时间过的真快！很难相信我比去年这时候老了一岁。
我记得我二十三岁的时候。结了婚不到一年就搬了家——太太和我（两个人）从美国搬到亚洲，开始学习汉语。慢慢认识一些中国人，慢慢地跟他们成为朋友。那时候，长辈叫我小弟，晚辈叫我大哥——谢大哥。两年以后我们生了第一个孩子，乐真。一旦作了父亲，晚辈就开始叫我谢叔叔。两三年以后，太太给我生老二，义方。晚辈还是叫我叔叔。
不知道我换了几个月历，但是有一天我梳头时，发现镜子里的那人——不知道他是谁——头发已经开始变白。差不多也就是那时候我注意到晚辈叫我谢伯伯。心理很想问问太太“谢伯伯是谁？”，但是我不敢开这个玩笑；我知道谢伯伯是谁。我只好承认，我只好面对事实——镜子里的那人也是我；白发是我的。
也许您可猜想，我的故事还没讲完。乐真、义方长大，成人。乐真在东欧，阿尔巴尼亚结了婚；两三年以后太太和我抱了外孙女。义方也结了婚；两三年以后也给我们孙女。有了孙女，我在社会的阶级自然而然的改了变——我升了级！华人朋友开始叫我爷爷了。问题是我还不觉得我是个爷爷。别人是爷爷——没错！是应该的——他们的年纪到了标准。但是，我这个人——自己不觉得老，所以华人朋友，特别是晚辈们开始称我为“谢爷爷”，我听得很不习惯。不习惯不说，我也不想承认我是“爷爷”。
也许您听我讲这些，觉得很为奇怪。但是，您要记得，我是个美国人。美国人的概念和华人的概念不一样；美国人不承认自己老了。美国老先生听到“老先生”一词，我们会不高兴的。也许我们会问：“谁是老先生？不是我。”美国人怀念我们的青春，不期待听到“老”这个词。所以，晚辈叫我“谢爷爷”，我听得真不习惯。
从小弟升为大哥；从大哥变成叔叔。叔叔变为伯伯。从伯伯升到高峰爷爷的称呼。而且因为有太多的证明，所以不能否认我慢慢地变为老人！实事求是。镜子证明；孙子和外孙证明；月历证明；早上晚间所吃的药丸也证明。我必须接受。
也许您想知道我为什么跟您谈这些。是因为我发现我们都要珍惜时间，爱惜光阴。时间不等着我们。圣经记载着很多智慧话。《圣经》告诉我们说：“你趁著年幼…当记念造你的主”（传道书12:1）。《圣经》里的一位国王劝我们要依靠神一辈子；他说：“我从前年幼，现在年老，却未见过义人被弃，也未见过他的后裔讨饭”（诗篇37:25）。《圣经箴言》也劝我们多听从神的诫命：“因为他必将长久的日子、生命的年数与平安给你”（3:4）。他又形容神的智慧说：“她右手有长寿，左手有富贵。她的道是安乐，她的路全是平安”（3:16-17）。
您想要获得平安吗？请敬畏创造您的神。您想要长寿吗？请遵守神的诫命。
我希望您和我都要下决心——从新敬畏神，听从神，顺服神——使得我们坦然无惧的承认镜子里的那位是谁！
祝福您新年快乐！
The Old Man in the Mirror
Time flies, doesn’t it? Hard to believe that it’s December. Hard to believe that Christmas will soon be here. Hard to believe that one year will change into another. Hard to believe that I’m a year older!
I remember when I was 23 years old. After less than a year of marriage, I took my wife and moved from the USA to Asia—just the two of us—where we began to study the Chinese language. We met several Chinese, and little-by-little became friends with them.
In these early days, people older than I called me “xiao di” (little brother), and those younger than I referred to me as “da ge” (older brother)—Older Brother Xie (Xie being the Chinese surname I was given). A couple of years later, Sharon gave birth to our first child—Alethea. After I became a father, friends who were younger than I began to call me “shu shu” (uncle-younger-than-my-father). Three years later my wife gave me our second child—Lewis. I was still referred to as shu shu by our younger friends.
I don’t know how many calendars I had changed, but one day as I was combing my hair, I looked at the man in the mirror (I don’t know who he was!), and noticed that his hair was getting white. It was just about that time that I noticed that Chinese friends younger than I were calling me “bo bo” (uncle-older-than-my-father)—“Xie Bobo”. I wanted to ask Sharon, “Who is Xie Bobo?” but I didn’t dare crack such a joke; I knew who Xie Bobo was! I might as well go ahead and admit it, might as well go ahead and face the reality that the man in the mirror was me and the white hair was mine.
You can probably guess that my little story is not over yet. Alethea and Lewis both grew up and turned into adults. Alethea married in Albania, and two or three years later, Sharon and I held an “outside granddaughter” (child born to one’s daughter). Lewis married also, and within two or three years we had a “granddaughter” (child born to one’s son).
Upon becoming a grandfather, my status in society changed—I graduated into a new level! I became a “ye ye” (grandfather). The problem was that I didn’t consider myself a grandfather. Yes, other people should be called ye ye; they were ready for it and they met the qualifications. But not me. I didn’t consider myself old! So, when my Chinese friends called me Xie Ye Ye, I couldn’t get used to it. Not only was I not used to it, I didn’t want to admit that I was a ye ye.
Perhaps all this sounds very strange to you. But you should remember that I’m an American. The way Americans look at things is different from the way Chinese look at them; Americans don’t admit to being old. When an elderly American man hears someone say, “Hey, old man,” he may get angry. Perhaps he’ll even ask the person, “Who is old? Not I!” Americans fondly remember their youth and they don’t look forward to getting old. So when I hear someone say, “Xie Ye ye,” I’m not at all used to it.
From “xiao di” to “da ge;” from “da ge” to “shu shu.” From “shu shu” to “bo bo.” From “bo bo” to the highest level of nomenclature—ye ye. And since there are so many proofs, the facts became undeniable—I’m getting old. “Seek truth from facts,” the Chinese say, and the facts are plain. The mirror proves it; grandchildren prove it; the calendar proves it; my daily medications—morning and night—prove it, so I might as well accept it—I’m getting old!
I bet you’d like to know why I’m telling you all this. It’s because I now realize how precious time is. We should make the best use of time that we can, as the clock will not wait for anyone. The Bible records a lot of wisdom, and the Bible tells us to “Remember your creator in the days of your youth…” (Ecclesiastes 12:1, NRSV). A certain king in the Bible exhorts us to rely on God throughout our lives; he said, “I have been young, and now am old, yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread” (Psalms 37:25). The book of Proverbs encourages us to obey God’s commandments, because “length of days and years of life and abundant welfare they will give you” (3:2). He continues to describe the wisdom of God when he says, “Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace” (3:16-17).
Do you want to find peace? Reverence the God who made you. Do you want to live a long time? Obey God’s commandments.
I hope you and I both will determine to renew our commitment to God, to listen to him and to obey him. Then we can look courageously at the person in the mirror and admit who he is!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
【圣诞节】：镜子里的那位老先生是谁？
The Old Man in the Mirror
作者：谢德华 By ©Edward Short