LOVE IS THE MOST POWERFUL

Love is the most powerful, magical force in the universe, and there is nowhere it displays its beauty and wonder more than in the intimate relationship between two people. We wrote “Chicken Soup for the Couple’s Soul” hoping to capture the mystery and wonder in words, words that will deeply touch and open your heart if you have ever been in love, or hope to be in love. This is a book for husbands and wifes and lovers and anyone who dreams of finding their soul’s true mate.

Some loves between two people endure a lifetime. Others are destined to only last for a while; then, the two lovers are separated, either by choice or by fate. But one thing is true: No matter what the outcome of a relationship, when love enters our lives, it never leaves without transforming us at the very depth of our being.

Each story in this book was written by some one who has been transformed by love. We were transformed when we read these stories, and our wish is that you will be, too. Perhaps some of the stories will help you renew the bond of trust and intimacy in your relationship, or better understand your partner; perhaps others will help you appriciate all of the ways love has enabled you to grow into a better human being; and still other stories will remind and reassure you that although love challenges and blesses each of us in unique ways, you are never alone in what you go through.

What defines our intimate relationships? What sings should we look for to discover how love is revealing itself? The stories you will read answer these questions with insight and eloquence: Sometimes love reveals itself in the unmatched level of understanding and friendship we share with our mate and no one else. Sometimes it is, in what is said, and sometimes, what is not said deeply felt. Somes times it is in the obstacles we must face together. Sometimes it is in how the joy we feel with our partner spills over to our children and family members. And sometimes it is in where the relationship takes us inside ourselves-places we would never go willingly; but for love, we will do anything.

Intimate relationships are also powerful teachers, as these stories illustrate so beautifully. They teach us to be compassionate, caring and forgiving. They teach us to when to hold on more tightly, and when to let go. They give us the opportunity to develop great virtues such as courage, patience, loyalty, and trust. When we allow them to, our relationships will show us all the ways we need to grow as a person. In this way, love will never enter our lives without changing us for the better.

There are moments when love can be experienced as quite ordinary, expressed in a simple smile of acceptance from your beloved. And in other moments, love seems utterly sublime, inviting you into new worlds of passion and oneness you’ve never known before. Like love itself, the stories in this book reflet every season and mood, and every color of emotions: sweet beginnings; challenging and deepening intimacy; moments of grief when we are forced to say good-bye to our soul mate; moments of astonishment when we rediscover a love we thought we lost.

Some stories will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. But above all, the stories in “Chicken Soup for the Couple’s soul” pay tribute to love’s ability to endure, beyond years, beyond difficulty, beyond distance, beyond even death.

There is no miracle greater than love. It is God’s most precious gift to us. We offer this book as our gift to you. May it open your heart, uplift your mind, inspire your spirit, and be a sweet companion on your own heart’s journey. And may your life always be blessed with love…

High as a kite

Kites and childhood always are my endless theme for me to think about and write about in blog - my private space. Kite flying is a simple and captivating hobby which has a long standing tradition in Vietnam.

In Vietnam kite flying has been a traditional pastime for farmers since feudal times. After toiling in the fields, the farmers would spend time with their kids by making then flying kites. There was a clear symbolism to the act of kite flying. When the farmers’ let the kites into the air, they dreamed of favourable weather for their crops and a brighter future for their children.

Today Vietnamese still show a keen and widespread interest in kites. People living in the city may not be farmers, but they still need to relax and spend time with their kids. Today in the big city flying a kite is a form of escapism – as the kite floats high into the sky your eyes are diverted from the urban jungle.

I needs the fresh air as kite need the immense sky. Kite flying is closely associated with most Southeast Asian nations, such as Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam as well as China.

In Khmer culture monks would fly several kites on the roofs of pagodas as a way of praying for peace and prosperity. If a kite fell down, the monks would perform certain rituals to scare evil spirits away. In Thailand, the kite represented the king’s power and so kite flying was a way to show loyalty to the royal throne as well as to pray for good weather and prosperity.

Kites in Thailand were also considered to be the incarnation of birds, which are believed to help stave off humidity. The custom of flying kites is still performed when the rainy season finishes and farmers need dry weather to harvest their crops and dry produce.

The tradition of kite flying in Vietnam most likely came from China. The image of a boy sitting on a buffalo, playing the flute and flying a kite symbolises the peace and tranquillity of the Vietnamese countryside. The image of the kite can also be found in the stylised images of the Lac birds on excavated bronze drums. Our dear city (Saigon) would organise kite flying contests when I was a child.

Children now don’t know how to make kites and flutes. They often buy kites from shops. But those kites are all the same size, colour and style because they are mass produced – not like us when I was a child, we made kites for ourselves. I want to teach my nephews and nieces to make kites like we did in the old days. With a lack of materials around, the kite-makers used whatever they could find.

We used bad quality paper most of the time because it was not easy to find the good stuff. We would pick up any piece of paper we came across and save it. Children in Saigon today have less free time and less space for kite-flying. After spending a day studying, plenty of the kids in this day and age sadly run straight to their computers. Dreams are now provided by online games.

Kite flying must seem a rather quaint and wistful form of entertainment in their 21st century eyes.

But Still, there are people who still fly the flag for kites.