I love the translucence of certain objects held up to the sun.
Glass looks brighter and the colors show up better. When you look through leaves or petals,
you can see the tiny cells and veins glowing in the light.
On one of our hikes we ended up taking much longer than planned, waiting for the stragglers to catch up.
By the time everyone finished the hike, the sun had started to set behind the trees.
Sunrise over Molokai. Just under the sun is the faint outline of Molokai, and below that is a surfer.
On the Saturday before Easter Sunday, as I was just heading out to grocery shop, Mary pointed out to me that there was a huge egg hunt going on that morning in the community, she was just saying. There has been so much going on, and I had completely forgotten to plan a hunt for her, or to even think about taking her to one. So I went shopping, bought the food, came home, had the older girls fill the eggs and hide them, and gave out last minute invitations to Mary's friends. ("Did you have a hunt yet?" "No?" "Want to come over and have one?" "Yes?" "Don't come for another hour, we're hiding eggs.") Six kids showed up and they ran all over the place, looking in every nook and cranny they could find. After everything was found, they ate their eggs, and drew pictures in chalk, all over our driveway. Mary was very happy. I couldn't have done it without my girls. Even during the hunt they were helping the little ones- holding their hands, and sometimes their baskets, telling them when they were hot or cold, and sometimes pointing straight at the eggs. One of our little friends (in the blue cookie monster t-shirt) was a little unsteady on his little legs, but that didn't stop him from running full speed down our driveway. He had a will of his own, and he didn't want me to touch his basket, or to keep him from running straight off the edge of some steps. I had to catch him a couple of times, but he was adorable, and I loved that he came.
The following day, we went to church and talked about Jesus. We talked about how what transpired in the Garden of Gethsemane, and on the cross, affords each of us hope- hope for second chances, for redemption; and about how what transpired in the tomb ensures each of us a physical resurrection. Resurrection, Redemption-He paid an excruciating, unfathomable price to offer us these gifts. I don't know what it was like for Him, I can't know. One thing I do know, is that He doesn't want me to whip myself over my mistakes, He's already taken those stripes for me. He wants me to sincerely repent and move on. He wants me to heal, to be happy; and He wants me to be good- as good as I can be, as much as I can be- like Him. He wants me to look forward to the day when I rise after death, and am reunited with my loved ones, including Him, especially Him.
Here's a video of the final moments of Jesus Christ's life,
and some scenes after His resurrection.
So after all the candy is eaten, the banners and balloons taken down, the plastic eggs put away, what then? How do we go on after Easter? How will we go on? Will it be to adorn our heads with the same old crowns of thorns that we're used to wearing, telling ourselves, in our minds, that we are "no good," "without hope," and "can never change," labeling our foreheads with thorny words like unworthy, undeserving, unloved? If only we would take them off and let them go. We don't need to wear or bear them. Christ's suffering brought Him complete understanding of each of us- He has overwhelming compassion for each of us, in all that we've been through, and all that we're going through. He can and will bear our burdens-
if we let Him.
How will we go on? Will it be to forgive others? Will it be to forgive ourselves? Can we give each other, especially those closest to us, the benefit of the doubt? Can we pray and sing, and dance and laugh, and shaka, a whole lot more? Can we turn the other cheek? Can we be good like Jesus? I can answer for myself, "I can try." I know I'll stumble at times, over the pavement, scrape up my knees, and
cry like a baby; but I know He'll be there to pick me up- sometimes even catching me before I hit the concrete, drying my eyes, patiently offering to carry my basket, if I'll just give it to Him; and on really bad days, carrying me- if I'll let Him; never forsaking me, holding my hand, pointing out hidden treasures, redirecting me from pitfalls, and helping me all along the way- every single day. After Easter, and all my life through, I'll give Him my all, because He has, and always does, give me His-
I kept finding plants with leaves other than green,
like oranges, pinks, reds, and purples.
These leaves have really drawn my attention lately.
Here are a few examples that I wanted to share.
The purple plant in the back is called Eldorado (Pseuderanthemum carruthersii),
I'm still working on the name of the yellow one in front. The picture above is also Eldorado,
showing some of the different possible colors.
I have never actually seen red leaves on this particular plant before. It is called Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa). It has small fragrant flowers that resemble Plumerias,
and red fruit a little larger than gum balls.
This plant is called either Copper leaf, Beefsteak or by its genus name Acalypha (Acalypha wilkesiana). There are many varieties of this plant, but at our nursery this green, variegated form
and the red form are the most common.
A Gold Dust Day Gecko (Phelsuma laticauda). They range anywhere from about two inches to around six. These are beautiful, shy, little geckos that live all over the nursery. He is resting on our biggest Bromeliad. Bromeliads come in a huge range of colors and sizes. They catch water in their leaves, so are unfortunately, a perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes. Luckily, we have plenty of spiders and repellant
to help take care of the problem.
A young Money tree (Dracaena marginata). This one is a pink variegated variety of the more common green form.
A Red Ti Leaf plant (Cordyline fruticosa) with flower buds.
The pink heart shaped leaves of Caladium (Caladium bicolor).
Just felt like sharing the view with you. I hope these bring you peace and make you happy.
My son, Enoch, just home from his mission- spending time with his sisters.
Elena and Mary birdwatching at the lake at the botanical gardens.
More birdwatching.
Mary exploring. Ironwoods in the background and their pinecones all over the sand.
Some of the many kamani trees that line the coast.
Mary brought me this flower. I kissed her head, put it behind her ear and took this picture.
The kids and their cousins going for a Sunday stroll. Elena and my nephew walk arm-in-arm. Jesse lags behind waiting for me. She always waits for me.
Some mornings Mary has a hard time getting up and ready for the day. I often find Elena, speaking softly to her and braiding her hair.
Kindness is a lovely word. It melts my heart just looking at it. It's even more beautiful in action. Sometimes I forget to be kind, and when that happens, God reminds me. He reminds me by all the incidences I mentioned above. He reminds me every time I'm crabby and my family isn't crabby back. He reminds me in the grocery store when they bag my stuff and say, "have a nice day," and I feel like they really mean it; or in the parking lot when someone makes eye contact and smiles and waves, even though I know we don't know each other; or when I see someone on the roads give way, so someone else can merge or make their turn in time.
I feel good every time I see the shaka flash.
Most of all, God is kind. My whole life, even the difficult stuff, is a testament of it. He shows me kindness every time understanding comes after the trial. He shows me kindness every time I feel moved by beautiful music, or I see the
sunlight glowing on the green. He shows me kindness when I read good books to my children about love and honor and sacrifice, and I have to pause because I get choked up. It all just softens me and I know again, how kind and good He truly is. God is the source of all kindness, a veritable wellspring of it. I've learned that if I open myself to it, I can be a little rivulet branching off of the fountainhead- spreading kindness wherever I go. And since kindness is so very contagious, who knows what other little streams may branch off in the process. Today could bring a deluge sweeping across the land.
A little while back Jesse and I went for a walk on the beach. Our walks are not exclusive to the sand, we walk on the reefs and in the water as well. We found a small flock of shore birds on the reef and I followed them from one patch of reef to the next trying to take pictures. Here are some of the pictures from that afternoon.
The flock of shore birds I was stalking. Ruddy Turnstones (Arenaria interpres) poking and splashing around in the tide-pools.
One of the times I got too close and scared them away, though they never flew very far off.
Green seaweed on some rocks with Ironwood trees,coconuts and Naupaka bushes in the background.
An Ironwood tree, someone hung an old knotted rope from it, and now all the local kids swing on it.
A crab hole in the olivine sand. There are also a lot of flecks of black lava rock in it.
A popular swimming spot. A small trickle of water coming over the reef makes a little waterfall.
Elena took a bunch of pictures while we were driving around this past week, and I thought you might want to take a ride with us. The truth is, I'm kind of a homebody, actually, really really a homebody. When I do get out, I sometimes get lost. I know it's an island, how hard can it be? Well there are all these intersecting lines called roads and they jumble and tangle and unless I have an eagle's eye view, they don't make any sense to my brain- it just doesn't compute for some reason.
So yeah, driving stresses me out. I'd rather go for a long walk or a hike than drive, in a whole lot of traffic, to somewhere I've never been. I've been known to go the wrong direction on one way streets, and some other embarrassing mishaps that I won't go into. It's just not fun for me. That's why praying while I drive is second nature to me. Prayer has saved me from ending up on the opposite side of the island than I intended to be on. It's saved me from accidents. It's literally saved my life on the roads, more times than I can count, and I'm sure, more times than I'm aware of. It's helped me find my way again and again. I don't get lost nearly as much as I used to, because I know now not to try it on my own- tried it, it doesn't work so well. I pray, study the map (I don't trust our GPS) and follow the signs. It's a system that works for me. I do my part and He does His, and I find my way.
We're a team- He and I, and even though I feel like He's the navigator and I'm just sitting in the driver's seat following directions, it's me who allows Him to do the navigating, and I still have to do the driving. It's my life after all, and He would never take the choice of where I go or the route I choose to get there, from me. He doesn't work that way. The choice is always up to me. I can still say, "No, I think I'll make a turn here," even though the sign clearly says not to. We all know where that kind of driving leads to.
Sometimes when I'm out on the road, I think about the people in the cars around me. We're all on the road together, being guided in certain directions, doing our own thing, following our own paths. I could never keep track of the mass mess that the traffic appears to me, but God can. He knows where each of us are and where we're headed. If we ask for directions, He'll give us signs along the way and help to get to where we need to go, and most importantly- find our way home.
