平安喜樂：The 2nd and 3rd Sundays of Advent

#2025-1214

About seven years ago, I posted an article on my blog, Mookoo’s Home, on the Third Sunday of Advent. Below is one paragraph I wrote at that time:

Jean and I have been grateful that the Lord our God has granted us so much. As the candles on the Advent wreath represent, we are given Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. Today is the Third Sunday of Advent. In our church, we see two purple candles and one pink candle lit. The third candle, the pink one, represents Joy. What a great joy we have been given!

Seven years have passed in the blink of an eye, and much has changed. Now, Jean and I are staying in Hualien, taking care of our grandson James. The three of us have attended Sunday services at St. Luke’s together since July 27, when a Service of Release was conducted for the church’s vicar at that time. Officially, beginning August 1, Rev. Minglong Wu became our new vicar.

Rev. Wu leads us in celebrating the Holy Eucharist and preaches every Sunday. I find that I have come to appreciate his sermons more and more. They may sound simple at times, but they always teach me something—either by touching my heart or by stirring my thoughts. Take this morning, for example: Rev. Wu focused on píng'ān (peace) and xǐlè (joy) in his sermon and offered a vivid comparison. Píng'ān, he said, is like a single hit in a baseball game, while xǐlè is like hitting a home run.

Indeed, just as the three candles on the Advent wreath are now lit, we have experienced what we call pànwàng (hope), píng'ān (peace), and xǐlè (joy) in our daily lives and in our church life. Of course, we also remember “the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit”—all of which may be simplified into one word: 愛, Ai, or Love.

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Note: The first six photos below were taken last Sunday, the Second Sunday of Advent; all the remaining photos were taken today, the Third Sunday of Advent.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  Children's Sermon     (2021)

2)  平安喜樂     (2021)

2)  新居祝福暨點燭禮     (2023)

3)  The First Sunday of Advent     (2023)

4)  The Beginning of the Church Year     (2024)

New Errands in Hualien

#2025-1210

This morning Jean and I went to Taiwan Bank in Hualien City for the first time; and this afternoon, I drove our old RAV-4 to the Hualien Toyota Service Center for maintenance—also for the first time since we came here.

While the car was being serviced at the bright, spacious, and easy-to-find Center, I spent nearly two hours in a comfortable corner of the guest waiting room. I had told Jean she didn’t need to come with me. Although I tend to get lost in unfamiliar areas, the Center is quite easy to locate: 吉安鄉中央路三段500號. From where we stay, I only need to drive along Jianguo Road for less than two kilometers.

As for Jianguo Road, I know it very well. Every morning—and several evenings each week—I take our grandson James to and from school or his tutoring class.

Yes, this Toyota Service Center looks similar to the one I used to visit regularly. The first three pictures below were taken in the men’s washroom, and to my surprise, the first picture is exactly the same as the one I used to see at the Toyota Service Center in Dali (see the 4th photo below), where I had my RAV-4 serviced for more than a decade.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  田莊所在‧布蘭卡民宿 (A Very Relaxing Afternoon in the Countryside)     (2011)

2)  平安喜樂     (2021)

3)  A Note in Pinyin: 定期保養！     (2022)

4)  RAV-4 定期維修     (2023)

5)  New Scratches!     (2024)

風冷一花獨秀 vs. 地深萬水齊奔

#2025-1208

Youbian de zhe zhang zhaopian, nin kan de chulai shi sheme ma?

Jixu kan xiaqu, nin jiu keyi kanjian Meilun Xi (美崙溪) lingwai yi zhong mianmao: Jiu shi wo jintian xiawu duzi manbu yu xipan budao suo faxian de.

Wo qingchu de kanjian: 風冷一花獨秀 (Cold wind—one flower, alone in bloom). You jingya de faxian: 地深萬水齊奔 (Deep earth—all waters, answering as one). ⸺Dang nin kandao xiamian zuihou yi zhang zhaopian shi, xiangxin nin jiu wanquan mingbai wo de yisi le.

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  美崙溪：燈光倒影     (2023)

2)  Stories Along Meilun Creek     (2025)

3)  漫步到對岸／繞一圈回來     (2025)

4)  Notes on Peace: From Lantern to Creek     (2025)

美味的早餐 / Thanks for Our Daily Bread

#2025-1206

Thanks be to the Lord! This morning we enjoyed a rich and delicious breakfast: nutritious sweet potatoes, broccoli, egg pancakes, bananas, and more.

For those who are comfortable with dairy, a glass of cold—or warm—milk would also be a fine choice. My wife and I, however, opted for freshly brewed, steaming hot coffee. It suits our age, and it also fits what we like to call our “romantic imagination.”

Speaking of imagination, we even had some freshly cooked edamame that had been chilled. After finishing the beans, I arranged the empty pods on my plate and was surprised to see that they formed a Chinese character filled with meaning: 主—the Lord. (Thanks be to the Lord; praise be to the Lord.)

～＊～＊～＊～

感謝主！我們今天享有豐盛、美味的早餐：包括營養可口的甘藷、青花椰、蛋餅、香蕉...... 

如果肚子習慣奶製品的話，還可以來一杯冰涼的（或熱）牛奶。我和老婆則選喝現煮的，熱騰騰的咖啡，既符合我們的年齡，也配合我們所謂的「浪漫的想像」。

說到「想像」，今天早餐，我們還吃了冰過的新鮮毛豆。我吃完毛豆仁，把毛豆莢擺放在盤子裡，竟然組成一個極富意義的中文字：主。（感謝主！讚美主！）

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  The Bear and the Brew     (2025)

2)  Markets and Daily Bread     (2025)

3)  「君子」的炫耀文     (2025)

聖地剪影 (01)：共 3 組

#2025-1205

本篇為「圖文 (pictures and stories)」標籤中，新增的 "補遺" 之作。照片 (合計 11 張) 是多年前參加教會主辦的「聖地之旅」所拍攝的。因年代久遠，其確切的拍攝時間及地點已不太清楚。

原先想過把百餘張舊照好好整理一番，乃以「聖地剪影 (01)」為題，預備寫文分享。結果呢？因懶得費工夫回想和查證，就把它擱在「草稿」資料夾裡，延宕至今。現在，我決定將它正式存入 Mookoo's Home，再也不為有沒有後續的「剪影 (02)、剪影 (03)、剪影 (04) ...... 」而傷腦筋啦！

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  The Covenant Renewed     (2010)

2)  攸關我家：共 3 張     (2010)

3)  樹之高、遠、美（共 4 張）     (2010)

4)  荔江灣----有說有笑，又唱又跳！（圖片：共 4 組）     (2010)

5)  Educational Trip -- 國際教育旅行 (日本 01)：共 5 组     (2010)

6)  Educational Trip -- 國際教育旅行 (日本 02)：共 4 组     (2010)

7)  溪頭剪影（午後山涼霧起時）     (2010)

8)  溪頭剪影（天出北熊化霧星）     (2010)

9)  溪頭剪影（橋花水石藤林道）     (2010)

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圖片編號：001

圖片編號：002

圖片編號：003

Exploring Viola Positions Anew

#2025-1201

中提琴按弦位置

（ 總　複　習 ）

Like a violin—which has the G, D, A, and E strings—a viola also has four strings: C, G, D, and A. The lowest note that the thickest string can produce is “do” in the key of C, while the basic note that the open A string produces is “la.”

If the scale “do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti” is represented by the numerals “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7,” then you can see in the clock photo above (or in the last two pictures below) what scale degrees the open C and A strings produce in each of the twelve major keys.

For example:

• In the key of Bb, the open C string produces 2 (re), and the open A string produces 7 (ti).
• In the key of F, the open C string produces 5 (sol), and the open A string produces 3 (mi).
• In the key of C, the open C string produces 1 (do), and the open A string produces 6 (la).
• In the key of G, the open C string produces 4 (fa), and the open A string produces 2 (re).

If you focus only on the thinnest string, you’ll find that the open A string produces 7 (ti) in the key of Bb, 3 (mi) in F, 6 (la) in C, 2 (re) in G, 5 (sol) in D, 1 (do) in A, and 4 (fa) in E. In other words, moving clockwise on the Circle of Fifths, the open A string on a viola produces 7, 3, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4 (= ti, mi, la, re, sol, do, fa) for the keys Bb, F, C, G, D, A, and E, respectively.

Conversely, if you focus on the thickest string, the open C string produces 4, 1, 5, 2, 6, 3, 7 (= fa, do, sol, re, la, mi, ti) for the keys G, C, F, Bb, Eb, Ab, and Db, respectively, as you move counterclockwise on the Circle of Fifths.

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Note: Click here for more information about the Circle of Fifths (五度圈).

 

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相關文章 (See also)：

1)  各種調的按弦位置     (2025)

2)  浜辺の歌 (Hamabe no Uta)     (2025)

3)  主日崇拜~獻詩     (2025)

4)  《菩提樹》：一場美麗的誤譯     (2025)

5)  Four Memorable Songs     (2025)