美國新冠疫情日記5/7/2020 褪色中的美利堅?

   褪色中的美利堅?

今晨德州春季的陽光仍然照射在前院的花園、噴水池，潺潺流水也漾溢著盛開的花香，然而心中確充滿忧虑和起伏，我正在想，美利堅共和國是真的在褪色了嗎？

那已經是近二十年的往事了，我們和優秀乖巧的女兒從甘尼迪機場駕車前往紐約哥倫比亞大學做新生註冊，在行駛途中誤入邻近的哈林區，週遭是貧民，我們在迷路過程中得到路人熱情之指路，五街之隔就到了哥大的校園，當時在新生註冊處到處是學生們的父母親友們之祝福及歡笑聲，我們走到時代廣場，在第五大道上感受到那股美利堅共和國給人之希望及動力，多年之後，女兒瑪格利特已經成為一位內科醫生，也在此次新冠疫情中每天站在醫療最前線搶救病患， 我們的忧虑阻擋不了她的工作，她對我們說：“ 看病人是我們醫生之天責。”

今天全美確診人數繼续增高，特别是在紐約州及大都會地區尤其嚴重，可謂哀鴻遍野，已經不是當年的紐約了。

Is America Fading?

The Texas spring sunshine came through my window, the water fountain water mixes with a sweet, scented flower fragrance -- even with this beautiful morning scene, I still am feeling a kind of sadness. Is the America I know and love fading?

Almost twenty years ago, we were taking our daughter Margaret to New York to register her in her first year at Columbia University. We joined a group of new students with their parents and friends all with great joy and enthusiasm. We also visited Times Square and Fifth Avenue in this shining city of the world. Many years later, Margaret, now a physician, is especially busy in this coronavirus pandemic period and is rescuing many patients. She says it is the duty of a doctor to save people’s lives.

Today, the United States is still suffering from this pandemic, especially in New York State and in the New York City area. We see so many miserable and tragic pictures every day. Is this great city just fading away?