English Original
When the one-year anniversary of my mother's passing came around, I found myself in the kitchen preparing her favorite dishes. On a hot August afternoon, I made her famous turkey soup.
As I cooked, the deep sadness of the anniversary moved through me. I remembered how she would cook egg noodles right in the broth, and the time she brought a jar of that soup to my workplace when I was sick. Thinking of her bread and the butter we'd dip in the broth, I began to feel a little more buoyant.
I realized I was reconnecting with my mother through food. I had unknowingly created a ritual to honor her. Feeling her presence, I asked aloud, "What else should we make?"
"Irish Potato Pancakes," came the reply.
I hesitated. The last time I made them was over two years ago. I had taken off my engagement ring to knead the dough and never found it again. I had resented the recipe ever since, blaming it for my loss. My mom knew how upset I was—she always had a knack for helping me find lost things, but not this time.
Despite my hesitations, caught up in the moment, I reached for the cookbook. I opened it to the pancake recipe. Something at the bottom of the page caught my eye... It sparkled! I gasped in utter amazement. There, pressed into the pages, was my diamond ring!
Chills ran through me. How was this possible? Hadn't I used this book in three years? Hadn't it survived two moves? Hadn't I checked it before?
My mind quieted as my heart overflowed with gratitude. I slipped the ring onto my trembling hand and whispered, "Thanks, Mom."
That day, I made potato pancakes in the shape of hearts.
中文翻译
母亲去世一周年时，我不知不觉在厨房做起了她最爱的菜。一个炎热的八月下午，我正在熬制她拿手的火鸡汤。
烹饪时，周年纪念带来的深切悲伤涌上心头。我想起她总把鸡蛋面直接下到高汤里煮，想起我重感冒时她突然带着一大罐火鸡汤出现在我工作的地方。回忆着她烤的面包和我们蘸着黄油吃面包的情景，我的心情在失去她的痛苦中稍稍轻快了一些。
我意识到，我正通过食物与母亲重新建立连接。我无意中创造了一个纪念她的仪式。感受到她的存在，我出声问道：“我们还应该做点什么？”
“爱尔兰土豆煎饼，”一个声音回答。
我犹豫了。上次做煎饼已是两年半前。当时我为了揉面团摘下了订婚戒指，从此再没找到。尽管很喜欢煎饼，但我一直抗拒那个食谱。这有点傻，可每次想做时，我总觉得它们也参与了我的损失，仿佛该受责备。妈妈应该知道不该提议做这个啊，我想。她知道我丢了戒指有多难过。以前我丢了东西总会打电话给她，无论我在上大学、在异地、还是在国外。她总有诀窍帮我找到失物，除了这次。
尽管犹豫，沉浸在当下的喜悦中，我还是不假思索地拿起了食谱。我翻开那本厚重的咖啡桌食谱书，找到煎饼的做法。立刻，页面底部有什么东西吸引了我的目光……它在闪闪发光！我倒吸一口气，惊愕不已。那儿，夹在书页里的，正是我的钻戒！
我浑身发冷，思绪飞转，想着这怎么可能？近三年里我没用过这本书吗？两次搬家打包拆包它没掉出来吗？丢的时候我没检查过这本书吗？
我的心充满了感激与奇迹的魔力，思绪渐渐平息。我将戒指戴到颤抖的手上，灵魂漾起微笑，低语道：“谢谢妈妈。”
那天，我做了心形的土豆煎饼。