Traditions

It has been a very quiet Easter. Just Jim and I. No big dinner, no Easter basket. When did I grow up? And when did they? Tomorrow Mike and Suzann, Shelli and Rom and families will come and we will celebrate then. But what happened to the Easter of my childhood?
This is the Easter I remember: Lynda, Ginger, Mike, Vicki and Terry(at the bottom)
Our Easter celebrations always started weeks earlier when Nana began making our special Easter dresses. We would spend hours being fitted and hemmed until she had each one of our dresses perfect. Next would come all new clothes, underwear, slip, socks and shoes. Sometimes if there was enough money we would get a hat or a purse, which made it extra special.

The night before Easter we would color Easter Eggs and get a bath. Our baskets were always hidden and the first thing in the morning we would find them. We would then go to church as a family, something we rarely did. But I think that was when I first learned that I loved the Lord. I can't remember a time I didn't believe. I always knew Jesus died for me, although it was many years before I fully understood what that really means for me personally. Today it is the center of my life. The basis for all my joys.

We would then go to Nana's for an Easter feast. Both of the pictures were taken at her home. My memories of Easter is of Love. Love for my family. Love for my parents, love for my grandparents, especially Nana, love for my brother and sisters, love for the Lord. I hope I have passed this tradition on.

Day 10

This is the saddest day of all. We have to go home. The good news is it is cold and rainy. That makes it easier to leave. Even Hawaii is sad to see us go home. There is a great beauty in the rain and stormy sea. I wish I had a cozy fireplace to watch it from. We enjoyed our morning walk although the wind was fierce.


On the way to the airport we had one of our most poignant experiences of the entire trip. It was raining like crazy but we still stopped at the ancient birthing stones. This is considered a sacred place to the Hawaiians. Over 50 generations of Hawaiian royalty was born at this spot. Royal birthing practices were different from the commoners.


When the time came for a woman to give birth she would go to what then was a secret spot and in the presence of 36 male chiefs she would position herself at certain stones and in certain ways to give birth while they watched. Within minutes of the birth the child was taken away and the mother would not see her child again until it was grown. That was to ensure that the child would not be murdered, (common among rival chiefs)

The rocks were different shapes. They were very interesting and looked strangely out of place in the secluded meadow, some even had what looked like hand-holds. The rocks are all natural and not man made. The entire area had a special spirit about it. I was grateful that I did not live in a time where you had to give birth on a rock. I also couldn't imagine not seeing your child until adulthood. You could picture how the women gave birth there. It felt very real and personal.