Under the Same Moon

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

My girls have always loved looking at the moon. They both have a natural fascination with watching it rise in the evening sky. When James was away on travel, I used to tell Maddie that Daddy was looking at the same moon no matter where he was.

James is away on travel right now and the girls are fast asleep upstairs in Josie's room. They fell asleep together while Maddie read Josie her nighttime story and they played "puppets". (Puppets is the very appropriate name that Josie gives her imaginary play... most kids would call it 'make pretend')

Tonight also marks the Chinese Moon Festival:

The Chinese Moon Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month. It's also known as the Mid-autumn Festival. Chinese culture is deeply imbedded in traditional festivals. Just like Christmas and Thanksgiving in the West, the Moon Festival is one of the most important traditional events for the Chinese.

The Moon Festival is full of legendary stories. Legend says that Chang Er flew to the moon, where she has lived ever since. You might see her dancing on the moon during the Moon Festival. The Moon Festival is also an occasion for family reunions. When the full moon rises, families get together to watch the full moon, eat moon cakes, and sing moon poems. With the full moon, the legend, the family and the poems, you can't help thinking that this is really a perfect world. That is why the Chinese are so fond of the Moon Festival.

The Moon Festival is also a romantic one. A perfect night for the festival is if it is a quiet night without a silk of cloud and with a little mild breeze from the sea. Lovers spend such a romatic night together tasting the delicious moon cake with some wine while watching the full moon. Even for a couple who can't be together, they can still enjoy the night by watching the moon at the same time so it seems that they are together at that hour. A great number of poetry has been devoted to this romantic festival. Hope the Moon Festival will bring you happiness.

The moon cake is the food for the Moon Festival. The Chinese eat the moon cake at night with the full moon in the sky.


I am not sharing a romantic evening with my husband... but the girls and I are safe in the home he has provided for us. He is not having a romantic evening either - out scouring the stores for the toy horse he promised Josie he would bring back for her. And, in this family, it's more likely that we'll have chocolate cake than moon cake! Still, we think our little corner of the world is 'perfect'.

There were 'silk clouds' in the sky tonight and I just wanted James to know that the girls and I thought of him tonight while we watched the beautiful moonrise.

I have limited photographic skills, but these are a few of the photos I was able to get out front of our house this evening:

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM

From Moon 9/15/08 10:24 PM