I Got In Me: “I just locked myself out Lol” Friend: “Dude!” Me: “I’ll get in” Friend: “I think it’s time you hide a key outside or something” [3 minutes later] Me: “I got in” This, you may be able to surmise, is not the first such conversation I’ve had with a friend. I’ve locked […]
A Note of Understanding My weekly message this week is less of a reflection and more of a report. I’ve been hearing concerns lately about an incident that took place nearby the church building late Sunday, January 23 and early Monday, January 24. Someone left the dryer you see here at the entrance of the […]
A Certain Tee Sometimes my friend wishes I’d wear a different shirt. “Great. Let’s talk to a bunch of people today.” It’s just that almost every time we go out with me wearing it, some conversation has to happen. “Oh, I saw them in concert. It was one of the craziest experiences of my life.” […]
Freedom, Too On the 129th Anniversary The booties I had to wear were so cute. I felt like I was pretending to be a doctor or like I was putting on slippers over my shoes. Then walking around the magnificent structure and on the finely milled and polished floors, it was a little more slippery […]
A Christmas Miracle? I don’t want to brag, but I am a bit of a Christmas miracle, right in your midst! Every year I hope it won’t happen. I eat right (mostly). I exercise (usually). I try to keep the stress of the season and the calendar at bay every year. And this year, I […]
Reason in this Season Friends, there is a lot I like about this time of year, but it might not surprise you that one of my favorite parts of the year is the music. I’ve shared previously about “Pretty Paper” by Willie Nelson, and covered beautifully by Dolly Parton. But I thought I would give […]
We Can Be Heroes One of the things I’ve always wanted to do is to run a marathon. Well, I think what might be more accurate to say is that I’ve always liked the idea of running a marathon. Friends of mine have run them, and I’ve gone to see folks finish them before. I […]
Broom with a View “Can you help me?” I got out of the car and arrived at the front door of my friend’s home and saw the waves—they were little, but they were waves—lapping up and over the threshold of his door. When we walked around, our feet were submerged under the water. We moved […]
Pretty Paper It’s here, isn’t it? I knew it was here maybe for the first time yesterday, when I walked into the grocery store and there were wreathes and garlands for sale by the entrance. Like so many experiences of recollection and of knowing, it wasn’t the sight of the garlands—it was the smell. The […]
Love Somebody Else It’s time for me to share an important confession. Throughout the pandemic, I have tried a range of ways to stay occupied. I’ve shared my love of The Great British Baking Show and I’ve shared how jogging and walking have also helped. Of late, I’ve stumbled into something entirely new. Around the […]
Wake-Up Call Once upon a time, a young man had been doing a bit of drinking in Waikiki. He was having a great time with his friends, but one by one, his friends departed until he was drinking by himself. Then the bars closed, and this young man wasn’t sure how he would get home. […]
At the Seams “Get it. Get it!” This is what I was saying to the crabs ticking along the sand sideways. Their spindle feet made tracks like seams wherever they went, and there were a lot more seams because my friend and I were lobbing whatever we could find in the sand at them to […]
The Ball “ball…ball……ball, ball, ball, ballballballballball………ball” As I watched my friend’s border collie, this is all that could possibly be going through her brain. Her focus was beyond intense. It was singular, concentrated, and unbreakable. Around her at the dog park, other dogs would try to play with her, try to sniff her, try all […]
Now Is The Time “Tenors, please don’t scream here.” We giggled a little, as a tenor section in a choir has a tendency to do. The conductor who was rehearsing us for the big performance was trying to be sure the tone coming from the tenors wasn’t too strident or yell-y. It was her task […]
Something About Love “It’s not about the notes. It’s about the groove.” That is the thought that came to me as I listened to a recording of Knocks Me Off My Feet by Stevie Wonder in one ear, listened to my own voice and piano playing in the other ear, read the music in front […]
Modeling Self Care Aloha Friends. My message this week is no message. I’m taking a floating holiday from Labor Day today because I have worked in some capacity on each of the past fourteen days. I feel great. I share that not in any way to make anyone feel bad. I am simply modeling what […]
Our Own Advice Sometimes I wonder what our lives would be like if we took all of the great advice we give to others. Would we let more things go, get more sleep, drink less caffeine, and go for more walks in nature? Probably. Those are just a few of the ways I’ve wondered recently […]
A Good Time “We’re having a good time…having a good time…” When these lyrics came from the speakers, they came with an announcement: “The groom wants everyone to get up and dance before dinner.” It was nice to have the message from the DJ, but the groom’s message was already clear because he was punching […]
That Time of Year Well, it’s that time of year again…time to plan for Thanksgiving! The annual Nu’uanu Valley Interfaith Thanksgiving Service is in full planning mode, and in meetings taking place on Zoom, from a few different corners of the globe, our merry band of planners is at it again. We are looking for […]
What’s Next I had a chance this week to speak with a colleague who is a hospital chaplain. She was naturally very concerned with all of the wild growth in numbers of Covid infections, and we spoke about what that means for the many patients she and her colleagues see in hospitals. She also spoke […]
