这样的谈话从来没有过，渐渐地我们之间产生了代沟。我太感情用事了，而妈妈却从不表露感情。她乐于以此为前提保持我们的关系，可我不愿意。
多年以后，我组建了自己的家庭，我喜欢和妈妈的这种不远不近的关系。我爱她，感谢她为我们这个和谐的家庭所做的一切。我写信给她，请她原谅，原谅 我本应受到批评的那些事。我措辞谨慎地请她选择任何一种方式让我知道，她确实已经原谅了我。
我把信寄给了她，便开始急切地等待着她的回复，但是一封回信也没有。
渴望变成了失望，然后是放弃，最后一切恢复平静。我甚至不能确定妈妈是否收到了信。我只知道我写过信，而且我不应该再努力让她变成她本来就不是的那种人。在她生命的最后15年里，我们按照她的条件享受我们的关系——淡淡的但却很亲密，也很快乐。
现在，这个被视为礼物的书桌告诉了我她未曾当面对我说的话：她很高兴我选择写作作为我的职业。
在我把书桌搬走前，我妹妹保管着它。之后，书桌就在我们的阁楼上放了将近一年，直到我们把一间卧室改成书房。
当我好不容易把书桌搬下来时，它由于几个月的搁置落满了灰尘。我小心翼翼地擦亮抽屉和小书橱。然后拉开那个隐秘的小隔间，在里面发现了几份文件。一张我父亲的照片，家庭成员的结婚公告，还有一封翻看了好多次的、只有一页纸的信。
“给我答复，”我在信里请求，“你可以选择任何方式。”妈妈，你总是选择行动，而这远比语言更有说服力。
How Much Do You Love Me?
你爱我有多深？
Jeremy slurped down the last of his milk from the bottom of his cereal bowl. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve and jumped down from the table. "Mommy, how much do you love me?" he asked.
"I love you more than the tallest tree and taller," she answered.
"Oh," said Jeremy, and he ran out to play. While outside, he searched for the tallest tree. He looked everywhere but couldn"t find a single tree.
There were some scraggly bushes, but that was all. I think I"ll swing instead, he thought. He started to swing, pumping his legs and arms as hard and fast as he could. Soon, Jeremy heard the screen door slam. His mommy was headed toward the clothesline with a basket of wet clothes. Jeremy slowed down his pumping and jumped off the swing. He ran toward his mother.
"Mommy," Jeremy asked. "How much do you love me?"
"I love you more than the highest mountain and higher," she answered.
Jeremy smiled and skipped upstairs to look out the window to find the highest mountain. But he didn"t see any mountains at all, just houses that didn"t seem very high at all.
During dinner, Jeremy asked once again, "How much do you love me?"
"I love you more than the brightest star and brighter," answered his mother.
Jeremy grinned as he sipped his last sip of milk.
After his bath, Jeremy searched the night sky for the brightest star. But it was raining, and there weren"t any stars to be seen. There was a sudden flash of lightning, and that startled him.
Jeremy was quiet as his mother tucked him in that evening. "What"s wrong?" his mother asked. "You haven"t asked a single question since dinner."
"Mother," he began, "I looked outside for the tallest tree but all I saw were scraggly bushes. I looked for the highest mountain but all I could find were short houses; and I tried to find the brightest star, but all I could see was a scary bolt of lightning. If that"s all that you love me, I don"t think you love me at all."
Jeremy"s mother stroked his blond hair as she gently kissed him on the cheek. "You sleep well tonight. Tomorrow I will show you how much I love you."
The next day, Jeremy and his mom packed a picnic lunch. They got into the car and drove and drove and drove. Soon they came upon a big sign.
"What does that sign say, Mommy?" Jeremy asked.
"It says REDWOOD NATIONAL PARK," she answered.
"Wow!" hollered Jeremy as he raced among the tallest trees he had ever seen.
"These trees can almost touch the sky. You must really love me a lot." All day long, they played alongside the giant trees and ate their picnic lunch.
As night approached, Jeremy and his mom drove home a different way than Jeremy could ever remember going before. They drove a long, long time. When the sky was almost all dark, they came to a stop.
"Let"s get out here a moment," Jeremy"s mom said. "I want to show you how much I love you."
Jeremy"s eyes widened as he looked down at the city lights.
"Where are we?" he asked.
"We are on top of the highest mountain. This is how much I love you. Look up there," his mommy said, pointing her hand towards the night sky. "Can you find the brightest star?"
The sky was full of stars dancing and twinkling. They were so bright and so close that Jeremy felt as if he could reach up and grab one.
"Mommy, they are all so bright. I could never find the brightest one."
Jeremy slept on the way back to the city. He woke again while his mother was tucking him into bed. Quickly, while she was above him, he tried to think of something taller than the tallest tree, bigger than the biggest mountain, and brighter than the brightest star. He thought and thought, but it was hard. He had slept through his usual bedtime snack, and his rumbling tummy sort of distracted him. Finally, Jeremy looked at his mother with half-opened eyes and quietly whispered, "I love you, Mommy. I love you more than the tallest tree, more than the biggest mountain, and more than the brightest star. In fact, I love you more than the tastiest peanut butter and jelly sandwich!"
His mother laughed, and Jeremy smiled and quickly fell to sleep.
杰瑞米啧啧地把他碗底里最后一滴牛奶喝净，嘴巴往袖子上一抹，然后从桌子上跳下来，就问道：“妈妈，你爱我有多深？”
“我对你的爱比那最高的树还要多，还要高，”妈妈回答道。
“哦，”杰瑞米说，就跑出去玩了。在外面他就寻找最高的树，他把所有的地方都看过了就是不能找到一棵最高的树。
那里只有蓬乱的灌木。还不如去荡秋千呢，他想道。他看着秋千，使劲地来回荡他的胳膊和腿。一会，杰瑞米听到屏风砰地一声被关上。妈妈提着一篮子湿衣服，朝晾衣绳这边走来。杰瑞米放慢他荡秋千的速度，从秋千上跳下来，跑到妈妈面前。
“妈妈，” 杰瑞米问道。“你爱我有多深？”
“我爱你比最高的山还多还高，” 妈妈回答道。
杰瑞米笑了笑，蹦蹦跳跳地跑到楼上，朝窗户外面望去，寻找最高的山脉。可是，他连一个山也没有看见，只不过是些看上去不很高的房屋而已。
吃晚饭的时候，杰瑞米又问：“你爱我有多深？”
“我对你的爱比最亮的星星还要多，还要亮，”妈妈说。
杰瑞米喝完最后一滴牛奶，咧嘴一笑。
杰瑞米洗过澡后，向夜空望去，寻找那一颗最亮的星星。可是，天正下雨，根本看不见一颗星星。突然，有一道闪电一亮，把他吓了一跳。
晚上，杰瑞米很安静，妈妈把他放下睡觉。“怎么了？”妈妈说。“晚饭后你一个问题都没有问。”
“妈妈，”杰瑞米开始说道，“我去外面寻找最高的树，但只看见蓬乱的灌木；寻找最高的山，可只看到矮小的房屋；寻找最亮的星星，可我看见的只有一道吓人的闪电。如果那就是你对我的爱，我想你根本都不爱我。”
妈妈抚摸着杰瑞米金色的头发，轻轻地吻着他的脸颊。“今晚好好睡，明天我会告诉你我有多爱你的。”
第二天，杰瑞米和妈妈准备了一顿野餐午饭。他们上到车里，驱车前行……没过一会，他们就遇见了一个大大的标识。
“标识上写的什么，妈妈？” 杰瑞米问道。
“写的是红木国家公园，”妈妈说。
“哇！”杰瑞米冲到他所见到的最高的树林里面大声地喊道。
“这些树木几乎快高到天边了。你一定是真的非常爱我。” 一整天，他们都在那些大树底下玩耍，享用着他们的野餐午饭。
黄昏时分，杰瑞米和妈妈开车回家走了另一条路，这条路杰瑞米从前来过可却不记得了。他们开了好长时间，天都要快黑的时候，他们来到一个停车站。
“我们出来在这里待一会吧，”妈妈说。“我想告诉你我有多爱你。”
杰瑞米的眼睛睁得很大，眺望这个城市的灯光。
“我们现在哪？”杰瑞米问。
“我们现在最高的山顶上，这就是我有多爱你。向那里望，”妈妈说，她的手指向夜空。“你能找到最亮的星星吗？”
夜空繁星点点，璀璨闪烁。星星很亮很近，杰瑞米感觉伸手都能够到抓住一颗。
“妈妈，它们都很亮，我都不能找到哪个最亮了。”
在回去的路上，杰瑞米睡着了，妈妈把他放进被窝里时他醒了。瞬间，当妈妈在他上面的时候，他使劲想什么比最高的树还高，比最大的山还大，比最亮的星星还亮，但还是没有想出来。他还没有吃睡前小点心就睡着了，隆隆响的肚子有点分散他的心思。最后，杰瑞米半睁着眼睛看者妈妈，轻轻地在耳边说：“我爱你，妈妈。我爱你比那最高的树还要多，比最大的山还要多，比最亮的星星还要多。其实，我爱你比那最好吃的花生酱和水果三明治还要多！”
妈妈笑了，杰瑞米笑了，很快一会就睡着了。