这篇获得首奖文章的作者是一位女律师，写的是她每天在家煮饭洗衣的婆婆，250字竟然蔓开了一个奇妙的婆媳话题。
我是一个职业导向的新时代女性，所以，第一次与我这个家庭主妇婆婆见面时，完全无法理解她的感受──她在40岁就放弃工作，来照顾她重病的母亲还有她唯一的 小孩（也就是我的老公）。当时我仗着青春的自大，认为她所谓的无私的态度，还有她每天干着煮饭洗衣、照顾家庭成员、开车送他们上下班（这是美国主妇一定要 做的），已经都是老时代的事了，她的作为，完全不在我对于“成功”的定义中。
直到我自己第一个小孩出生了，才开始感受我婆婆坚轫的生命力。
小 孩一出生就不幸有心脏方面的问题，显然我必须放弃我的律师工作，不然就得将可怜的小孩丢到令人不放心的托儿所去，这时候，我的婆婆适时伸出援手，主动要求 帮忙，帮我在家煮餐，更重要的是她教我祷告和心理上的支援，常与我在婴儿臭尿布上共饮一杯葡萄酒谈心解愁。我婆婆的帮忙，让我不但可以继续上班，反而还再 开了一间小公司，现在已有六个员工了。
愁云散去，现在我的小孩已经健康了，我也又添了一个女儿。
她长大后，显然也要面临同样的选择，要家庭，要工作，还是两者？
我的婆婆显然选择了前者，她是24小时的关怀者，她照顾着我生病的公公，为我们家建立了一个稳固的河床，也教了我，成功不只是来自银行的存款数位，而是来自你帮助了多少人实现她们想要的梦想。
而我婆婆现在已经80岁，她的成就却是无声的；原来，英雄不只是那些突然路见不平而大声仗义执言的，有时候，她们每日默默的付出，轻轻的托着我们每个人的高度。（完）
原文:
As a career-oriented new-millennium woman, I could not fathom my housewife mother-in-law when we first met.
She gave up her job at age 40 to take care of her dying mother and her newborn son (now my husband), after thinking for years she might never have another child.
I (with all the arrogance of youth) felt that her selfless attitude, her daily cooking, cleaning and chauffeuring family members, was of a bygone era, not at all measuring up in my definition of success.
With the birth of my own son, I began to see her innate strength. My son was born with a heart condition, which meant I’d have to quit working as a lawyer or put him in day care. My mother-in-law stepped in to help with child care, home-cooked meals, prayers and moral support (and the occasional glass of wine shared over pupu), allowing me to not only work, but to start a thriving business that has grown to six employees.
My son is healthy now and I have a daughter who, growing up, will have the choice to be career-oriented, family-oriented or both.
My mother-in-law is the 24-hour caregiver for her sick husband. She is our family’s bedrock. She taught me that success comes not just from a bank account, but from those whom you help achieve their own dreams.
She is 80 now and her accomplishments are unsung. Heroes are not only those who do dramatic interventions, sometimes they are the ones whose daily devotion elevates us all.
来源：Myspace社区
