The Garden Island Touches my Heart

Hello world! Here's an update on what I've been doing the last couple of weeks.

I went to the mainland to help my dear daughter with her new twins. It was a wonderful trip and I love, love, love all my grandbabies! I got to see five of my six grandbabies and I just can't even describe how much I love them all. It was a very busy trip, trying to see my family and helping with two babies.

The weather was so cold! I froze the entire time. I'm not sure I can describe how I felt when I landed back in Kauai. The air feels different here. It's warm and humid, which some people don't like but it felt wonderful to me. The first thing I did in the airport was take off the jacket I had worn for two weeks, spread my arms wide, inhale a big breath, and SMILE! Then I wiped the tears of joy from my eyes. I really was so happy to be back home.

Home. Wow... weird that Kauai is home to me now. Someday (fairly soon) we will leave Kauai and move back to Colorado (which is truly my real home) but being back here just feels so wonderful. I am again awed by the beauty of this amazing island. I don't think I will ever take this beauty for granted. I love how everything here is green and lush, full of life and growing. This morning I lay in my bed waiting to hear the Hawaiian doves that coo so often. Within a minute or two I heard one and again I SMILED. That is the sound of Hawaii to me. I went to work and was greeted with hugs, cheek-kisses and welcome-back-wishes from the wonderful friends I work with. They said they missed me and asked how the babies and the rest of my family were doing. My boss found me to say welcome back, gave me a hug, asked me about the twins, and cried when I told her how they were doing (this is a little different from my boss in Colorado, whom I hardly ever saw).

To those dear loved-ones that I saw on the mainland this last two weeks: Please don't mistake my love for Kauai as a rejection of you all or of the home that I love there. Please try to understand this almost spiritual love I have for this new home of mine. It does NOT mean I don't want to be with you! I just want to treasure every single moment I have on my temporary island home because I know this time is short-lived and this place truly brings me JOY. JOY! Not just pleasure but true, deep JOY. I wish I could find the words to adequately describe my love for Kauai, but I can't, and I really don't expect my loved-ones to understand it, but please just accept it and support me and let me experience this life adventure to the fullest.