她未曾放弃我（1）
金伯利?安妮?布兰德
我躺在地板上，疯狂地蹬腿和狂叫，直到声音嘶哑，这都是因为我的养母非要我把玩具收起来。
“我恨你。”我尖叫着，当时我六岁，不明白我为什么那么生气。
我两岁时被人收养。生母不能给予我们姐妹六人所需要的照顾。我们也不能靠父亲或是其他人来照料，于是我们被送到不同的养父母家里。我感到孤独、烦恼，不知道怎么跟别人诉说我内心的伤痛。发脾气成了我宣泄情感的唯一途径。
因为我很调皮，最终，我现在的养母又把我送回了收养所，正如我先前的那位母亲一样。我觉得自己确实是一个最不可爱的女孩。
于是，我见到凯特?麦肯。那时我七岁，她来看我时，我正跟我的第三任养父母住在一起。养母告诉我，凯特单身，想收养一个孩子，我不知道她会选择我。我无法想象有人会愿意让我跟他们永远生活在一起。
那天，凯特带着我去了南瓜农场。我们玩得很快乐，但我没想到能再次见到她。
几天过去了，一位社工到家里说，凯特想收养我。于是她问我是否介意住在单亲家庭。
“我就是想要一个爱我的人。”我回答。
第二天，凯特来看我。她解释说正式的收养手续要一年时间，但是我可以很快就搬过去。我有些激动而又害怕。我想知道她在了解我之后，是否会改变主意。
凯特感觉到了我的恐惧。“我知道你受过伤，”她说着抱住了我。“我知道你很恐惧，但是我发誓决不会赶你走。现在我们是一家人了。”
出乎我的意料，她的眼中充满泪水。忽然我意识到，她跟我一样寂寞！
“嗯……妈妈。”我叫道。
后来的几个星期里，我见过了我的新祖父母、姑妈、叔叔和堂兄妹们。我感觉很滑稽，但是很好，那么多人拥抱我，他们好像已经爱上我了。
当我搬到妈妈家时，第一次有了自己的房间。墙纸和配套的床单、古老的梳妆台和大衣橱。我的棕色纸箱里，只有很少的几件衣服，“不用担心，”妈妈说，“我会买许多新的东西给你。”
我睡了，整晚都睡得很舒服。我祈求上帝不要让我离开这儿。
妈妈为我做了许多美好的事。她带我去教堂、给我买宠物、带我骑马、上钢琴课。每天，她都告诉我她爱我。但是爱还不足以抚慰我的伤痛。我一直等着她改变主意，“如果我做的事足够坏，她也会像过去的那些人一样抛弃我的。”
所以我努力在她伤害我之前先伤害她。我为了一些小事而吵闹，一不顺心就发脾气。我猛地关上门。如果妈妈试图阻拦，我就打她。但是她从未失去耐心。她拥抱我，告诉我无论怎样，她都爱我。当我发狂般胡闹时，她就让我在蹦床上跳。
但是，由于我忙于搬往她家，跟她一起住，所以功课落下了，妈妈对家庭作业要求很严格。一天，当我正在看电视时，她进来关了电视。“做完功课再看。”她说。我一下子火了，把书全都扔到了地上。“我讨厌你，我要离开这里！”我狂喊着。
我等她说让我离开。但是她没有，我问：“你为什么不赶我走？”
“我是不喜欢你的行为，”她说，“但我是不会赶你走的。我们是一家人，一家人就不能抛弃对方。”
她的话深深触动了我。这个妈妈不同，她是不会赶我走的。她是真的爱我。我意识到我也爱她。我哭了，抱住了她。
1985年，妈妈正式收养了我，我们一家人在饭店好好庆祝了一下。我感到自己已经是他们中的一员了，但还是有些恐惧。妈妈会永远爱我吗？我的臭脾气不会马上消失的。但是几个月过去了，我真的很少发火了。
现在，我已经16岁了。功课水平已经达到级了，有了匹叫“短剑”的马、四只猫、一条狗、六只鸽子和一只养在后院池塘的牛蛙。我有一个梦想：想成为一名兽医。
她未曾放弃我（2）
我喜欢和妈妈一起做事，喜欢购物和骑马。当有人说我们长得像时，我们都笑了。他们不相信她并不是我的生母。
现在，我比想象中的还要开心。当我长大以后，我要结婚生子，但是如果不能实现，我也会像妈妈那样收养一个。我会选择一个恐惧而寂寞的孩子，决不放弃她。我也要感谢妈妈，因为她从未抛弃我。
■ 心灵小语
有妈的孩子像块宝，没妈的孩子像根草。”世上有许许多多失去母亲的孤儿，他们不能像拥有母爱的孩子那般幸福，就像文中的主人公一样。缺少了母爱的灌溉，孩子往往会对社会失去信心，甚至会自暴自弃。文中的主人公是不幸的，因为她没有亲人的关爱；而她无疑又是幸运的，因为她遇到了一位好母亲。母亲对她疼爱有加，宽容以待，使她重拾了自信，享受到这份迟来的快乐。
She Didn’t Give up on Me
Kimberly Anne Brand
I lay on the floor, furiously1 kicking my legs and screaming until my throat felt raw—all because my foster mother had asked me to put my toys away.
“I hate you,” I shrieked. I was six years old and didn’t understand why I felt so angry all the time.
I’d been living in foster care since I was two. My real mom couldn’t give my five sisters and me the care we needed. Since we didn’t have a dad or anyone else to care for us, we were put in different foster homes. I felt lonely and confused. I didn’t know how to tell people that I hurt inside. Throwing a tantrum was the only way I knew to express my feelings.
Because I acted up, eventually my current foster mom sent me back to the adoption agency, just as the mom before had. I thought I was the most unlovable girl in the world.
Then I met Kate McCann. I was seven by that time and living with my third foster family when she came to visit. When my foster mother told me that Kate was single and wanted to adopt a child, I didn’t think she’d choose me. I couldn’t imagine anyone would want me to live with them forever.
That day, Kate took me to a pumpkin2 farm. We had fun, but I didn’t think I’d see her again.
A few days later, a social worker came to the house to say that Kate wanted to adopt me. Then she asked me if I’d mind living with one parent instead of two.
“All I want is someone who loves me, ” I said.
Kate visited the next day. She explained that it would take a year for the adoption to be finalized, but I could move in with her soon. I was excited but afraid, too. Kate and I were total strangers. I wondered if she’d change her mind once she got to know me.
Kate sensed my fear. “I know you’ve been hurt, ”she said, hugging me. “I know you’re scared. But I promise I’ll never send you away. We’re a family now.”
To my surprise, her eyes were filled with tears. Suddenly I realized that she was as lonely as I was！
“Okay ... Mom, ” I said.
The following week I met my new grandparents, aunt, uncle and cousins. It felt funny—but good—to be with strangers who hugged me as though they already loved me.
她未曾放弃我（3）
When I moved in with Mom, I had my own room for the first time. It had wallpaper and a matching bedspread, an antique dresser and a big closet. I had only a few clothes I’d brought with me in a brown paper bag. “Don’t worry,” Mom said. “I’ll buy you lots of pretty new things.”
I went to sleep that night feeling safe. I prayed I wouldn’t have to leave.
Mom did lots of nice things for me. She took me to church. She let me have pets and gave me horseback riding and piano lessons. Every day, she told me she loved me. But love wasn’t enough to heal the hurt inside me. I kept waiting for her to change her mind. I thought, “If I act bad enough, she’ll leave me like the others.”
So I tried to hurt her before she could hurt me. I picked fights over little things and threw tantrums when I didn’t get my way. I slammed doors. If Mom tried to stop me, I’d hit her. But she never lost patience. She’d hug me and say she loved me anyway. When I got mad, she made me jump on a trampoline3.
Because I was failing in school when I came to live with her, Mom was very strict about my homework. One day when I was watching TV, she came in and turned it off. “You can watch it after you finish your homework,” she said. I blew up. I picked up my books and threw them across the room. “I hate you and I don’t want to live here anymore！” I screamed.
I waited for her to tell me to start packing. When she didn’t, I asked, “Aren’t you going to send me back？”
“I don’t like the way you’re behaving, ”she said, “but I’ll never send you back. We’re a family, and families don’t give up on each other.”
Then it hit me. This Mom was different; she wasn’t going to get rid of me. She really did love me. And I realized I loved her, too. I cried and hugged her.
In 1985, when Mom formally adopted me, our whole family celebrated at a restaurant. It felt good belonging to someone. But I was still scared. Could a mom really love me forever？ My tantrums4 didn’t disappear immediately, but as months passed, they happened less often.
Today I’m 16. I have a , a horse named Dagger’s Point, four cats, a dog, six doves and a bullfrog5 that lives in our backyard pond. And I have a dream: I want to be a veterinarian.
Mom and I like to do things together, like shopping and horseback riding. We smile when people say how much we look alike. They don’t believe she’s not my real mom.
I’m happier now than I ever imagined I could be. When I’m older, I’d like to get married and have kids, but if that doesn’t work out, I’ll adopt like Mom did. I’ll pick a scared and lonely kid and then never, ever give up on her. I’m so glad Mom didn’t give up on me.