A Legacy of Love
As a young man, Al was a skilled artist, a potter1. He had a wife and two fine sons. One night, his oldest son developed a severe stomachache. Thinking it was only some common intestinal disorder, neither Al nor his wife took the condition very seriously. But the malady was actually acute appendicitis2, and the boy died suddenly that night.
Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al’s emotional health deteriorated under the enormous burden of his guilt. To make matters worse his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his sixyearold younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Al could handle, and he turned to alcohol to help him cope. In time Al became an alcoholic.
As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he possessed — his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I reacted with the same disdains3 the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing material to show for it. “What a complete failure！” I thought. “What a totally wasted life！”
As time went by, I began to reevaluate my earlier harsh judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to defend an alcoholic. One day I worked up my courage to ask him. “I’m really puzzled by something,” I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do that you became such a special person？”
Ernie sat quietly and reflected for a few moments. Then he said, “From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘I love you, son.’”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.
年轻时的阿尔是一个技艺娴熟的艺术家和陶工。他有妻子和两个健壮的儿子。一晚，他的大儿子腹痛难忍，但因为考虑到可能只是一般的肠胃不适，阿尔和妻子都没有太在意。但是，事实上男孩患的是急性阑尾炎，当晚便突然夭折了。
如果当时意识到病情的严重性，儿子的死就能够避免。知道了这些，沉重的负罪感使阿尔的精神状况急剧下降。更糟糕的是，不久妻子也离开了他，留下六岁的小儿子与他相依为命。这两件事带来的伤痛，让阿尔无法承受，于是他选择了借酒浇愁。不久，阿尔就成了一个酒鬼。
随着酒瘾越来越大，阿尔开始失去他拥有的一切——家、土地、艺术品、一切的一切。最终，阿尔孤独地死在了旧金山的一家汽车旅馆里。
听说了阿尔的死讯，我的反应像世人对未能留下遗产的人的蔑视一样。“多么失败的人啊！”我想，“枉度了一世！”
然而随着时间的推移，我对自己之前那样苛刻的判断有了新的认识。你不知道，我现在认识了阿尔那个已成年的小儿子，厄尼。他是我见过的最善良、最仁爱的人。看着厄尼和他的孩子，我看到了他们之间所流露出的那种关爱。我知道那种善良和仁爱必定来自某处。
我不曾听到厄尼对父亲有太多的谈论。毕竟为一个酒鬼辩护并不是件容易的事。一天，我鼓起勇气问了他。“有些事我一直感到很疑惑。”我说，“我知道，你几乎是由你父亲独自带大的。他到底是如何教育你的，竟让你变得如此特别？”
厄尼静静地坐着，思考了一会儿，说：“从我记事起，一直到18岁离家，阿尔每晚都会来我的房间，给我一个吻并说：‘我爱你，儿子。’”
当我意识到自己是多么愚蠢时，我的泪夺眶而出。我竟然说他是一个失败者！他死后没有留下任何物质方面的遗产，但他是一位慈爱的父亲，他培养出了一个我所见过的最善良、最无私的儿子。
Knowing the death could have been prevented if he had only realized the seriousness of the situation, Al’s emotional health deteriorated under the enormous burden of his guilt. To make matters worse his wife left him a short time later, leaving him alone with his sixyearold younger son. The hurt and pain of the two situations were more than Al could handle, and he turned to alcohol to help him cope. In time Al became an alcoholic.
As the alcoholism progressed, Al began to lose everything he possessed — his home, his land, his art objects, everything. Eventually Al died alone in a San Francisco motel room.
When I heard of Al’s death, I reacted with the same disdains3 the world shows for one who ends his life with nothing material to show for it. “What a complete failure！” I thought. “What a totally wasted life！”
As time went by, I began to reevaluate my earlier harsh judgment. You see, I knew Al’s now adult son, Ernie. He is one of the kindest, most caring, most loving men I have ever known. I watched Ernie with his children and saw the free flow of love between them. I knew that kindness and caring had to come from somewhere.
I hadn’t heard Ernie talk much about his father. It is so hard to defend an alcoholic. One day I worked up my courage to ask him. “I’m really puzzled by something,” I said. “I know your father was basically the only one to raise you. What on earth did he do that you became such a special person？”
Ernie sat quietly and reflected for a few moments. Then he said, “From my earliest memories as a child until I left home at 18, Al came into my room every night, gave me a kiss and said, ‘I love you, son.’”
Tears came to my eyes as I realized what a fool I had been to judge Al as a failure. He had not left any material possessions behind. But he had been a kind loving father, and he left behind one of the finest, most giving men I have ever known.
年轻时的阿尔是一个技艺娴熟的艺术家和陶工。他有妻子和两个健壮的儿子。一晚，他的大儿子腹痛难忍，但因为考虑到可能只是一般的肠胃不适，阿尔和妻子都没有太在意。但是，事实上男孩患的是急性阑尾炎，当晚便突然夭折了。
如果当时意识到病情的严重性，儿子的死就能够避免。知道了这些，沉重的负罪感使阿尔的精神状况急剧下降。更糟糕的是，不久妻子也离开了他，留下六岁的小儿子与他相依为命。这两件事带来的伤痛，让阿尔无法承受，于是他选择了借酒浇愁。不久，阿尔就成了一个酒鬼。
随着酒瘾越来越大，阿尔开始失去他拥有的一切——家、土地、艺术品、一切的一切。最终，阿尔孤独地死在了旧金山的一家汽车旅馆里。
听说了阿尔的死讯，我的反应像世人对未能留下遗产的人的蔑视一样。“多么失败的人啊！”我想，“枉度了一世！”
然而随着时间的推移，我对自己之前那样苛刻的判断有了新的认识。你不知道，我现在认识了阿尔那个已成年的小儿子，厄尼。他是我见过的最善良、最仁爱的人。看着厄尼和他的孩子，我看到了他们之间所流露出的那种关爱。我知道那种善良和仁爱必定来自某处。
我不曾听到厄尼对父亲有太多的谈论。毕竟为一个酒鬼辩护并不是件容易的事。一天，我鼓起勇气问了他。“有些事我一直感到很疑惑。”我说，“我知道，你几乎是由你父亲独自带大的。他到底是如何教育你的，竟让你变得如此特别？”
厄尼静静地坐着，思考了一会儿，说：“从我记事起，一直到18岁离家，阿尔每晚都会来我的房间，给我一个吻并说：‘我爱你，儿子。’”
当我意识到自己是多么愚蠢时，我的泪夺眶而出。我竟然说他是一个失败者！他死后没有留下任何物质方面的遗产，但他是一位慈爱的父亲，他培养出了一个我所见过的最善良、最无私的儿子。
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