were the only ones left. With a bewildered look on his face he asked me what just happened. Catching the laughter on my mom' s face, I said to Todd, "We are going to go put gas in my mom' s car."
He quickly replied, "It' s freezing out there, and it' s almost 11:30 P.M." Smiling, I said, "Then you had better your coat and gloves."
After hurriedly chipping the frost off the windshield, we bundled into the car. On the way to the gas station, Todd asked me to explain why in the world we were going to get my mom gas so late at night. Chuckling, I said, "When my siblings and I come home for the holidays, we help my dad get gas for my mom. It has turned into a game with all of us. We can tell when at mom is going to ask and the last one in the room has to go."
"You have got to be kidding me!" Todd responded.
"There is no getting out of it." I said.
While pumping the gas, we clapped our hands and jumped around to stay warm. "I still don' t get it. Why doesn' t your mom put the gas in the car herself ? "Todd asked.
With mirth in my eyes, I said, " I know it sounds insane, but let me explain. My mom has not pumped gas in over two decades. My dad always pumps gas for her. "With a confused look, Todd asked if my dad was ever annoyed with having to pump gas for his wife all the time. Shaking my head, I simply said, "No, he has never complained."
"That' s crazy."Todd quickly replied.
