The drive north from Tennessee to Indiana with Autumn and the girls was uneventful as we watched the ground turn from green, to brown, to white. Our first ten days of 2018 were spent in the Hoosier state visiting with family and friends, and the only real downside was that the January temperatures dipped into the minus numbers, with wind chills in the -20 range. As we walked down the frozen jet bridge, to board the Delta aircraft heading to Hawaii, there was no doubt that we would enjoy the next 17 days in the tropics.
Our three days on Waikiki Beach, at the Wyndham Royal Gardens, were a perfect reminder as to why we were there. Temperatures were in the 80s, with nothing but bright blue Hawaiian skies. We fully enjoyed a day at the PGA Sony Open thanks to PGA Tour pro, Tyler Duncan. Then came January 13th, and the "THIS IS NOT A DRILL. A BALLISTIC MISSILE IS INBOUND TO HAWAII" text message and the "20 MINUTES TO IMPACT" TV scroll! They were 28 minutes that we will never forget. We flew from there to the island of Kaua'i that afternoon and the sunrise on January 14th, shown above, may have been the most beautiful dawning of another day that I have ever seen.
Our time on 'the garden isle" was spent, for the most part, at the Wyndham Kaua'i Beach Villas just enjoying the warmth of the sun, the ocean breeze, the rooster's wake-up call, and the beauty that surrounded us. We did manage to spend two days being guides for new friends, Dennis and Denise Linnell. We met them while in Alaska last fall, as they graciously opened their home to us while in Soldotna for six weeks. We visited many wonderful sights and traveled every inch of the main road on the island. It was good to, one more time, see Waimea Canyon and all the beautiful beaches. All in all, it was an awesome time in Hawaii.REFLECTIONS
Every morning on Kaua'i I got a 4 a.m. wake-up call from one the resident roosters who called our resort home. It really wasn't very pleasant! But the biggest "wake-up" call was that morning on O'hau when I thought I might be incinerated in 20 minutes!
I must say that, following a time of looking my mortality in the face, I now, even more than before, have decided to cherish every day. I will cherish mornings, like the one early in January, where the cold, frigid, wind hurt my skin and the wind chill registered -22, as I made an early morning donut run to Jack's Donuts in Avon, Indiana. I will cherish days, like today, when the gentle ocean breeze kisses my face with sweet aromas and the warmth of the Kaua'i sun. I will cherish days when it rains, and days when the sun shines. Each day will be an added blessing.
When facing a twenty minute deadline on my life, it was good to know that my heart was right. So you see, for me the BEST IS YET TO COME, be it here or there.
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