Hawai’i

After two weeks of processing and training for Miles, we left Hawai’i on July 31. The kids and I spent our days eating by the beachfront and exploring the tight side streets in our double stroller. 

The highlight of each day was finding a new restaurant as a whole family. Our evenings consisted of playing in the hotel and going on walks together. Miles and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary during the first week we were there. On Sunday, we attended Mass with a visiting Bishop from Tonga. He was accompanied by a choir of around 40 people, and all of the parts of the Mass were sung in Tongan. We admired the skirts and jewelry that they wore; it displayed to us the beauty of the universality of the Church.

My long days began to feel like a vacation as soon as my family landed on the island to share our last three days in the hotel. One of my personal highlights was getting to hand the kids over to my sister so that I could swim in the ocean. My dad taught me how to swim in the ocean when I was a young girl, and it always makes me feel close to him when I get to share in a pastime we both enjoy. 

This layover helped us to acclimatize to the humidity and heat waiting for us in Dhaka, but also to the mindset needed during our time abroad. I learned quickly to segment up my time without Miles, to stick to a routine, to look for the positive aspects of each day, and to reflect with thankfulness on the provision of graces already given to me.

On our last evening, Miles and I sat in the warm air on our balcony together, enjoying a moment of peaceful quiet as we took in the view of the ocean from the twenty-third floor.  We ended our time as we began it- together and as a team. We were ready for our next transition to Dhaka.