爱华网好运符——一张两美元钞票
尤金妮亚·兰普勒
有一张两美元的钞票一直保存在我的钱夹里，那是我6岁时妈妈给的。
我不迷信，但无论到哪里，我都随身带着它。妈妈希望这张两美元钞票能让我事事顺利。
当时，她看着我说：“带上这两美元吧，它会带给你好运。”
“谢谢妈妈，”我说，“我会永远带着它。”
每天早上，穿好衣服后，我就将这两美元装进口袋。17岁那年，妈妈去世了。当时，我掏出那张两美元钞票，久久地攥在手中。我知道，妈妈会一直关注我以后的生活。
每每遇到棘手问题，我就拿出那两美元，放在桌上，一连几个小时盯着它，最终总能想出办法。
第一次找工作时我已经30岁了，又有些羞怯。一想到要面试，我就很害怕，但我必须得工作。第一次面试，在等候室里，除了我还有五位女性求职者。她们都比我年轻，并且衣着考究。其中一位穿着蓝色斑纹套装，配以类似风格的钱包和鞋子，简直太完美了。我很清楚，若以履历论长短，我不是这五位女士的对手。
业务经理马丁太太把我叫进办公室。
“你觉得你能胜任这份工作的理由是什么？”她问道。
“我很需要这份工作，而且，也没有我做不来的事。”我答道。
回答完一连串的问题后，面试结束了。我正要迈出办公室时，转过身对马丁太太说：“马丁太太，我知道自己并不如其他人优秀，但是，请您给我一个机会。我接受能力很强，会成为公司优秀的一员。”
谢过马丁太太后，回到家时，我已经疲惫不堪了。我心想，算了，没有关系，明天又是新的一天。
当晚，我正准备睡觉时，突然接到了马丁太太的电话。
“吉娜，”她说，“你虽不是应试者中最出色的，但你对自己充满信心，因此我们决定给你一个展示自己的机会。”
我简直难以相信这是真的，我激动得大叫起来，兴奋得在房间里又蹦又跳。电话那头传来马丁太太的笑声，我这才意识到我们还在通话。
“马丁太太，谢谢您！我不会令您失望的。”说完，我挂断了电话。
我掏出钱夹，拿出了那张两美元钞票。
“谢谢您，妈妈，我的好运来了。”我大声地说，妈妈应该听得到。
那一刻，我想起了妈妈说的一番话，她把我们拉到客厅里说：“在妈妈眼里，你们都很棒。无论做什么事情，失败了，千万别放弃。失败并不可怕，我们可以化失败为动力。我相信，你们一定能够成功。”
我时刻都想念妈妈，那两美元也依然珍藏在我的钱夹里。多年后，在一次家庭聚会上，我才发现，我们兄弟姐妹的钱夹里都各有一张两美元钞票。
我们都笑了，谈论着妈妈赠给我们的这份特殊礼物。她在我们心底播下了自信的种子，而这两美元让这粒种子迅速茁壮地成长起来。
■心灵小语
母爱就如一场春雨，一首轻柔的歌曲，润物细无声，但却绵远悠长。在时而平坦时而坎坷的人生道路上，它好似一眼清泉滋润着孩子们的心田，带给他们无限的力量和信心，让他们在面对挫折时，仍然能够坚定地前行。
Extra GoodLuck
EugeniaLampley
I keep a twodollar bill in my walletthat was given to me by my mother when I was six yearsold.
I am not superstitious1 but the billgoes with me wherever I go. My mother gave it to me so that luckwould follow me everywhere.
She looked at me and said, “I wantyou to carry this twodollar bill for extra goodluck.”
“Thanks mom,” I replied. “I will keepit close to me always.”
Every morning I would get dressed andmy twodollar bill went into my pocket. My mother passed away when Iwas 17 years old and I remembered taking out my twodollar bill. Iheld it in my hand for the longest time and knew that she would bewatching over me the rest of my life.
Each time I felt I had a crisis on myhands, I could reach for my twodollar bill and set it on the table.I would stare at it for several hours and could always come up witha solution.
When I applied for my first job, Iwas thirty years old and very shy. The thought of being interviewedfor a job was scary but I had to work. On my first interview, as Isat in the waiting room, I noticed there were five women ahead ofme. All of the women were younger and very well dressed. One ofthem was impeccable2 in her blue striped suit with matching purseand shoes. I knew I was up against women betterqualified by looking at the length of theirresumes.
Ms. Martin, the office manager,summoned me into her office.
“What makes you feel you arequalified for this job？” she asked.
“I really need this job and there isnothing I can not do,” I responded.
She asked me a series of questionsand the interview was over. As I exited her office, I turned aroundand said, “Ms. Martin, I know that I am not qualified like yourother applicants, but please give me a chance. I learn quickly andcan be a very productive member of yourteam.”
I thanked her and went homeexhaustedly. Oh well, I thought, tomorrow would be anotherday.
That evening as I was getting readyfor bed, I received a phone call from Ms.Martin.
“Gina,” she said, “you were not themost qualified applicant, but you have so much confidence inyourself that we decided to give you a chance to proveyourself.”
I screamed out loud, was jumping allover the room in disbelief. I could hear Ms. Martin laughing in thebackground and suddenly I realized that Ms. Martin was still on theline.
“Thank you, Ms. Martin, you will notregret this decision,” I said and hung up thephone.
I got my wallet and took out mytwodollar bill.
“Thanks mom, I am going to makeit.” I said out loud so my mother could hearme.
At that instant, I remembered thetime she pulled all of us into the living room and said, “You areall brilliant in my mind, but if you fail once don’t give up. Don’tfear failure. It is a way of getting us to try harder. You willsucceed, I promise.”
I still think of mom everyday andstill keep my twodollar bill in my wallet. At a family reunion3years later, I found out that my brothers and sisters all had atwodollar bill in their wallet.
We all laughed and talked about howspecial this gift from Mom had been to each and ever had reinforcedthe confidence Mom had instilled one of us. It led inus.
