Sweet, wild berries plucked from roadside patches are a delightful side benefit of camping. Each summer, my husband Bob and I would send the kids off with their little metal buckets and the next day we would all enjoy the fruits of their labor: raspberry pancakes turned on the grill or firm blackberries to dot a hot cooked-on-the-campfire peanut butter sandwich.
The children looked forward to picking. We could usually find just about anything, from blueberries in early summer to raspberries and blackberries in August. Every year - except one.
"There's nothing around here to pick!" five-year-old Julie complained, poking a stick into the dying fire one late summer evening.
The season had been too dry; what few blackberries were left on the bushes were hard as marbles.
"Yeah. I looked all over," added four-year-old Brian. "Wish there was something."
That night, after the kids were zipped into their sleeping sacks and I was sure they weren't awake, I handed Bob a bag of large marshmallows and I grabbed a bag of the miniatures.
"Get the lantern and follow me," I said. "We're going to make a memory."
"What?" He looked puzzled.
I told him about the kids'campfire conversation and Bob grinned, "Let's go!"
The next morning over pancakes, I said, "Kids, I think you're going to have something to pick today."
"Really!" Julie's eyes shone. "What?"
"What?" echoed Brian.
"Marshmallows," I said, as though I'd said it every summer. "Last night Daddy and I walked down toward the lake and it looks as though they're just about ready to pick. It's a good thing we're here now. They only come out one day a year."
Julie looked skeptical, and Brian giggled. "You're silly, Mom! Marshmallows come in bags from the store."
I shrugged. "So do blackberries, but you've picked those, haven't you? Somebody just puts them in bags."
"Daddy, is that true?" He demanded.
Bob was very busy turning pancakes. "Guess you'll just have to go find out for yourself," he answered. "Okay!"
They were off in a flurry, little metal buckets reflecting the morning sun.
"You nut," Bob said to me, laughing. "It won't work."
"Be a believer," I answered.
Minutes later our two excited children rushed into the clearing.
"Look! I got some that were just babies!" Julie held up a miniature.
"I picked the big ones!" said Brian. "Boy, I want to cook one! Light the fire, Daddy, quick!"
"All right, all right, settle down." Bob winked at me. "They won't spoil." He lit some small sticks while the kids ran for their hot dog forks.
"Mine will be better because they're so little," predicted Julie. Brian shrugged, mashing two large ones on his fork.
We waited for the culinary verdict.
"Wow! Brian's eyes rounded with surprise. "These are sure better than those old ones in the bags!" He reached for another. "These are so good!"
"Of course," I said. "These are really fresh!"
Julie looked puzzled. "How come all those marshmallow bushes don't have the same kinds of leaves?"
"Just different kinds, that's all," I replied quickly. "Like flowers."
"Oh." She licked her fingers, seemingly satisfied with my answer. Then, studying the next marshmallow before she popped it into her mouth, she looked up with the sweetest smile and said softly, "We're so lucky that they bloomed today!"
孩子们也都期待着出去采浆果。很多时候我们会什么都没有采到，从初夏的蓝莓到悬钩子到八月的黑莓。
5岁的朱莉抱怨说：“这里什么都没有啊。”
这个季节太干燥了，只有很少很少的黑莓剩下了，而且剩下的那些是那么的坚硬。“是啊，我看了所有的地方，希望会有一些。
那天晚上，当孩子们钻到他们的睡袋以后，我确信他们已经睡着了，我递给鲍博一袋大浆果然后拿了一袋小的。
“拿上灯笼，跟我走，”我说“我们要去创造记忆了。”
“什么?”他看着我迷惑地问。
我告诉他孩子们的对话，他笑了，说：“走!”
第二天早饭时时，我说：”孩子们，我想今天你们一定有可以采的浆果了。”
“真的吗?”朱莉的眼睛里闪耀着光芒，“什么?”
“什么?”布赖恩回应着。
“浆果啊”，像每年夏天一样，我说，“昨天晚上爸爸和我顺着小溪散步，好象那里就是有很多东西啊。我们能在这里太好了，因为它们每年只出现一天。”
朱莉看上去有点怀疑，布赖恩却咯咯地笑了“你真傻，妈妈。浆果是从商店买来的。”
我耸了耸肩“黑莓也是，但是你已经摘了，是吗?有人把它们装进了袋子里。”
“爸爸，是真的吗?”他好象还不甘心。
鲍博正在忙着翻煎饼，回答到“去看看能不能采到吧，好吗。”
他们提着小篮在阳光明媚的早晨快速跑去。
“你这个笨蛋”，鲍博笑着对我说：“那没用的。”
“要相信别人”
一会工夫，两个兴奋的孩子跑了回来。
“看!我采到一些小婴儿浆果!”朱莉提着那些小浆果跑了回来。
“我摘到大的，”布赖恩也快活地说“爸爸，快点生火，我想做一些，快啊!”
“好的，好的”，鲍博朝我眨了眨眼睛，“他们没有失望”
“我的肯定更好因为它们很小”朱莉说。
“哇!”布赖恩的眼睛里闪烁着惊奇“这些肯定比那些袋子里的好的多。”
“当然了”我说“他们真的很新鲜!”
朱莉看上去有点迷惑“为什么他们没有相同的叶子呢?”
“种类不同的，孩子”我赶快回答“像花一样”
“哦”她咬着舌头，看上去对我的回答很满意。开始研究下一个浆果，然后填到嘴里。她微微抬起头，轻轻地笑着说“我们太幸运了，它们今天全开了!”
