Maui's Own Lavender Farm

One of the things I have been doing since I retired was to join a Bible Study on Wednesdays. It is a precepts Bible study which focuses on understanding what the Bible is REALLY saying. Precepts studies has you marking certain words (usually nouns, pronouns and verbs) and studying the emphasis and the patterns of the words in the verses. The study we are doing varies. Our last study addressed "forgiveness" and the study we start tomorrow is on making right choices. Shelia, (the blonde lady behind me) suggested the ladies of our Bible Study take a "tea and tour" at the Lavender Farm in Kula, upcountry Maui. My entry today is not so much about the Lavender Farm. I think most of you reading this have visited Maui and have gone to the Lavender Farm. The farm is slowly upgrading and changing... becoming larger and more beautiful. It's a little piece of heaven. So, what a great spot to share some "lady time" with women who love the Lord. We have been meeting for the past seven weeks and this trip gave us an opportunity to get to know each other better. Shelia is originally from Illinois, lived in New York and ended up in Thousand Oaks, Calif. where she raised her children. Her husband was in the music industry (a recording engineer) but gave it up when the demand for his profession started to decline. They are on Maui (minus kids) doing property management. Patti, sitting next to Shelia is from Guam. Her and I have know each other for 14 years through the Post Office. We worked together and became close friends. Gail, the lady in purple, is from New York and has lived many places but spent 24 years raising a family in San Jose, Calif. Her husband worked for Hewitt Packard and she worked at a pregnancy crisis center. They are both retired. Gail has graciously opened her home to these Bible studies each Wednesday morning. She leads the study and I must say, she is knowledgeable, has lots of insight and great compassion for those of us in need. There are several other woman in our group who could not make our upcountry gathering. Mind you, the day before was the great tsunami scare and we were all pretty exhausted, physically and emotionally. Patti and Gail did not have to evacuate their homes, but Shelia and I did. Shelia not only had to evacuate her home but two families in vacation rentals who needed assistance. Imagine visiting Hawaii and then having to face a possible natural catastrophe.

The heart of this entry is the gathering of women. Living on Maui for 23 years, away from my family and close friends has manifested itself into a type of loneliness. I have made friends on Maui but busy time has keep those bonds from deepening. Prior to my retiring, my life evolved around working, my family and home. To make new friends outside of work and my minimal social circles, has been a challenge. I have surmised that making a new friend is like dating.... where are you going to meet them and are they going to fit into your life. Will the husbands hit it off and what if they don't have a husband. When you have family and childhood friends around you, it's easier. So, meeting with these ladies from my church, Hope Chapel ~ www.hopechapelmaui.com ~ has been special for me. We gather every week and study the Word, apply it to our life, talk about the pitfalls and struggles, the victories and the blessings, pray for each other in an intimate and secure setting. I realize in today's world it is politically incorrect to be a Christian but I have also have come to realize, after an up and down relationship with the Lord since 1972 when I accepted Christ during the Jesus Movement, that I am nothing (Christ ~ian) without Him.