Island .....a word that conjures up so many images.....strains of old music and an island of loneliness, or that crowded urban center I visited every year from our Connecticut suburb.  Never in those early years would I imagine the depth that that word would become in my life.  This, my fifth trip to Guam and PIU....it is a place that is sacred in my life.  A place God has led me to find and deeply appreciate.  A place that I have grown to love, along with the constant and ever changing people I encounter there.  Through PIU, I have encountered many people from many different islands and have had the pleasure of even visiting distant places such as Yap and Palau in previous years.  This year I ended my month's long journey in Hawaii.  Until now I knew it only from the airport.

Now, thanks to work for the Red Cross, I have encountered yet another island resplendent with its beautiful character  and wonderful people I had the pleasure to encounter.  I delivered two workshops enveloped in the aroma of a  tuberose lei and adorned with a  bright red seed necklace.  Deb, a native Hawaiian gifted me with those and then ended my day by driving me around Oahu  to enjoy a bit of its spectacular beauty.  I even saw a sea turtle swimming below.  She treated me to some local food and we shared some amazing confections "malasadas"  -- from a local bakery in her neighborhood.

Enjoy this little video....the last days activities....(one more video still to come of PIU days)  on Guam, and today's activities in Hawaii.......