Dearest Kalani Ohana-
Not one usually at a loss for words, I struggle to vocalize what my heart and soul feels. My time at Kalani is sacred to me, it transforms me, nourishes me, strengthens me, and fills me with blissful peace. The land serenades me with her gorgeous elegance, Pele humbles me, and each and every one of you touches me with your unique beauty.
I am blessed to have found you, to have experienced you, to have been loved by you. Mahalo to each smile, each hug, each sunrise, each sunset, each spray of salty ocean mist, and every moment of my time in your presence. You are all a rainbow of hope to me, thank you for filling my heart with your sunshine...I miss you. I love you.
I dedicate this poem to you, to Kalani, to my renewed sense of life, and to every person who knows that miracles do happen...Kalani as my guide and you as my encouragement and support. Nearly lost, I have found my spirit once again.
The Storm
Clouds thicken and suffocate her empty heart like smoke in a lonely bar
Desperate, unheard, the soul leaves her temple
Lost and alone, droplets of rain fall like weights in her psyche
Emotions seep in, her portal of pain is flung open
Vulnerable, raw...it hurts
Fearful but curious, she reaches deep to find a flicker of hope
Soon blazing like a campfire flame, energy begins to pump through her veins
Churning, burning, there is life
The clouds clear, the rain ceases, sun breaks through
Her heart blossoms like a flower at dawn
A full rainbow emerges, she steps into her light
Everyday at Kalani (ka lani, heaven) on the Big Island of Hawai’i is perfect, but some days are more perfect than others and today is one such day.
I will call it a blur
I’ve been here a month now.
When packing your bags to come to Kalani as a volunteer please remember that on your return home things are going to be lighter. In particular your heart and your mind will be much lighter !! Much lighter due to the joy and peace which they will be infused with after spending some time at this special place called Kalani ( meaning 'Heaven' ).
It is what you see when looking back that makes a place a home. I had to get away to discover that. So, it’s good I left when I did. I’m talking about October, 2008. I had been at Kalani for a year. I needed to go. I needed new adventure. I needed new sights. I needed new people. And I got all that. I traveled the world. Parts of it anyway. 
The thing is, at Kalani, and on The Big Island in general, the aina, the land, the Earth is treated with reverence. I love that about this place. As an empath, empathic to the planet itself, I appreciate feeling this oneness with nature. Here, we live in nature. We live with nature. We live of nature. We are nature.
We do not hide from nature here. We do not escape it. We do not alter it to suit our needs. We breathe it in and hold it. We eat our meals on the lanai- outside, breathing. We do yoga and dance within view of the ocean. When it rains, we walk in the rain. When the sun shines, we walk in the sun.
I see that now. Kalani is home to me. It’s not just a place to visit. It’s not just a place to pass through. It is a place, for me, to set down roots. I realized that while being away, while looking back. Home is what you see when looking back. It’s where you want to return to when away. That’s what I have done. Returned. Here I am. My home. My headquarters. The vantage point from which I watch the universe expand its inhabitants evolve. This is where I want to be, so this is where I am. It is good.
I witness people being compassionate and supportive of themselves and others.
