In Awe of Pele
Mai Kahiki mai ka wahine ‘o Pele,
Mai ka ‘āina o Polapola,
Mai ka pūnohu a Kāne,
Mai ke ao lalapa i ka lani.
Mai ke ao ‘ōpua.
Lapakū i Hawai‘i ka wahine ‘o Pele.
- Ka Huaka‘i a Pele
I don't think anything can spiritually prepare you for amazing moments in life. Especially for those impromptu evenings that turn into lifetime memories. I had one last night that creeped into today's early morning hours.
We decided to make our way to spend a few powerful hours in the glow of Pele and under the faint light of the milky way.
At that moment in time, I did not want to be anywhere else in the world.
Two uncles from Kalapana joined us, spoke of their younger days of being ready at a moment's notice when Pele changed course. They reminisced about their days running around the lava flows of different eras beneath our feet.
It was pitch black. You could see nothing, yet you could see everything. It opened up a different part of me, having just returned from two amazing months of work in New York City.
This was a reminder to me of the first time my ancestors walked these islands. I had a similar moment when touching the original cobble stoned streets of Madeira, Portugal. The home of my first love, my Great Grandmother. I felt her there in Portugal, as I felt every Hawaiian relative I've known by name and every Hawaiian relative I've known by spirit and action.
I could not stop looking at the enchanting glow of new land being created and in its wake, sacrificing the lives and livelihood of people before us, to provide a new home for generations way after us.
As the glow of the sun slowly lit the Eastern sky so its rays could touch Kumukahi, the sky lit up with a bright flash, and a meteor shot across the sky with a blue tail that followed. No words. Heavy. I literally bowed in reverence for everything: life, its lessons, its ups and downs and especially for these moments, where I get to stop, breathe in life and exhale responsibility. Heavy.
I'm still on a spiritual high. Thank you to our hosts - those seen and unseen, my friends, and my place and time in this world. With so many things to be sad over, worldwide unrest that can bring you down for days, this was needed.
Lapakū i Hawai‘i ka wahine ‘o Pele.
