When Christmas Comes to Hawaii

Somedays Hawaii feels a million miles away from anywhere. Island Fever is a real thing, people! Living a 13 hour plane ride away from home has left me often feeling isolated and disconnected from my former life.

This is especially difficult during the holidays. I love my life here. It is a full life. I am surrounded by friends who have become my “ohana” and I am grateful. But I am still disconnected from the person who moved here two and a half years ago.

I have grown and changed and the Lord has shaped me into a new person. But there are times when I am blessed with my life, the old me and the new me, crashing together in a beautiful way.

As I drove across the mountain to pick up a dear friend, a sister, at the end of her 13 hour journey here. We rushed across the sidewalk and wrapped each other tightly in our arms with tears of joy.

When life is hard, you seek family. When you have to traverse an ocean and then a continent to see them, life feels a lot harder. When Michigan comes to Hawaii, life is good. As we sipped on mulled wine and laughed it felt, just a little bit, like Michigan Bailey had arrived with my friend. And Christmas continued to fill my heart with wonder.