Ninja

"1-2-3 Ninja!"
Silent chops whistled through the air.
Faces were still and attentive.

Right lunge.
Backward slash.
Left step.

Maria bursted out laughing.
We joined in.
The game did make us look silly and the trickling crowd of persons coming to St. Peter's Tết Trung Thu Festival were puzzled by our frozen non-sensical postures.

Our iSPY youth group had moved chairs, inserted candles into the paper lanterns, and got the stage ready. We were waiting for the dragon dance which marked the beginning of the festivities. We were ahead of schedule.
It was time for "Ninja!"

Minutes sped by.
Nacho cheese and jalapenos were scooped into bowls.
Hot dogs in creamy white buns were placed into guests' welcoming hands as they got hungry from watching the show and breathing in the clear night air.

The moon shone in its golden glory as clouds drifted past its surface.
Tommy served everyone with a huge smile.
Hương and Magdalene stayed faithful to the beverages post.
Hùng Anh, Andy, and Luân devised plans to empty the trash more efficiently as the carnival slowed its pace.

It was amazing to be around teens with a huge joyful spirit.
It was humbling to be around adults who was there to help the kids help.
It was astonishing that Chị Hồng drove home to make brownies for the kids as a midnight snack.

The moon was gorgeous that night.
More gorgeous were the hearts that gathered under that moon.

ps1. Photo of our ninja game.
ps2. In honor of the iSPY youth group, their parents, and all adult staff (official and unofficial).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Life with Ashes

Image
It was time to move. Goodbye to Allen Parkway and hello to Florin Wood. Our family was moving from Houston to Sacramento. This was over 20 years ago and the day comes back with ashes. And a smell. My dad had piled all our old clothes, furniture, and knick knacks into a huge heap in front of our yard. He poured gasoline generously and lighted it with a smile. My mom looked on regretfully. All seven of us kids were delighted with the dancing flames. The neighbors didn't care. We lived in what they called the ghetto part of the world and since we were not shooting at anyone, we were okay. "We're starting a new life," my dad reassured mom as our van entered the highway. "No need to hang on the old stuff." "It was pretty dinky, wasn't it?" my mom replied hesitantly. Our years in Houston were our first years living in the United States, far away from the land of our origin, Vietnam. What dad burnt was the few possessions we accumulated fro
Read more

Teddy Bear

Image
"Dear God, I love you so much, I want to give you everything. You can have my Mom, my Dad, my sister, my teddy bear. No, I take it back. You can have everyone, but I want to keep my teddy bear." Love, Little Boy. Fr. Roch hardly lost a beat in his lecture of sin as he told his joke. Sin is putting ourselves above God. Not willing to let go. In actuality, God never wants everything. He just wants the teddy bear. What we think is necessary. Photo source: www.funkyfriendsfactory.com
Read more

Bingo!

Image
Sisters at Salerno's Artichoke Lucia.  Baked with Italian cheeses and breadcrumbs. Grilled fillet salmon on a bed of blanched spinach and mushrooms, topped with pine nuts. 8oz. marinated and charbroiled steak topped with sauteed mushrooms; served over linguine. Saturday night at Salerno's. It was time to "open community." Every year we choose a venue to celebrate the beginning of our time together as a religious community.  This year the venue chose us. "Bingo!" An almost audible gasp escaped from the surrounding tables. Sr. Leslie Thu at our table had won another bingo game. A Knight of Columbus member handed her a sealed envelope. Her eyebrows arched in delight. It was a $50 Walmart gift card. We cleared our cards and another round started. It was the Knights of Columbus Sisters Appreciation Luncheon. It was on a early Sunday afternoon. They had sent the invitation two months ago. Sr. Jacinta Ngân had "highly encouraged"
Read more