Hail, Mary full of… Aloha?
Hail,
Mary full of… Aloha?
“And the angel came in unto her, and
said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art
thou among women.” Luke 1:28 (KJV)
One of our last days on Maui, a hotel sales woman approached me as I was
walking through the lobby. I saw her uniform, and the “sales look” as if she
were about to attempt to sell one of the vacation residence packages, and I
rapidly made a mental plan for a duck-left, weave-right move when a second
woman in uniform blocked my right. Darn it. The first woman calmed my
fight-or-flight-to-sales reaction “May we speak with you just a moment? We are
not selling anything.” Whew! Well, I was bordered in, so, "sure.” The
second woman countered. “We would just like to ask you 2 quick questions about
your stay here at the hotel.” 2 quick questions… hmmm... mental calculations…
“Sure.” 2 questions I could handle.
The first uniformed
lady asked: “What brings you to our hotel?”
I answered: “My
husband’s conference.” (“And the fact that it is Maui, duh!!!”
-- Fortunately that part stayed in my head.)
The second
uniformed lady asked: “What does ‘Aloha’ mean to you?”
I answered: “Warm
and welcome.”
Whew! Hotel pop-quiz done. We exchanged “thank-you-very-muches” and I was on my
way… into God’s dance...
You see, when you give me a word and ask “What does
that mean to you?” it’s equivalent to giving a termite a fresh log. Huh…. What
DOES “Aloha” mean to me? Golly, it means the “welcoming” of all the palm trees,
smiles, beaches, warm hospitality, authenticity, luau food, hula dancing, loving
generosity, slowing down, taking time, just being together, swimming, reading,
playing, walking, hiking, snorkeling, exploring, awe inspiring views, boating,
whale watching, the list was nearly endless with blissful thoughts of island beauty
and warmth. I spent the rest of the day pondering all the facets of what
“Aloha” means to me, and enjoying when I saw it everywhere.
Then God
swayed me.
We had wandered to a toyshop with the kids. One of the first displays in the
store was a rack of toy license plates. The kids quickly found the ones with
their names, and corresponding Hawaiian translation of their names.
Kilikopela/Christopher… Aloha/Grace… Whoa! Shut the front door (yes, I am all
common phrases and clichés in my head)! Grace is Aloha?! Aloha is Grace?!
Suddenly the thought of Mary's “being full of grace” or “full of God’s favor”
flashed and shifted a bit. Included being full of a little more aloha.
Am I full of aloha with the turns of life? Not always. Am I full of aloha
with the responsibilities of family? Well… that could always use some work
right there. Am I full of aloha when hard times hit? Nope. I’m trying, but in
all honesty, nope. Am I full of aloha in Maui? YES. Yes, I am. Am I full of
aloha in Portland? About half of the time - sure. Oh, Heaven help me please, to
follow Mary’s biblical example better. Help me live in more “aloha,” a grace that
welcomes more like she did, for Jesus sake, times filled with common life,
uncertainty, major turns, poverty, humility, incredibly long journeys, anxiety,
deep sorrows, and incredible joys, in better balance than I do today. Mahalo,
for all of the grace you accept me with, Lord. Aloha. Amen.
