Finding shells on the beach 海边捡贝壳

陈志华

家庭的變故让“我”备受打击，当外婆把“我”带到海边时，海边光彩夺目的贝壳让“我”重拾了信心和勇气。

I love oceans， especially the one near my grandmas house with beautiful shells. It all started when my parents divorced a few weeks ago. I remained silent since then. So my mother decided to send me to Florida to live with my grandma.

On the way to my grandmas house， my mother said， “Sadie， I know we are not the best family you can have and I truly apologize. I just do not know how to be a mother. But remember， whatever happened， I do love you.” These words hurt me.

When we arrived， Grandma told me to go upstairs and unpack my things while she spoke to my mother. Opening the curtains， I saw sky⁃blue waves slowly washing away the sand on the beach and sea birds flying in the clear sky. The ocean was about only a hundred meters away from here.

After my mother left， Grandma softly tou⁃ched my shoulder， “I want to take you to the seaside. And I think you might like it.”

Before I stepped onto the sand， I could smell the ocean. Together we enjoyed the sunset with a whole lot of yellow and orange. Suddenly she picked out the most beautiful shell I had ever seen in my life. It was almost gold， shining in the sunlight. I couldnt move my eyes off it.

“Want to know how I get through my parents divorce？” Grandma asked. She smiled at me and continued， “In those days， I felt very sad because neither of my parents cared about me. To kill time， I always went to the beach. Much to my surprise， I found that there were such beautiful shells on the beach.”

“The beautiful shells here gave me the courage to live on，” Grandma said. “Honey， you are still happy. Your parents both love you. Your mother rang me this morning， telling me that you love oceans. Therefore， I brought you here. I hope you can get inspiration and cou⁃rage.” Hearing this， I looked up at the blue sky and the vast sea. Suddenly， I felt a little relaxed. I must cheer up， just like the most beautiful shell， full of color.

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If you were the grandma in the text， what would you say to the author to encourage her？