Lava Land Part 30: I Count My Blessings

    Before I say anything else, I want to say that every day I miss Kapoho, I miss Pohoiki as it was and I miss our community. Throughout May I thought about what was I doing on each of its days last year. I have had to restrain myself from looking at pictures and videos too often because it isn’t productive and it makes me too sad. 

    Of the few possessions I chose to take, one was a small gold compact with the words “I count my blessings” written in rhinestones. It belonged to my grandmother. It contains a small photo album filled with pictures of my parents on their wedding day and my baby pictures-her blessings.  I came across it yesterday and remembered I had come across the same phrase in a book I read last week in which one of the characters explains that he got through his time as a prisoner of war by counting his blessings every day, using them as a mantra.

Now I will count my blessings.

I am thankful for the friends and the community organizations that gave us support. 

I am thankful for the friendships that have become stronger through our shared experience.

I am thankful we see our son more often now, since he lives in Hilo too.

I am thankful that our daughter is so strong, she's been able to process our shared loss while she's been away at school. 

I am thankful for the new opportunities and friendships we've made this past year.

I am thankful for our lives becoming interesting and unpredictable.  I loved our Kapoho life and the predictable rhythm of our days there. I loved the solitude that came with living in a rural area. I miss it, but I am choosing to embrace this new life we have been given.

I still feeling exhausted from the effort it took to get where we are right now, 

but as the land of Puna has been re-born, 

so have we. 

By Jill Steele

Author "Blood on the Orchids"
Owner Hawaiian Magic Tropical Flowers