也不為什麽，就想幫他們做一些東西，畢竟老人家行動不方便
2人都80幾嵗了，幫他們曬曬衣服，掃掃地，搬些笨重的東西
那天老太太要我幫她重打以前她生病時寫的一篇作文
電腦老先生是會用，但是如果要他用他的一指神功打出來，不知道要花多少時間
反正也是舉手之勞，打完后徵求他們的同意我把作文放了上來
題目是：CHRISTMAS IN HOSPITAL
At times when young folks in our family, or friends, ask
about some of the happiest times in my life I often tell them about my first
Christmas in hospital. They look at me in disbelief. How could it be anyone’s
happiest time? But believe me it was.
I had polio very bad as a child and had a few trips to
hospital, but this was my first Christmas in hospital. The year was 1940 the
time Christmas Eve and I was twelve years old.
The ward was large, long and spotlessly clean, but like
something out of a Dicken’s story book. Large french doors overlooked well-kept
lawns and gardens. The windows were long and narrow and the floors were highly-polished,
black and wooden.
The ward had about sixteen patients. At one end of the
ward near the door was a large desk where the night sister sat. As it was
winter the ward had a big, open fire-place that always had a fire going on cold
nights. This Christmas Eve was such a night.
My bed was at the best end of the ward I was later to
find out, as all the activity happened near my end. I was closest to the fire,
the entrance to the ward and the night sister.
As I lay on my bed I was thinking about my family. Our
house would all be lit up inside with a large pine tree in the lounge which
would also be lit up. Fairy dolls dressed in tulle and tinsel, made by my
mother, would be on the tree. You would be able to smell the pine tree all
through the house and fires would be lit in all the fire-places downstairs. It always
looked like fairyland to my sister and me. I was feeling a little lonely and
sad. Then I heard voices coming along the large wide hall leading into the
ward.
Five nurses and student doctors walked in carrying a
lamp. They spoke very softly to the night sister who nodded and smiled. I was
rather intrigued by what was happening. Then very softly they started singing Christmas
carols.
The nurses in those days wore navy and white dresses,
white crisp aprons, wide navy belts and red capes. The lamp they carried was
old-world looking with coloured glass. The lamp seemed to just shine around
them.
They sang about four carols. Then very softly as they
had come, they spoke to the night sister and filed out to the next ward. I felt
a wonderful warm feeling and I remember thinking that there were not many
children on Christmas Eve who were having carols sung to them.
As I looked across at the night sister writing her
nightly reports, her face bent over her books, the ward in darkness and the
desk light shining down making a glow around her. I thought that’s what angels
must look like. I felt safe and cosy. Then I looked at the large, round clock
above the fire and noticed it had just gone midnight. It was Christmas Day. Looking
at the fire burning, I fell asleep.
Patricia
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