My mother’s sweet nature and true kindness made a great impression on me. She got a degree in art after high school. Sketching and painting people were her passion. When mother painted someone’s portrait, I was quite interested in watching her mix the paints and apply the paintbrush to the canvas. It seemed that the final portrait made the person look beautiful!
How could this be, I wondered, when some of them really were not beautiful at all? What did she see that I didn’t see?
One summer afternoon, after mother signed the finished portrait of an elderly neighbor, I asked her, “She has bony arms, gray hair and a long nose, but you painted her really pretty. Why?” My mother replied gently, “I emphasize the best and minimize the rest. The portrait ends up being one that both the artist and the subject can be happy with. That’s my way.”
Years later I realized that my mother’s motto was something she also applied to daily life. Friends of all ages often approached me or other members of the family with similar comments, “I have never heard your mother say an unkind word about anyone” or “Your mother always has something nice to say to everybody, even folks who are not very nice”.
Such comments are really touching. Frequently, I reflect on her motto and attempt to follow her wise example. Oh, it doesn’t come naturally, but it does get easier to “Emphasize the best and minimize the rest” when I become familiar with people.
There is something beautiful in everyone. It doesn’t require an artist’s trained eye to find that beauty.
【日积月累】
sketch v. 写生，为……绘草图;草拟，打草稿
canvas n. 帆布，油画，画布
portrait n. (人的)画像，照片;(生动的)描述
bony adj. 如骨的，瘦骨嶙峋的，多骨的
minimize v. 使显得不重要;贬低，轻视
【参考译文】
妈妈的格言
我妈妈性格温和，心地善良，让我印象深刻。高中毕业后，她攻读了美术学位。为人作画是她的热情所在。当她给别人画肖像的时候，我总是饶有兴致地看着她调和颜料，再用画笔涂抹在画布上。成品总是比本人漂亮。
怎么会这样呢，我纳闷，有些人其实一点都不漂亮啊! 为什么她能看见我看不到的地方?
一个夏日的午后，妈妈给一幅邻居老太太的肖像上签完名后，我问她，“虽然她手臂瘦骨嶙峋，头发花白，鼻子那么长，你却把她画得那么漂亮。为什么?”妈妈温柔地回答：“我强调最美的地方，其他都忽略。画作最后让画家和对象都满意，这就是我的方式。”
数年后我领悟了妈妈还把这条格言应用在了日常生活中。不同年龄层次的朋友常常对我说——家里人也说过相同的话——“我从来没听过你妈妈对过任何人一句坏话”，或“你妈妈总是能对每个人说些好听的话，即使是对那些不怎么样的人。”
这样的评价真是让人感动。我常常想起妈妈的格言，并尝试追随她这个智慧的榜样。这不是与生俱来的，但是当我与人交往越来越熟的时候，“强调最美的地方，忽略其他”让我的交往变得越来越容易。
每个人身上都蕴藏着美丽，并不需要一双受过艺术专业训练的眼睛才能发现。
【人生启迪】
如果一张白纸上滴上一滴墨水，我们永远抠住那个黑点不放，而忽略了纸上其他雪白的地方。问题在我们自己身上。用更宽容的心态去面对这个世界，那么你从窗户看出去就不会只看见地上的烂泥，还有满天的繁星。