You Can Take it With You

          There is so much to do before we go back home.  I'll spare you my list this time.  There are also so many things I want to take back with us to Phoenix, including macadamia brittle, coconut syrup, taro mochi, Maui Mango tea, strawberry-guava jam, Li hing cherries, artwork and, of course, souvenirs.  Although I may have to buy another suitcase to take all of this with us, there are some things more precious, that I wish we could simply pack in our luggage.

          I wish I could take the breeze  back to Phoenix.  It blows all our papers around and knocks the cereal boxes off the top of the fridge each time we open the front door (creating a strong cross wind), but I love the feel of it as I sleep on the sofabed (in the living room).  I often wake up in the middle of the night reminded of our remarkable circumstances by this breeze and the lights of the city right outside our window.    The breeze reminds me of the ocean that surrounds us even when I don't see it.

That's what the view looks like at night when I'm not wearing my contact lenses

          I want to take back the spirit of aloha.  A sense that "it's all good" or at least will be.  The love the people have for their culture and the island.  The optimism of the vacationer who left their worries back home to spend some time in paradise.  I believe Nicki will be our ambassador of aloha when we get back.  Always eager to make friends and share her experiences, she embodies aloha and will take the lead in sharing our love with friends and our appreciation to those who have kept us in their thoughts and those who have contacted us.  These daily reminders that there is aloha at home as well, makes it easier to leave. 

          I want to take the family coziness back with us.  When we return, we'll probably relish all the

space we have, especially having the kids in their own rooms.  But the coziness was more than an inconvenience.  It really did bring us together for good and bad.   Although I spent a lot of time breaking up fights, the kids did nearly everything together.  They created games, drew pictures and played together each day.  They took on each others talents and  hobbies to the point where it is now hard for me to tell the difference between their silly drawings.   I don't know if this will be the case when Joseph can go off to his room to read in quiet and Alex can work on some project by himself, but I hope we find a way to recreate it back at home.

          Aside from the gifts and pictures that I can take back home with me, there is something from Hawaii that has become very special to me.  My blog started off as a way to keep in touch with friends and a good example for my children (whom I have forced to blog as part of their home-learning).  But it has become so much more.  It's a thorough (sometimes too much so for my readers) record of my most precious memories and documentation of my journey.  I have found out more about myself writing this blog than nearly any other endeavor I have undertaken.  So, to those of you who have taken the time to read my posts, thank you so much.  Mahalo nui loa!  You don't know how much it means to me.  Really, you don't.

          While our adventure in Hawaii is almost over, I believe mine is just starting.  Hawaii has given me the opportunity to learn how to express myself in a way that fits comfortably (despite my poor spelling) so I plan to continue to write.  We have all grown in ways that were unexpected and these changes are the most precious things we can take home with us.