Local Voices: Bringing Hawaii Home

I am on a journey. A spiritual journey called healing. But I am also on a journey that we are all on, called living.

As I travel down these paths at once, doing the best I can at both, I have encountered people, places and things that have encouraged me to do better. I have decided to share these experiences in the hope that I can touch, or be touched, by others doing the same.

Every January, my family goes to the Big Island of Hawaii. This trip is part of our healing together. For those of you who don’t know, we lost our oldest daughter Savannah to cancer five years ago this May. We had been fortunate to be able to take her to the Big Island, where her dad lived much of his childhood, several times before she died. Hawaii became Heaven on earth to her and because of this, we gave her ashes to the sea of this magical place. Every January, to celebrate her birthday, we return. Not only do we remember wonderful times with Savannah, we also make new memories with her only in our hearts.

While it isn’t hard to understand why anyone would find Hawaii so special, I often wonder why I am so completely at peace when I am there. I think I finally know, and better yet, have figured out a way to bring a little bit of Hawaii into my daily life.

As soon as that plane lands, I feel connected somehow, someway to Savannah. Although a physical part of her is actually a part of the island, it is a different connection. It is a warmth and an energy that I can FEEL in my soul. I believe this comes from the true spiritual connection the people of Hawaii have for their ancestors, legends, Gods and Goddesses. It is an energy that seems to emanate from the earth like the lava that bubbles up from deep below.

Taking a deep breath seems to cleanse me and yet fill me at the same time. Then, as soon as I am back home, there is so much “stuff” that fills my day I barely even have time to take a deep breath. I don’t make the time to connect with my spiritual self, either through prayer, meditation, or heck even a hot bath! This year, I plan to prioritize making that time, and have planned two nights a month to connect with close girlfriends and work on our spiritual journeys together.

I also notice that I am totally awestruck by the natural beauty and landscape of the islands, and become filled with such great appreciation for this amazing earth that we have been made stewards of. There is an abundance of bright, colorful and vibrant life is everywhere you look and my heart breaks when I think what we as human beings are doing to our planet, and what may or may not remain for our future generations. It isn’t that we don’t live in one of the most beautiful places on earth here in Southern California, but once again the daily distractions of life make it easy to take these things for granted. When the puffy blue lips of a Humuhumu pass under my snorkel mask, or the brilliant yellow of a Tang flashes by, I realize that we can never, ever, take these gifts for granted. I become renewed in my resolve to be the example to my children of what we need to do to preserve our amazing planet. Using less, recycling more and supporting local organic farming are just some of the ways that my family and I hope to play our part. That way my children’s grandchildren will be able to snorkel with the Tangs too.

Finally—the food. With a diet that for one week consists of fresh guava, pineapple, papaya, organic greens, locally grown vegetables and fresh, sustainable fish, my body is about as rejuvenated as my mind (even with a few pina coladas thrown in). No, these are not inexpensive meals, and yes, renowned chefs, with years of experience making everything taste incredible, prepare them. Nonetheless, my resolve to feed my family a diet rich in the natural foods of the Earth is strengthened. Doing this in my everyday life means making it a priority, and what greater priority is there really than the health of your family?  It means more time in the kitchen, preparing food with love, rather than hurriedness. It means sourcing my foods so that I can find the least expensive organic foods and it means planning meals and researching recipes, as I am definitely NOT a renowned chef!

Yes, it’s another time commitment, but it’s also an incredible reward. It means dinners around the table with my family (you’d better believe I’m not going to spend all that time in the kitchen and not have the family eat together) where we actually sit and talk. This leads to kids that appreciate kale and bok choy (maybe not love just yet, but definitely appreciate,) and even a husband whose cholesterol has gone down almost one hundred points since he started eating my meals!

While we have been blessed to be able to take our annual trip to Hawaii, the future is unknown, and there may come a time that this trip does not happen for one reason or another. I now know, that even if I can’t travel to the islands, I can bring a little Hawaii into my everyday life. The hope is that this will enable me to feel connected to my little girl in Heaven wherever I may be, be a better wife, mother and friend and raise children with a love for healthy foods and a healthy planet. Aloha!