Love
in Action
The Spirit of the Moon Festival
—Conveying Master’s Care to the Elderly
By the San Jose News Group
(Originally in English)
On September 18, 2005, blessed by our beloved Master’s infinite love and grace, San Jose Quan Yin practitioners joyfully celebrated the Moon Festival with the beautiful residents and dedicated staff of the Los Gatos Oaks Convalescent Hospital.
The Hospital, nestled in a lovely San Jose suburb,
is a charming, well-kept nursing home that houses elderly people from
diverse cultures and is managed by Director of Nursing Ms. Cathie Hauf.
About two thirds of the seniors at the facility are of Aulacese descent
and the rest Caucasian.
Before the visit, the initiates learned from helpful staff member Ms.
Cindy Le that blankets would be useful gift items for the residents as
the cool days of autumn were approaching. So along with moon cakes, cookies
and baskets of mangoes, apples and bananas, the practitioners purchased
a supply of warm fleece blankets.
And although the Moon Festival is primarily an Asian holiday, on the day of the celebration all the residents embraced the activity with delight. In fact, one Caucasian lady listened with tremendous interest as an initiate described the splendor of the full moon in the eighth month of the lunar calendar, and during the course of the initiates’ visit the lady fondly and respectfully gazed at Master’s photo on the cover of the News #159 and smiled radiantly.
Also, a spirited 96-year-old seemed enchanted with her visitors and kept praising them on how beautiful they looked. “I don’t need much food, but I love looking at beautiful people,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes. A staff member then stated that in the early 1920s this lady had been named Miss Mong Cai, a province in northern Au Lac. During this interaction, the initiates felt deeply touched and were reminded once again that all human beings are inherently drawn to beauty, goodness and Truth.
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Ms. Evelyn Mina, the nurse in charge that day, happily played host to the initiates. In fact all the staff members were extremely friendly and positive. “We all take care of the elderly here like they were our own parents. We love them and they love us in return,” said Mr. Dao, one of the Hospital’s energetic staff members. Ms. Mien, another worker, added this enlightening comment: “We just treat the elderly here like our own. Who knows? Perhaps in past lives they were our parents.” The task of caring for elderly people requires love, patience and hard work. So in the initiates’ eyes the Hospital’s staff members are quiet heroes who take on the saintly role of caring for God’s children daily. Besides the above comments a number of residents warmly mentioned that they listen to Master’s radio program each Saturday and that Her melodious voice and lectures comfort them greatly.
The Los Gatos Oaks Convalescent Hospital Moon Festival celebration brought joy to the hearts of the residents, staff and initiates alike. And all during the event, the sisters and brothers felt inspired by Master, Who has taught them to show practical love and consideration to others and thus expand their awareness beyond their small selves, encouraging them to see the light in all their fellow beings and remember the gentle moonlight within their hearts.♥