The Rabbi's Story

Aloha Welcome to You

Mountain, Water, Fire & Air
at Haiku Gardens



"Imagination is the highest kite one can fly."

Lauren Bacall

The "Big Store" is humbled by these epic skies,

by their tales & memories




"Throw your dreams into space like a kite,

and you do not know what it will bring back,

a new life, a new friend, a new love, a new country"


Anais Nin

Meanwhile, back in Honolulu Town, life goes on.

'WoOF!'


>>


What was it he said that stuck in my mind all these years,

these decades,

these ages of life?


About enjoying his child times, playing with his friends;

'This must be the best time of life?' He thought.



Playing basketball in college, his yarmulke bobby-pinned to his

curls,

about winning with the team;

'This has to be the best time of life.'



Of courting & marriage,

'The best moments of life' He thought

until his first child was born.


Turning to his own father as they looked at the newborn,

an ancient Rabbi with an ancient beard,

'Pop,' he said 'This is the greatest moment of my life!'



His father only smiled wider and said

'Wait till your first grand child is born;

THAT is life's sweetest moment!'

L'Chaim! To Life!

It sure beats the alternative!


Just for today,

let's not get angry,

let's not be afraid.


A wonderful post is HERE at Writing in Faith.

And thanks to Pagan Sphinx
for the smashing shot of fire on the beach that
inspired me to post my top shot today.

Hers is better. HERE

toodles, cloudia

Morning in Chinatown

Aloha;

Let's stroll through Honolulu's Chinatown -

the oldest Chinatown in what is now the USA-

Hawaiian Skies Above-



"The air up there in the clouds is very pure and fine,

bracing and delicious.

And why shouldn't it be? -

it is the same the angels breathe."


Mark Twain

Urban street scenes below-


"With true friends . . .

even water drunk together is sweet enough."


- Chinese proverb

See those Manapua in the basket?

More HERE

Campaign season must pass through Chinatown!


"To be uncertain is to be uncomfortable,

but to be certain is to be ridiculous."


- Chinese proverb

"Happiness is not a horse, you cannot harness it."

- Chinese proverb

A Shinto priest prepares for the service.



"Think not that dreams appear to the dreamer only at night:

the dream of this world of pain appears to us even by day."

JAPANESE POEM.

The Temple stands ready.


"Wafted into my room, the scent of the flowers of the plum-tree

Changes my broken window into a source of delight."

Japanese Poem

Lion Dancers are ready.

"A man's fortune must first be changed from within."
- Chinese proverb

The 200

ALOHA TO YOU!

Welcome

All the visitors
seemed to be enjoying Waikiki this weekend. . .



"I want to express my feelings,

not illustrate them."

Jackson Pollock

If you like more solitude,
you can learn how to Windsurf. . .



"Our lives

teach us who we are."

Salman Rushdie

But as I ALWAYS say,

we are so much more than a beach. . .

It's BON Season.

Time to dance with the ancestors again. . .

Looks like the Soto Mission is going off this weekend.

Had to go back Saturday night and enjoy it!


><>


What a burst of happiness this morning
when I saw that the 200th person,
heck! that Two Hundred and TWO
Dears
have joined this blog!

MAHALO NUI

Means a BIG THANK YOU!


When I was little,
my brother and I had a cheap little reel-to-reel tape recorder.

We used to record a play "radio show" on it.

My little brother didn't like the fact that it was MY show
and that he was my side kick.

But I was older and had a bigger mouth.

The idea of actually having a real audience
was a kids pipe dream back then.

Back then, even parents didn't pretend to be interested
in their kids' activities
beyond saying stuff like:
"Turn that off!"


When I was a little older
a neighbor boy had a tiny pirate radio station in his basement
and we used to broadcast in a one block radius
fearing
that the FCC trucks would roll up on us
and take us to federal prison.


Later, I got to play around in college and public radio.


Then THIS, this blog thing!


Warhol said that everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.


And today I really do "broadcast" to the world!


I'm no Arianna Huffington

but 2o2 of you have joined!

A bunch more look in daily!

And just as exciting,

I have met YOU,

lots of other FAMOUS people

in far flung places.

You share your world

better than any mass media could

and together we are building the future,

you, me, and all those cool folks in my blog roll

(please visit them).


Thank you.

Thank you for letting me in your club,

our club.


You are more appreciated

than you probably realize.


Yeah...


YOU!

"Happiness itself does not stay -

only moments of happiness do."

- Spanish Proverb

Wash Plce, Liliuo Kupuna, Kapu

August 21, 1959
Hawaii Becomes the 50th US State.

historical background HERE

Queen Liliuokalani,
AKA Mrs. Dominis

The Palace

KAPU (taboo) means 'set apart'
'special' 'holy'

><>

Waikiki Weekend

A L O H A

These are the hot & hazy days here in Honolulu.

Temperatures politely approach 90f
but the even more considerate Trade Winds
our impossibly blue skies,
cinematic clouds,
and the resort atmosphere,
make it all
O K.

Yesterday,
our blogging pal Friko
posted a brilliant meditation
that really spoke to my heart.
HERE

This isle is so full
of a number of things
that I'm sure we all should be
happy
as kings!


This weekend:
Dukes Ocean Fest will honor the 120th anniversary of the birth of our
Olympic champ, Father of Surfing, Ambassador of Aloha:
Duke Kahanamoku.

Festival Site


There is to be a day long block party in my dear Chinatown;



The much anticipated book launch of
The Value of Hawaii
is scheduled for Sunday, August 22nd, 3-5 pm
@ Native Books, Ward Warehouse
Free and open to the public

more here.

Of course I need some quality time buzzing around
on my motorbike!

A COSPLAY (costume play) gathering
in the full daylight of Sand Island Beach
is imposing an irresistible pull on my camera.



And all of YOUR tasty blog posts entice!

Ah! August Weekend!

Such a lovely phrase. . .

Duke Kahanamoku, second from left.

From the John Lind Collection

>>

"In Hawaii we greet friends, loved ones,
or strangers
with Aloha,
which means with love...
try meeting or leaving people with
Aloha
and you will be surprised by their reactions.
I believe it,
and it is my creed.
Aloha to You."

Excerpt from the calling card of
Duke Kahanamoku



Aloha to YOU! cloudia

Tread Lightly

Aloha Weary Web Traveler!

Rest here in legendary Waikiki for a spell. . .

People simply love this giant banyan right on Kuhio Beach



"Basic research is what I'm doing

when I don't know what I'm doing."

Wernher von Braun

Spires used to be high places in the old days.
Now the residential & commercial towers are higher.
But all remains grounded in flowers...
...in Aloha.



“An instinctive taste teaches men to build

their churches with spire steeples

which point as with a silent finger to the sky and stars.”


Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Light!
Light's the WHOLE thing,
in nature,
and in US.


>>


"Our job

is to tend to our own growth as people,

our grace and integrity and humility.


We need no other goal.


The core of our being

then grows into a substantial

power,

externally as well as internally.


Our ministry becomes

a direct line of creation,

from God

through us

to all mankind."

Marianne Williamson


Well, we are influencing others all the time...

what "mood" what "attitude"

are YOU contributing?


I'm a recovering nervous wreck,

so really living these truths

is what makes my life

livable.....


It feels a lot better,
and people respond better.

And the last US combat brigade has left Iraqi soil.

Good luck to the Iraqi people.

Little by little. . .

Walk & Talk Waikiki

Aloha Sweetie!

you can click on these shots if you like :)

"Certain kinds of truths

are convincing

only in narrative."


Adam Gropnik

so let me tell you a story as we walk...

"Be passers-by."

Jesus,
in the Gospel of Thomas

We walk aimlessly through Waikiki. . .

Everywhere the story unfolds. . .

superceding. . . so that i forget what was wanting to be said. . .


"We think that by naming

we can understand,

as if the tongue

were more than muscle."


Gary Whitehead


>>


We are all purveyors

or our own opinions;


Behaving as evangelists,

shouting on street corners,

assuming each passer-by

is a heathen.


If only they would listen

to

ME!



Sharing stolen zingers

no one's listening to deeply held beliefs;

is it any wonder

communication

finds no place

to grow?



So glad YOU stopped by! cloudia