HOPEful girl

          Even though,  this is the month of a highly  commercialized holiday,  a holiday that doesn't have any biblical background, a holiday that just happens to be another one of those celebrations in history that was 'Christianized' in an attempt to win over some pagans and their hedonistic rituals, a holiday that just depresses people who are single as they are reminded of their lonely state and stresses out couples  as they are feel pressured to please their counterparts to a materialistic and shallow standard.  Despite all this, I choose to rise above all that and can't help but reflect on love.   I feel compelled to share what God has been speaking to me these past days about love. When I was a little girl, although the strong, independent woman in me is reluctant to admit this, that I, not unlike any other little girls,  used to dream about  meeting my Prince Charming one day just like in the storybooks or...

  Happy New Year!   Apparently, fireworks are a big deal here in Hawaii on New Year’s.    I was blessed to enjoy the shows with my good friends who were visiting, a beautiful display at the local resort viewed from my backyard lanai that set off at the stroke of midnight.  At the same time, other fireworks can be heard in the distance from nearby neighborhoods.  Aerial drone videos later viewed on  Facebook  reveal numerous blasts of bright sparks erupting throughout  the island night scape.   I think this custom comes from the influences of the  Chinese New Year's custom and the belief that fireworks symbolizes ridding off evil spirits before the New Year.   The New Year is a time many people decide  to rid themselves of evil spirits or bad habits in an attempt to start new.    Last year, I stated that 2015 was a year of transition and transformation for me.  After living in Southern California w...

I'm so excited to have completed my second marathon,  the Honolulu marathon.   Many preparations and training   went into  that day.  One way I prepared myself was to run some of the actual course.  That way, I would become familiar with the terrain and know what to expect on race day.  I think this created a sense of confidence and calmness as I was faced with the difficult challenge of that day. As the miles progressed  I knew it would only be so long on this straight away before I would turn the corner.   I knew when to prepare myself, change my pace before that treacherous hill.  Knowing that the finish line was just over that hill, made me run a little faster as I came to the top of it.   Of course, there were many variables that were beyond my control such as the weather (thank God this stayed beautiful even though rain was expected) or a muscle cramp, or that person who stopped suddenly in front of me at the wa...

   I've read somewhere that less than 1% of the U.S. population has run a marathon.   I'm proud to say I am part of that 1% and yet will be running my a marathon again in a couple of weeks.  I'm  winding down to the last days of training for the Honolulu Marathon. Although I love to run, the training is no easy task.  It takes a lot of time and preparation.  There are many early mornings I just want to fall back into the comfort of my bed but I get up sleepily and head out for a run anyway because I know my day will just not be complete if I don't.  During my long runs, it's tempting to fall back into a slower more comfortable pace or cut my miles short, but I press on because I know it builds endurance.  Training can be lonely and hard, but the reward of the accomplishment, the pure enjoyment, and knowing I'm doing something healthy for my body makes it all worth it.  Not a lot of people enter this gate.  The path...

It seems like the older I get, the more I love the Halloween season.  What is it? New pumpkin everything recipes? My birthday month?  The candy? Pumpkin patches? Enjoying watching my kids dress up in costumes? Or is it that it marks of the start of the whole holiday season and the promise of even better things to come? Our 5 year old son, Micah is deathly afraid of Halloween stores.  He gets freaked out by the scary masks and faces.  As a matter of fact,he can't even go down the costume aisle at Wal-Mart without clinging to my or my husband's side.  I feel for him but at the same time love it when he finds comfort in the protection of our arms. I cherish that closeness. Those times I can't help but think of ourselves clinging to our abba Father during our own times of fear and uncertainty and how those dark times bring us to a new closeness with our God that we never knew before.  We may have our own ghosts and monsters in our own life. There are tim...

It's taken me awhile to get this issue out  because I've felt like I've been attacked this month.    I attribute part of it to being sick which caused me to be out of work for  almost a week.   When I was sick I just did not feel motivated to do anything, much less put out this blog.  This also has set me back in my training.  Honestly, who runs 2 marathons in a year?   Sickos!  I'm starting to think with this and the fundraising that maybe I bit more off more than I can chew. Lots of doubts starting to sink in.  This week ,as  I finally felt like I was getting my endurance back up, I then sprained my calf which was frustrating to say the least.  However, September is here and school is back in session.  And I believe there is always something to be learned from everything.  So what have I learned?  Well, I recently had the opportunity to go back to school so to speak.  I attended a leadership...

The first Hawaiian missionaries arrived to the islands in 1820s.   They sailed from New England in the ship, Thaddeuss, around the tip of South America onto the vast Pacific and after 164 days, they finally reached reached their destination.  Wow! And I complain about the 5 hour plane ride back and forth from LA.  Just imagine it, you're young, in your early 20s,  just starting your life, inspired by the religious revivals of your community at the time, about to go on a mission miles away. You say goodbye to friends and relatives you know you'll never see again only to travel miles of treacherous oceanfront to a mysterious unknown land all in the name of God. If you didn't fear being killed by wild natives or falling  to diseases, you still had to face an isolated life on an island who's culture you knew nothing about.  When I think of these early missionaries I can't help but marvel at what faith they had.   They were willing to give up everythi...