Lunch after the Cemetery Visit

#2024-0225

元宵節過後的第一個星期天，

我們中部客家人掃墓的日子。

We, the Hakka people of central Taiwan, uphold our tradition of visiting graves on the first Sunday after the Lantern Festival each year. This morning, my brothers and I paid our respects to our late parents at the cemetery hill named "Qielao Shan" (茄荖山) in Caotun. We deeply miss them!

After our visit to the cemetery, we invited our sisters and other relatives to lunch at the well-known vegetarian restaurant Duhe (or officially, Doho, 督賀). Here, we not only enjoyed a delicious meal but also cherished the memorable coffee time afterward.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  思念     (2018)

2)  《買花人的祈禱》     (2022)

3)  Lunch and Coffee at 督賀 Again     (2024)

Ash Wednesday 塗灰禮 (截圖存檔)

#2024-0215

昨天，二月十四日，所謂的 "西洋情人節"，是一個很特別的日子吧。如何慶祝呢？

坦白說，我幾乎忘了情人節的事。而昨晚的 "塗灰禮"（灰日禮拜）我們全家人都參與了服事。(I served as the LEM, with my son, Rev. Antony, officiating as the celebrant. Additionally, my first grandson, James, served as the acolyte, while my wife read one of the biblical lessons, and Anita, my son's wife, assisted with various other tasks.)

昨日巧逢本年度 "大齋首日"。此日又名 聖灰禮儀日、聖灰星期三（英語 Ash Wednesday）、聖灰日、灰日、蒙灰日，是基督教教會年曆的大齋節期（四旬期）之起始日。 

教會於大齋首日舉行 "塗灰禮"，是把去年 "棕枝主日" 祝聖過的棕枝燒成灰，在禮儀中塗在教友的額頭上，作為悔改的象徵。

大齋首日是根據復活節的日期前四十天（不計算主日），因此每年的大齋首日的日期都不同。最早可以是二月四日，最遲是三月十日。

有趣的是，今年大齋首日正巧落在 2/14 "西洋情人節" 這天。因此，昨晚牧師講道的時候，特別將有情人之間的 "愛情"（情愛），拿來跟主耶穌所啟示的 "上帝之愛"（聖愛）---- 即 devine love; agape, "unconditional love" 做了一番巧妙的類推與比較。我覺得牧師的講道，由近而遠，深入淺出，蠻有意思。

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  Palm Sunday, 2023     (2023)

2)  Stop, Look, and Listen!     (2021)

砂卡礑步道 (Shakadang Trail)

#2024-0213

Today marks the 4th day of the lunar New Year (大年初四).

Accompanied by my two grandsons, my son, and his wife, I embarked on an exploration of Shakadang Trail in Hualien. (Jean opted to stay at home, citing the size of our car as a reason, suggesting it would be more comfortable for us to go without her.)

Here are some snapshots from our excursion today. The first picture captures the facade of a Seven-11 convenience store, where we procured our "simple lunch" to enjoy later at Taroko Visitor Center.

Subsequent images document our journey as we made our way to Wujianwu (五間屋), showcasing the beauty of the Liwu River (立霧溪) and Shakadang River (砂卡礑溪), not to mention the other sights we encountered along the trail. Personally, I was drawn to the peculiar rock formations, the mysterious blue hues of the Shakadang River, and the long branch of an Indian laurel (榕樹) -- it was the longest horizontally growing branch I'd ever seen. But above all, what truly made this experience special was sharing it with my adorable grandsons -- James and John, affectionately known as Little Bee and Little Shine.

Have you ever considered visiting Shakadang Trail? Perhaps you've already traversed its paths multiple times. If so, what aspects of the hike left the strongest impression on you?

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  布洛灣 (Buluowan)     (2023)

2)  Where to Go for the Celebration?     (2023)

3)  墾夢莊園（新光兆豐農場）     (2023)