I have been away, in Hawaii,enjoying myself with my 3 younger sisters as we celebrated the 50th birthday of our baby sister. We lived in Hawaii many years ago. I and 2 of my sisters attended elementary school there, took hula dance lessons there, swam in the ocean and played on the beaches. Our parents grew bananas, plumerias and hibiscus in the yard of our home on Schofield Barracks - the Army base on the island of Oahu. ( Above is a picture of myself, in red, with my 3 younger sisters.)
My sisters Karen and Joni were very clever in hiding this banner to present to our sister after our climb of Diamond Head , on her birthday. What a great hike ! When you get to the top of Diamond Head you can see the most beautiful sights of Hawaii and Honolulu. ( Baby sister is wearing orange)
Lighthouse seen below , from the trail leading to the top of Diamond Head.
Our rented condo is over there, can't you see it?
I have a certificate to prove I climbed to the top!
Diamond Head, as viewed from a boat on the ocean.
As we 4 sisters shared a week together, and shared our lives with each other, it is very apparent all of us will encounter difficulties, tragedies,and disappointments along life's road.Yes, there are great joys and blessings, and hopefully a lot of laughter along the road too. Sometimes though, the sadness and even despair cloud our lives and heavy-laden hearts hold us back from remembering there are sunshiny days to come if only we can hold fast to what we KNOW in spite of the hard times we are seeing and experiencing ." The Lord tests our faith, leading us into hardships, teaching us wisdom, showing us His ways. Our first reaction may be a surge of panic and a sense of alarm, but we must learn to consult the Scriptures for guidance. So, take a deep breath and recall this deeper secret of the Christian life : when you are in a difficult place, realize that the Lord either placed you there or allowed you to be there, for reasons perhaps now known only to Himself. The same God who led you in will lead you out." The Red Sea Rules by Robert Morgan. ( Thanks Mildred for the heads up on this book. )
We had a good time in Hawaii,and I am thankful to God for my 3 younger sisters and with the life He has blessed us. My prayer for each of us is to seek God's wisdom and discernment regarding all aspects of our lives, and more importantly, remember when times seem dark and depressing that God can and will work in us for His glory, we just need to remember... "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Psalm 34:19
What terrific photos Kathy. You all look wonderful and the views are amazing. So glad you had this special time together. May God bless each of you.
ReplyDeleteMy friend and her husband just moved back to Ohio from Hawaii (they got married the week before my sister did). My brother-in-law, my sister, my brother-in-law's parent's and his 2 brothers went to Hawaii a couple years ago in the summer time. A good veterinarian friend of our family went to Hawaii on his honeymoon with his 2nd wife.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed the pictures!
Amy
I enjoyed reading about your "climb". I know that you cherished being with your sisters and that they cherished being with you. I'm the oldest of 3 sisters, so I feel a "sistership" with you. Thanks for telling us about your trip. Welcome home.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you all got to go on this trip. The photos are beautiful, and I know it meant a lot to the birthday girl! God bless you
ReplyDeleteKathy,
ReplyDeleteI am so happy that you had a great vacation with your sisters. What a treat!
Your message on this post is so encouraging and uplifting. Thanks so much for your timely message, and for stopping by to say hello.
Have a wonderful week, and God bless you.
Kathy
So very happy for the time you spent with your sisters and you sharing it with us - yes - we are where we are physically, emotionally and spiritually 'cause we can either learn something, grow, or swim in the ocean/wear flowers in our hair and laugh because God is our Abba Father -
ReplyDeletemy comment reads rather odd - I mean yes - as a friend texted me yesterday "God IS our circumstances"
ReplyDeleteWhat gorgeous women...! You are so lucky to have sisters, Kathy. You all look so happy together. You have such a blessed life. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a coincidence. Daughter Angela and her new hubby J are on their way to Honolulu as I type this. I hope they have as much fun as you did. What a spectucular place!
ReplyDeleteOh Kathy - what a wonderful, memorable, impossible-to-forget time you got to have with your sisters! No amount of money on this earth would you exchange for this time with 3 of the most precious people in your lives! I know ya'll did lotsa sharing and caring and eating and having fun doing whatever!!! And it didn't even matter where you went, but boy did you go someplace beautiful! I haven't been since my honeymoon 32 years ago, but would love to go again! You 4 girls will never ever forgot this time! So glad you got to go!
ReplyDeleteWelcome back, Kathy! I was pretty sure that there must be a holiday on your timetable when I didn't see anything from you. It sounds like you and your sisters had a memorable holiday. You're so right about life and how it can at one time be filled with challenge and the next moment filled with sunshine.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos!
I love the photos!!!! Where's your hat???
ReplyDeleteWow...4 girls..... your parents had their hands full with 4 pretty girls.
So happy you all had this opportunity to spend time together in Hawaii.....
Love,
Kathy, I'm so happy for you that you were able to have such a nice visit with your sisters. I love the pictures! :D
ReplyDeleteWow, amazing time for you all to be together. You are so lucky to have one another and glad you could spend it together in Hawaii.
ReplyDeleteClimbed it many times, both when I was stationed there, and during my honeymoon! Plan on going up 5 times on my 50th... in 4 years! Good to see it in all green, many times it is very dry over there.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog! Wondering if you would like a Link Exchange with our blog Common Cents?
Check us out here...
http://www.commoncts.blogspot.com
I'm so glad you and your sisters had such a wonderful time in gorgeous Hawaii, Kathy! (but I'm also glad you're back home safely!)
ReplyDeleteSure looks like you had a great time, remembering and making new memories. Glad your home safe and sound.
ReplyDeleteKathy, What a great place to spend some time especially with the snow blowing here in Kansas!
ReplyDeleteMay you continue to have a delightful time with your sisters,
d
what an exhilarating trip, all four look so happy and what a blessing to get away from the cold of winter. thank you, as always, for stopping by to comment on my blog. i have been very occupied here and a bit remiss about leaving comments, so please forgive me.
ReplyDeleteDavid & I climbed up Diamond Head when we were having a difficult time in our lives, it is an awesome experience I hope to never forget. So glad you all got to do that together. What a blessing for sure!
ReplyDelete