45 Twelve post cards
45 十二张明信片
My teen—age daughter was preparing to return home after having visited her grandparents for a few weeks one summer. Her grandfather gave her 12 post cards .
一个夏天，我十多岁的女儿在她祖父母家过了几周，正准备回家时，她祖父母给了她十二张明信片。
"Here, write us a few lines every month," he said.
“每月给我们写上几句话。”他说。

Months passed and the cards remained unused—that is until the day this letter arrived:
几个月过去了，可明信片一直放在那儿没用——直到有一天来了这样一封信：
"Dear Jennifer,
“亲爱的詹妮弗：
Life is a series of stages.
生活是一系列阶段组成的。
Initially as a child, I looked forward to becoming a teenager—that happened.
最初，还是个孩子的时候，我期待着步入少年——我如愿以偿了。
As a teenager ,I looked forward to becoming a young man—that happened.
还是个青年的时候，我期待着步入青年——我如愿以偿了。
As a young man, I looked forward to meeting a young woman, in love and becoming a married man—that happened.
还是青年的时候，我期待着遇到一个年轻的女人，和她恋爱、结婚——我如愿以偿了。
As a married man, I looked forward to becoming a father—that happened.
结了婚，我便期待着成为一个父亲——我如愿以偿了。
As a father, I looked forward to becoming a grandfather to beautiful and intelligent grandchildren—that happened.
作为父亲，我期待着成为一个祖父，有漂亮、聪明的孙儿孙女——我如愿以偿了。
Then I looked forward to the day they would learn to write to me—that hasn't happened yet.
接着，我期待着有一天他们能给我写信——我却还没有如愿以偿。
Your sincerely"
谨启。”