新生儿让人明白生命的意义 Reminder of life's meaning comes in a tiny package

Holding a newborn in your arms is a humbling experience -- one that is magnified when the infant is your first grandchild.

怀抱新生儿是一种小心翼翼的体验，特别是抱着你自己的第一个孙辈时，这种感觉更加强烈。

After baby Sebastian was born last month in Miami, Florida, I looked down at the tiny figure placed in the crook of my arm and tears came to my eyes.

上个月我的孙子Sebastian出生在佛罗里达的迈阿密。我看着臂弯中小小的他，不禁热泪盈眶。

It has been decades since my sons were that size, but I experienced the same mixture of wonder and optimism mixed with a dash of worry. The miracle of holding a tiny human whom you played a part in producing can make you feel a spark of immortality.

距离我的儿子们还是小婴儿的时候，已经过去了几十年。但当年那种混杂着期待乐观与一丝焦虑的感觉，现在依然存在。怀抱跟你有血缘的小生命时，你会感到永生。

At the same time, there’s concern over what the future holds for this new life and for humankind as a whole.

同时我也担心，Sebastian和整个人类，会面临怎样的未来。

Babies usually bring out the best in people, and it is impossible not to smile when I see grandparents here in China doting on a new arrival. The smallest among us are powerful reminders of our shared humanity, and of the need to create a healthy, peaceful world in which they can grow.

婴儿经常会引发出人们最好的一面。我在中国见到长辈疼爱孩子时，总会不自觉地微笑。孩子总会让我们想到分享仁爱，并为他们创造出健康和平的世界。

Sebastian's impending birth also allowed me to get to know my new daughter-in-law, who I had known only through pictures because of the great distance between China and the United States. My wife had met her on an earlier trip. She impressed me as smart, a good match for my eldest son and a person who would be an excellent mother.

我也通过孙儿的降生，更多了解了儿媳。由于中美两国距离甚远，我们和儿媳之前的交流都仅限于照片，不过我妻子之前曾见过她。孙儿未出生前，儿媳给我的印象是个聪明人。她和我儿子很合拍，也会是一个好母亲。

We also met her mother, an aunt and two nieces. It gave me joy that not only had our family increased by one tiny member, but also by a whole new branch.

我们也见了亲家母，儿媳的姨妈和两个外甥女。我很高兴，孙儿的到来不仅为我家增加了一个新成员，也让我们家有了更多的亲戚。

A few days before Sebastian was born, we got together with different members of this growing family, including my sons' mother and my wife (who is their stepmother), for a joyous dinner celebration. Just as babies can cause families to come together, helping to heal rifts, they should provide a reminder to world leaders to work with sincerity to do the same.

孙儿出生前几天，我和现任妻子、我的前妻（我儿子们的母亲），以及亲家母一家共进晚饭，气氛融洽。婴儿能帮助家族团聚，弥补裂痕，也应该让全世界的领袖都携手这样做。

In one of those little coincidences that life surprises us with, my daughter-in-law's family is from a region of the US-Mexico border where I began my professional journalism career nearly 40 years ago, at The El Paso Times in Texas. While my daughter-in-law wasn't born yet when I was there, I easily could have crossed paths with some of her relatives.

巧合的是，将近四十年前，我曾在德克萨斯州的The El Paso Times开启了记者生涯，而那里正是我的亲家住的地方，靠近美国和墨西哥国境线。虽然我在那里工作时，儿媳尚未出生，但我肯定认识一些她的亲戚。

It was difficult to get back on a plane for the return trip to China, but I come with a renewed determination to stay close with family members who are far away. We are fortunate that one of my sons is also working in Beijing.

我依依不舍地踏上了回中国的航班，也更坚定了决心要与万里之外的亲人保持联系。幸运的是，我的一个儿子就在北京工作。

I often think of Chinese men of years ago who would leave such places as Fujian province and journey far away by themselves for work. They did not have the modern marvels of communication we have today, which must have made those journeys terribly difficult.

我经常想到，多年前包括福建人在内的很多中国人背井离乡，出国讨生活。他们那时没有现在的通讯工具，旅程一定非常艰难。

I also think of my own mother – Sebastian’s great-grandmother – who died young and missed the births of my three children and now her grandchild. I hope one day I can tell him about her.

我也想到了自己早逝的母亲。她没有见过我的儿子们，更别提我的孙儿。希望有一天，我能和孙儿讲讲他这个曾祖母。

In the meantime, it’s clear not only that we must make every day count but that we also should move forward with optimism and hope. Thank you, Sebastian, for making that so clear.

 我们一定要过好每一天，也要带着乐观和希望前行。谢谢你，Sebastian，让这些想法如此清晰。