I work for a private school that has an auction every year as its main fund-raising activity. It is a very successful event for our small school of 130 students.
The first year that my son went to this school, his class made a beautiful quilt to auction off. It had all the children's hand prints on it. While at the auction, I started bidding on the quilt. The bidding kept getting higher and higher until it reached, $500 which was my limit.
After the last bid, I looked around the room to see who was bidding against me. It was a grandmother of one of the children in my son's class. I was still glad because I thought it went to someone who would cherish it.
The following year, my son's class again made an item for the auction. This time it was two pillows with the children's hand prints on the back. After a few rounds, another person and I bid against each other. Again I looked around to see who it was and found it was the same woman. Again I stopped bidding.
Two weeks after the auction, this woman came into my office and we had a talk. She had a bag with her and she handed it to me, saying “Happy Mother's Day”.
I unwrapped the bag, and there were the pillows. She told me that she wanted me to have them. I thought that she must have been aware of my participation in the two auctions, so she decided to do this wonderful thing for me. She paid several hundred dollars for these two pillows, but I could clearly see her delight of being able to give them to me.
I will never forget her kind act, and I have tried to live up to her generosity by giving what I can to others as well.
【日积月累】
-auction n. & v. 拍卖
-fund-raising n. 筹款，募款
-bid v. 出价；祝愿；投标
-participation n. 分享，参与
【参考译文】
伸出援助之手
我工作的那个私立学校每年都举行一次拍卖，这是学校主要的筹款活动。按我们这所只有130个学生的小学校的标准看来，它办得很成功。
我儿子在这所学校读书的第1年，他们班为拍卖会做了一床漂亮的被子，上面有所有孩子的手掌印。在拍卖会场上，我开始喊价。我出价越来越高直到500美元——我的极限。
最后一次出价报完后，我环视全场看是谁在和我争。原来是我儿子同学的奶奶。所以我还是很高兴，因为我知道被子会到珍惜它的人手里。
第二年，我儿子的班级又为拍卖会做了东西。这一次是一对枕头，背面有孩子们的手掌印。几轮过去了，我和另一人针锋相对地出价。当我转头看是谁的时候，发现还是那位女士。所以我不再叫价。
拍卖会后的第3周，那位女士走进我的办公室，和我聊天。她把随身带着的包递给我，说：“母亲节快乐！”
我打开包，看到那对枕头。她告诉我，希望我能保管它们。我想她肯定知道我参与了那两次投标，所以她决定为我做这件好事。她为这对枕头付了700美元，而我却真切地感觉到了她送给我时那愉快的心情。
我永远不会忘记她的善举，为了不辜负她的慷慨，我也会力所能及地为其他人付出。
【人生启迪】
一条我们永远都琢磨不透的真理就是：不求回报地帮助别人的同时能得到快乐。把别人的善行传播出去，你也就把快乐传播了出去。做一个快乐使者何乐而不为呢？