Mountain of Love
Happy Moon Festival! It is my most favorite festival of the year.
What is your favoritest festival or holiday? What makes that particular time of the year special to you? In my case, the answer is simple. Moon festival holds one of my fondest childhood memories.
When my sisters and I were still in school, when my dad still owns a van for work, we would go to the beach to celebrate the Moon festival. Mom would prepare a lot of delicious food to bring. And even though being in the crowd and stuck in traffic is never my dad’s favorite pastime. He did it for us.
We would arrive early before the crowd and laid out our blanket for the family. And somehow, my most vivid memories of these outings were the four of us sisters digging little sand ditches for our candles around our blanket. The ditches kept most of the candles lit up. It was the invention of my little brain, and all four of us went and worked at it. Our space then became the most beautiful of the whole beach, surrounded by twinkling lights. These candles are like our love of the family, protect and bless us in unity.
I miss my family. I decided the best way to celebrate this Moon Festival is to honor them with our good memories and the love I can feel from them even though they are thousands of miles away in Hong Kong. In each other’s presence, we had spent time together or apart, we had talked with each other or stayed in silence, we had eaten zillions of meals made with love at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. All of these moments, large and small, accumulated like grains of sand into a mountain of love.
Isn’t that how true love is made — little by little? Grandiose events might fill our mountain of love with big stones. But it is the seemingly tiny insignificant nothingness that fills the gaps and makes it a strong mountain. A mountain that is so strong that supports us to tread whatever path we wish to conquer.
With my mooncake and love, I cheer you on this magical festival!
