This is a special week for China and Chinese people all over the world: a Golden Week that contains both China's National Day and the Mid-Autumn Festival. The Mid-Autumn Festival is a particularly important festival that celebrates family, harvest, prayer, the moon (natch) and is known for delicious mooncakes. During this holiday, it's important to remember that Best Day was inspired by our fearless leader Benita's phone calls with her grandmother, Mei Chiu, in Hong Kong. In fact, one of the first stories Mei told was about a widow woman who kidnapped her to raise as her own, and how much her parents struggled to get Mei back home. Connection with family is one of the most important tenants of Best Day, and it only feels right to honor Mid-Autumn with stories from our Chinese older buds:
Mei Chiu
~2006
Two Mothers
From this story
When I was small, I had to serve two mothers. When I was a baby, about the time I was just learning to walk, a widow woman befriended my mother. At first the widow saw my mother in the market and approached her, saying nice things about her lovely baby girl. Then she joked about wanting to take the beautiful child. More and more the widow imposed her unwanted attention, until one day, the widow took me from my mother's arms and announced that from then on she would be my mother.When Mei Chiu's mother returned home that day without her baby daughter, her husband was furious. His sister, Mei Chiu's aunt, began to negotiate with the widow for the baby's safe return. But that took years, and by the time Mei Chiu returned to her biological home, her parents had passed away. Only her sister and brother were there to tell her all that had happened.
Philip Pai
09.12.2019
Story About Money
I have a friend who come from Taiwan. She told me she worked hard and saved some money for her children. She expected someday her son have good education and become a senator or president. One day I met her husband. He point to his son and said This young kid will be a command in chief in the country. Both of them love their boy very much. In order to help their son to study in the United States. Even buy a house for their son, but their son didn’t study as well or work. The couple very sorry for their child. When they talk about their son they always cry! Meanwhile I saw a lot of my friend when they come to United States. They were very poor, but their kids work hard and they also study hard. Years later, they have their own business and get Masters or PH degree. Every year they earn money and send to their parents who were in mainland China. The parents they are very proud for they have such a good child. Sometimes I think money can make people happy, proud or make a family cry. It depends how you use it.
Michael Man-Tin Chan
04.26.2012
Returning to My Own Country
It seems like quite a long time not to have seen our club members and I hope all of us will be good for the summer holidays. I returned to my mother-town (Soo Chow) to see my relatives and friends in Hong Kong for 2 weeks. The weather over there is very good during the summer time to see members of the family. We felt very happy get together, especially with the younger generations – they grow up very quickly.
I have a very good feeling for the young members of my family, and hope to meet them again on my next trip.
Best regards to all our members.
Robert Leung
04.08.2010
Lucky Day
Today is my lucky day. My friend Mike and I came to visit this nice senior citizens center, and were fortunate enough to meet my new Chinese friend Benita on her birthday. She is a wonderful lady. She looks and speaks just like my daughter Dorothy.
I’m so very glad and happy to meet her, and all of our new senior center friends.
Forever friends,
Robert Leung
And don't forget to maintain contact with the older buds in your life. If you can't be there in person, please call them, email them, or message them on social media. And if they're using teleconferencing or remote events for the first time, give them a call and help them set things up. Check in on them to see how well they're getting used to these programs. Buy them a computer or an internet package if they don't have one of their own. It's a human right, after all.