Patterns by Siwa

Hawaiian mussels (Brachidontes crebristriatus), these are a kind of tiny bivalve endemic to Hawaii, they live embedded in the reef and grow to about an inch in length.

Sea urchins

A close up on sand full of olivine crystals.

Keeled periwinkles (Peasiella tantilla) on a reef. They grow to about 1/4 an inch.

Ferns

My son

If you've been reading this blog from the beginning then you may remember this post about being a mother.  You may also remember the family picture from that post includes a son, one you haven't heard me mention before.  That's because he has been away.  His name is Enoch and he's been serving a full-time proselyting mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for almost two years now.  He'll be coming home soon and our whole family can hardly wait to see him.

I watched this Christmas music video about service and sons and homecomings, and I thought about my own son and kept getting choked up.  I was remembering when he was about to leave.  Our family had never been parted like this before.  He was nineteen and about to leave us for two years and I had a pain in my heart, a real physical pain. As the day of his departure drew nearer, I would stop him in passing and hug him, and he would smile and say, "Don't be sad Mom." Scott and I decided that Scott would be the one to take him to Utah to the Missionary Training Center, and that I would say goodbye to him here in Hawaii.  I couldn't bear prolonging the goodbye and so I chose to stay, to say goodbye sooner rather than later.  At the airport he said goodbye to everyone first, and then we found ourselves looking at each other for a moment and then we fell into each others' arms and I cried like a baby.  I drove away from the airport in the rain, with tears streaming down my face.

Two weeks before they left, Scott placed his hands on my head and gave me a priesthood blessing.  The pain in my heart had become almost unbearable, but after the blessing it went away and I've never had it back since.  Saying goodbye was hard and I've missed him, but the last (almost) two years have been doable, bearable, even peaceful, made more so because I believe in what he's doing- teaching others about Jesus Christ.  Now I have this excited feeling in my breast, and it's growing, like Christmas will be coming twice this year. 

Lending my son to others, for the love of others, has taught me, in my own small way, to love God more than ever. I thank Him for giving His Son, Jesus Christ, to us, to be our Savior.  I celebrate His birth, I truly rejoice in it.  I want to tell everyone about Him, and to reach out to others in love as He did and does. This Christmas, may God's love fill our heart's with joy, and may we share it with others through our acts of kindness.

Here's a short video with scenes from Christ's birth and life:   

Merry Christmas everyone! Peace be with you.

Favorites by Siwa

Lately I've been playing around with my pictures. The results aren't always entirely realistic, but I really like the way they've been turning out. Here are a few of my favorites.

A green anole lizard watching me from some red ti leaves.

A strawberry leaf with some unusual red coloring.

This is a close up on a false mallow (Malvastrum coromandelianum subsp. coromandelianumu) leaf.

A patch of Wood sorrel (Oxalis corniculata). This plant is often mistaken for clovers or shamrocks because of its shape.

Ferns on a mountain.

Bouganvillea flowers.

Water by Siwa

Living on an island, we are constantly surrounded by water.

Light shining through the water casting rainbows on the coral below the surface.

Waves in the morning.

Water on a taro leaf.

The sun rising out of the ocean.

A small waterfall at the end of a hike.

A droplet showing the flower behind it, through it.

The blue green waters of Samoa.

Lady bugs by Siwa

This post is for the beetles referred to as lady bugs, lady beetles or lady birds. These beetles are beneficial to farmers and gardeners because they feed on pests like aphids, mealy bugs, white flies, and others. When most people think of lady bugs, they tend to think of the seven spotted lady beetle (Coccinella septempunctata), the little red one with black spots; there are actually a lot of other kinds, blue ones, black ones, yellow ones, speckled ones and even some with stripes. Here are a few pictures of the kinds I've found around our yard.

Convergent lady beetle ( Hippodamia convergens)

Three striped lady beetle (Brumoides suturalis)

A lady beetle larva. It will eventually make a pupae, like a butterfly, and hatch as an adult lady beetle.

Steel blue lady beetle (Halmus chalybeus). This lady beetle has a metallic bluish green shell.

Ash gray lady beetle (Olla v. nigrum)

A Dark blue lady beetle (Curinus coeruleus) with some aphids.

My husband

 
This year a very dear aunt of mine passed away.  She had cancer for a long while, but she stayed strong feeling she needed to take care of my uncle who was also sick.  I would come to visit them and find her working in the house or around the yard.  Even though they were both sick, she would get up every day and see that meals were made and that he had everything he needed- all the while brushing off any mention of her illness, never complaining of her own pain or discomfort.  If that's not love and selflessness, I don't know what is. There were times in her treatments when she was really weak and sick, she walked slowly and bent over.  I would be driving by and see her trudging along the bike path for exercise and be incredulous.  She was one of the strongest people I know, a real fighter. When my uncle passed on, she started declining faster, and was gone in about three months.  They're together now, without the pain and suffering.

Another aunt came over for the funeral.  As we were visiting, she told me how great I looked and asked me what my secret was.  I told her I had a good husband.  We laughed about it, but I was totally serious.  He takes care of me and our children.  He has provided for us all these years.  He has sheltered me and cherished me and given me a good life.  And he has selflessly sacrificed to give it.  Every weekday he gets up early in the morning to take Jesse to seminary, then an hour later he goes to pick her up.  Then he's off to work and a day of the usual stresses and challenges, but when he comes home he wipes it from his face and walks in the door.  He kisses and hugs me and jokes with the girls.  If that's not manly, I don't know what is.  I thank God for such a good man- my love, my husband.

One post at a time

We're going to be changing the blog a bit.  From now on Siwa's nature sightings posts will be seen only on the Nature Sightings page, accessed by the green crab on the sidebar.  You can see her new posts usually on Monday mornings starting next week.  I'll start blogging once a week too. I've been praying about it and this is what feels right.  I don't know why or for how long, so I'll just say, "until further notice."  I don't want to give you fluff or to be a producer of fluff.  I want this blog to be meaningful and valuable for both of us.  I know I've been blessed for writing it, and I hope it's been a blessing to you to read it.  We'll see what God has in mind in the coming days.  I'm content to take it one post at a time and I hope you are too.  I pray and I write, pray and write, pray and write.  It's the best that I've got to give and I'm offering it to you.

My prayer for the week:

"Dear Heavenly Father, please bless me with charity-the pure love of Christ,

may it be the source of all I think, say and do."

Have a happy, peaceful week and I'll see you next Monday.

Jesse's gifts

We had a sewing marathon this week.  I've been helping a friend recover the cushions on her couch.  I started cutting the fabric and hinted to Jesse that it would really be nice if she would sew with me.  She busted out three covers that night.  She's a much faster and neater seamstress than I am, so it was really good to have her help.  Tonight we had our machine and one on loan.  Jesse asked me if I was going to sew.  When I said that I was planning on it, she said, "Let's do it." I felt a wave of gratitude for her and thought about just how cool she is.

If something is broken like the sewing machine or the TV, or if I can't figure out how to make the computer do what I want it to, I call Jesse.  She just knows what to do, even if she has never done it before.  It usually takes a few minutes of research, or a click here, or a turn of the screw there, and she's got it up and running.  Here she is with the weed whacker purring in her hands:

We each come with gifts, I really believe that.  

Some are more obvious than others.  

Of all the gifts I've mentioned Jesse has, 

the one I appreciate the most is the gift of "let's do it."  

I appreciate her willingness to help, and that when she does, 

what she does, she does well.  

And because she shares that gift with me, it in part becomes mine too- 

I get to enjoy the fruits of it afterall.  And gifts were meant to be shared.

This gift, the gift of "let's do it" is priceless to me, and so is she.

For the beauty

One of my favorite hymns is For the Beauty of the Earth (words and music here).  We sing it a lot in our home and the words bring comfort and happiness to me every time.  Here's how it goes:

1. For the beauty of the earth,
   For the beauty of the skies,
   For the love which from our birth
   Over and around us lies,

2. For the beauty of each hour
   Of the day and of the night,
   Hill and vale, and tree and flow'r,
   Sun and moon, and stars of light,

3. For the joy of human love,
   Brother, sister, parent, child,
   Friends on earth, and friends above,
   For all gentle thoughts and mild,

  Chorus:

   Lord of all, to thee we raise
   This our hymn of grateful praise.

All day yesterday I was thanking God.  I thanked Him that I could spend the day with  my parents.  I thanked Him that I found my way around town without getting lost, and that we made it home safely.  I thanked Him for so many things that I don't remember all of them now.  I came home feeling happy and content. 

I can't ever thank God enough for all that He has given me, or that He continues to do for me.  What I can do is spend my whole life trying- by noticing His gifts to me in the first place, and then by acknowledging them to Him and others.  Life is filled with blessings, and so many of them go unnoticed and "unthanked."  We have only to look around to see them, and a prayer of "Help me to see my blessings," can do wonders.   Siwa has a gratitude journal filled with pages and pages of lists of her blessings.  I see her writing in it at the day's end and I can't help but smile.

Here are some of the words to another favorite, Count Your Blessings (full song here).  We used to sing this with my grandmother.  I can still see her singing the words with closed eyes (that were losing their sight) and joy in her countenance:

When upon life's billows you are tempest-tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings; name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord has done.

Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your blessings;
See what God hath done.
Count your blessings;
Name them one by one.
Count your many blessings;
See what God hath done.

I send my deep gratitude to all of you who take the time to read my words.  

Have a grateful, glad and good holiday.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Texture by Siwa

Four green seed pods from an ironwood tree.

The growing tips of orchid roots.

An unusual shell I found under a rock, it was covered in soft bristles.

Lichen and moss on the bark of a tree.

The bark of a papaya tree.

A glossy lilikoi leaf.

The cap of a mushroom growing on a lawn.

A close up shot of a rock rose (Aptenia cordifolia) leaf. You can see all of the tiny cells covering the leaf surface.

The remains of a citrus leaf with only the veins remaining. Mary likes to call these "Fairy Wings".

Giving thanks for Mary

We celebrated Mary's birthday last week.  A few days before, Fancy Nancy took Mary and me out to eat.  We don't eat out much and we go to town even less.  We're country people, so this little outing was a big deal to Mary.  She looked forward to it for days and squealed with delight when she woke up the morning of.  Fancy had called ahead and made reservations in Mary's name and let them know that Mary would be looking the whole restaurant over before she chose where she wanted to sit.  The Spaghetti Factory is one of those places that looks more like a home than a restaurant- with one of a kind chairs and sofas, chandeliers, and floor to ceiling mirrors scattered all around.  Mary chose a little nook with three high back red velvet chairs- very cozy.  The staff came out and sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her ice cream with a candle in it.  Fancy bought her a limeade with a purple straw and a chunk of cotton candy on the tip of it, and she ordered her favorite-macaroni and cheese.  We talked and laughed the whole time, and after lunch we went and stood at the tall windows and watched the boats out in the harbor.  It was a really good day and she felt so special.  It filled me with gratitude for good friends who love my children, and go out of their way to be good to them.  

Thanks so much Fancy!

Later in the week we had our regular celebration, pumpkin pie 

(Mary doesn't like cake?!!!) and ice cream.  We sang Happy Birthday and gave her her gifts.  

 She had asked Siwa to make her a t-shirt with one of her designs on it,

 and she asked Jesse to make her one of her sling bags.  

The girls wrapped her gifts in oversized boxes 

with items that already belonged to her on top of the real gift.  

She wasn't fooled for a minute and dug down to find the real prize.

Here are some of her gifts:

                                           

She loves her mask!

The bag Jesse made for her- she chose her own fabric

The t-shirts Siwa designed

Trying out her new mask and shirt

Happy birthday Baby! We're so grateful you're a part of our family.
Thank you for nine wonderful years.  You make us so happy!