NPR 12-24:Mother's Magic: Stretching a Christmas Dollar 难忘的童

Jerry Johnson interviews his mother, Carrie Conley, about raising six children as a single mother

When he lay off. I just said "Lord¹, what am I going to do with all these kids, by myself?" and I just saved those small amount of money for food, cause everything had to come out the small chick that I was getting.

How did you get back?

Well, neck bones were ten cents a pound and I would go to store and get 10 pounds. Add about lima beans, black-eyed peas, something to boil for every day of the week. So one of son Nasah, he did eat black-eyed peas because he is so mean.

Well, that’s certainly no remember ever being hungry and you know, we always love Christmas and I cannot remember one Christmas that I didn't feel like I was the luckiest kid in the world, Even though now I realize, we had hardly anything in terms of money.

How did you hold all that together?

Well, you know, we got one sick day a month, and if I was sick I would still go to work, I was saving² those days for Christmas, and at Christmas time, and then they would pay me for those days, and you know what, around first these some old rich peoples, they would clear their children's toy chests, and they would take all these nice toys to the Salvation³ Army. And I would go there, and I would get me a huge box and I will go around and pick out nice toys, and I would get back well a couple of dollars , and then I will use other for fruit and for food, and so we seem like we had a big Christmas, but I never did tell you it was a Santa Claus, cause I said that I cannot give no man credit⁴ for what [I'm doing.]

I know I speak for the rest of the kids who aren’t here, and tell you how much we love you, and how much we appreciate the sacrifices that you went through, and the guidance and leadership which you were teaching⁵ us, and I think it's helping⁶ us all be better parents.

You know, my whole heart was my kids, and the Lord blessed all of them. And I'm so grateful.

1 lord   

n.上帝，主；主人，长官；君主，贵族

参考例句：

• I know the Lord will look after him.我知道上帝会眷顾他的。
• How good of the Lord not to level it beyond repair!上帝多么仁慈啊，竟没有让这所房子损毁得不可收拾！

2 saving   

n.节省，节约；[pl.]储蓄金，存款

参考例句：

• Energy saving is term strategic policy of our country.节约能源是我国长期的战略国策。
• Old-fashioned housewives were usually very saving.旧时的家庭主妇通常都很节俭。

3 salvation   

n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困

参考例句：

• Salvation lay in political reform.解救办法在于政治改革。
• Christians hope and pray for salvation.基督教徒希望并祈祷灵魂得救。

4 credit   

n.信用，荣誉，贷款，学分；v.归功于，赞颂，信任

参考例句：

• I credit him with a certain amount of sense.我认为他有一定的见识。
• He got the credit,and we did the dirty work.他得荣誉，我们做不讨好的工作。

5 teaching   

n.教学，执教，任教，讲授；(复数)教诲

参考例句：

• We all agree in adopting the new teaching method. 我们一致同意采取新的教学方法。
• He created a new system of teaching foreign languages.他创造了一种新的外语教学体系。

6 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。