almost paradise

Paradise provokes the necessary inspiration and imagination to describe much of life on the Big Island. Things are glorious here.

The last few days snorkeling,
traipsing through botanical gardens,
viewing waterfalls,
and exploring the amazing volcano that really is this island,
have been beyond amazing. I've been reminded often of these words the poet/warrior David once penned as some what of a theme for this trip:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
the skies His handiwork, too.
Day after day they pour forth speech.
Night after night they display knowledge.
There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard...

but the truth is, there are some parts of creation that I wonder about. Take a look at this creature:
There are tons of cats in Hawaii. Why? I know, some of you, even some of my dear friends, are cat lovers. But I'm not sure there needs to be so many of them...and so many poised right outside where we're staying and hunting through the night.

And then there was yesterday's afternoon excitement. After viewing the breath-taking wonders of the ocean world while snorkeling, we returned "home" to a different wonder. It was signaled by my sister Carmen's scream when we opened the door.

"Team K" sprung into action, though, (at least the other three of us) as we discovered the varmint still racing around our kitchen floor. We chased it into the living room, promptly cornering it under the couch. (Does that work?) While we had the thing cowering under the davenport, we finalized our strategy. No easy feat, truly, and you'll perhaps understand why after viewing these photos. (NOTE: These photos are not for the feeble stomached. If that is you, it may serve you well to scroll down past these next two pictures.) The plan was for Jenni to lift one side of the couch while Hildred and I knelt ready with weapons in hand. I'm not aure if Carmen served as the town crier or a cheerleader, or how her role fit in, but I'm certain it was crucial to the success of our "mission" together. After a few unsuccessful attempts, we isolated, or, shall I say, annihilated the perpetrator.
Actually, I'm wondering as I place the second photo here if you can even guess what it is, or, rather what it once was? Unfortunately the creature scurried so swiftly we didn't photograph it in life. Only here, on the bottom of my shoe.
In case you cared or couldn't tell, it was a cockroach.
WAY bigger than the cartoon version on Raid commercials.
HUGE. Horrible. Not to be toyed with!!

On the other hand,
the amazing things definitely outweigh my questions.
Such as this fabulous gecko here, lounging on a peace lily.
(Shouldn't we make it a practice to lounge on a peace lily in our day?
or some equivalent?)


Truly I experience more wonder and awe than I can adequately testify to.
Our creator is beyond my words
to explain or describe. But I'm reveling in the attempt.
You're beyond good, dear Father.