《The Third World Poor_A Summer series of Reflections (4) Final》 __ Ernest Yau (65)

Dear Friend:

As summer draws to an end, I am reminded of the Irish tune The Last Rose of Summer, learnt in Jesuit High School in Hong Kong decades ago, that carries an air of sadness and loneliness, the poet’s lament as a sole survivor of the loss of loved ones.

This is Part Four of the summer series on the Third World Poor.

Continue

《The Aroma of Coffee and Prayer》__ Ernest Yau (65)  

Against the backdrop of an Orthodox Christian church built some 600 years ago, I smelled the aroma and tasted the thick, bold and dark Ethiopian coffee, mesmerized by the ceremonial regalia, drifting in the swirl of frankincense smoke and soaking in a tradition dated back many centuries. I am in the land where coffee was birthed as attested by Kaffa, a southern province, so called for its namesake.
Having traveled north and south of the country, tomorrow I will begin my service at a Mother Teresa’s home for the poor in Addis Ababa with Brothers of Missionaries of Charity.
Continue reading