Nancy had been visiting her grandmother for the past week.  Oh, how she loved her grandmother!  She baked cookies for Nancy.  They played card games. They walked to the park and her grandmother told her the names of all the flowers.  At bedtime her grandmother read her stories and sang her a song.

 

But after a week Nancy began to miss her own cozy bed.  She missed her dog. She missed playing with her friends.  She missed her mother’s cooking and the smell of her father’s pipe.  She was ready to go home.

 

The next morning Nancy waited for her parents to arrive. She felt excited about seeing them. But when she looked at her grandmother she felt sad to be leaving her. 

 

“Grandma,” asked Nancy, “why am I feeling happy and sad at the same time?” “This, darling girl, is called feeling bittersweet. There are times like this where both happy and sad feelings are mixed together.” “Like a cookie with sugar and vinegar in it?” Said Nancy.  “Exactly,” said her grandmother, “sometimes you have to taste both the bitter and the sweet of life.”

 

南希过去一周一直在她奶奶家里。噢，她很爱奶奶！祖母为南希烤饼干，她们一起玩纸牌游戏。她们去逛公园，奶奶会告诉她所有花的名字。睡觉时，奶奶给她读故事，给她唱了一首歌。

 

但一个星期后，南希开始想念自己舒适的床，想念她的狗，怀念和朋友玩的日子。她想念母亲的厨艺和父亲烟斗的气味。她想回家了。

 

第二天早上，南希等着父母到来。见到父母时，她感到很兴奋。但当她看到奶奶时，又为要离开奶奶感到难过。“奶奶，”南希问，“为什么我感到既快乐又悲伤？””亲爱的姑娘，这叫苦乐参半。有时候，快乐和悲伤是混在一起的。““像饼干里加了糖和醋吗？”南希说。“没错，”奶奶说，“有时候你得尝尝生活的苦涩和甜蜜。”