Christmas is my favorite,
Winter Solstice/Yule is the longest night of the year. It is a Pagan holiday, when the return of the sun is celebrated, as the days are about to get longer. At this time, there is a battle between the Holly King & Oak King, in which the Oak, repesenting lighter times, will win. Also in the Celtic/Druidic calendar, this would be the Nameless Day. This is the day in between the old year and the new year in the Druidic tree calendar, repesented by mistletoe.Many common Christmas symbols actually came from Winter Solstice when the Christians were trying to convert the Pagans in the Middle Ages. (Evergreen tree, mistletoe, yule logs, etc.)
It has been a long, long time --- sitting and watching into the dark blue sky. Tonight, the moon is so bright although it is not a full moon. The stars are shinning like tiny diamonds sparkling around the bright moon. The sky is so clear --- not much wind, no clouds. Everything is so calm and tranquil. There are people who cannot enjoy the beauty of the night like this one. I wish for the peace and freedom for those who has been under the shadow for such a long time that they have forgotten to enjoy the simple life rights and freedom. May peace can cherish us all. 
Waiting to see 
To know the Way,
Anh Duong, Out of Debt
My recent visit to Disneyland makes me thinking about Disney stories. Why Disney stories are so patriarchs? Little or no role of mother is found in most of their stories. Starting from Cinderella who is mistreated by a stepmother to Bambi whose mother was shot and kill at its young age, a good role model and a strong character of a mother is never seen in Disney stories. In most of the stories, the main characters ( usually princess) are raised up by a father, who care less about their daughters or who always have conflict or misunderstanding with their teenage daughters or sons. Those examples can be seen in the story lines of "Snow White", "Little Mermaid", "Beauty and the Beast", "Pocahontas", "Aladdin", "Finding Nemo", and "Atlantis". Mulan and sleeping beauty Aurora have both parents. However, in "Mulan", the father is the main supporting character and mother is seen very weakly. In "Sleeping Beauty", the parents did not even take the responsibility of raising up princess Aurora. Most of the other characters in different stories are parent less. For example, Aurthur in "Sword in the Stone", the little wooden boy in Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Tarzan, Hercules, and Mogali in "Jungle Book". Only Simba in "Lion King" is raised up by the surviving mother lion (as far as I can remembered). It is just sad that a role of a good mother cannot be find in any of Disney stories. 
Where Are You Christmas 
Let's go altogether
It's been awhile that I couldn't concentrate on the routine life, I couldn't write much about anything, and I couldn't interest in anything ---- and is so disturbing. I feel like I've been waiting for something, --- a change, a new hope, a new life to spring. I thought I have seen the rain, but now the rain has stopped, it has stopped or --- may be drizzling here and there often, sometimes, meanwhile ---. I want to know if the rain has stopped again or is waiting for a good wind so that it can disperse the rain to anywhere, everywhere needed. Why is the darkening sky has never been gone away? Why the dark clouds are always there hiding the bright sun? When will the sun be brighten again to reflect the golden land? With the clouds and the heavy rain, the green wild plants are flourishing boundlessly, --- but don't we need some sun shine?? Plain old sun shine to let the wildly growing young trees to mature so that they can bear the refreshingly scented flowers and nourishable fruits which will carry on the meaningful messages over generations. Mix sun shine and rain for the sake of the growth of younger generations. Please, please bring back the natural order or we will be so lost, ---lost in the maze of the clouds, --- lost in the maze of the crowds, --- lost in the maze of the dying sprouts.
