My mom came to visit us a few months ago and I wanted to share with you our visit to the Byodo-In Temple near Kaneohe Bay. The day we went, it rained and it was much colder than normal. Overcast skies and drizzle.
The temple is peaceful and you could easily spend an hour here and see everything.
Isn’t my mom the cutest? It was her first visit to the islands and I wanted everything to be perfect for her, so I was disappointed that the 3 weeks she was here, there was maybe 2 days of sun. Most everyday was overcast, drizzling or windy. It doesn’t help when I rave about the weather being perfect for her to move here with me and it drizzles on us everyday! One of the hardest things about living on O’ahu for me, is being away from my family. I’m not going to sugar coat it, I miss my family a lot.
I know she misses us too. The time we share together now is much more cherished and intense. She spent a lot of quiet moments with the kids sharing grandma wisdom. My mom is a big believer in meditation and centering the mind. She’s taught me how to meditate in recent years and it has helped me out tremendously. She has taught my kids the importance of clearing their minds and praying. I love her for that. When she is here, she implements a meditation time out when the kids are being naughty. I think it’s the way to go, at least for my kid’s.
Grandma bought a bag of bird seed and gave it to the kids. The birds here just come up to your hand and eat out of it. Jensen loved it.
Marlena was more interested in getting the birds to fly to her hand… we stayed there for awhile waiting for the birds to not be so bashful.
The grounds are lushly landscaped with native plants and trees and my mom being born and raised in Bangkok, Thailand, was amazed to see this papaya tree. It reminded her of “back home in Thailand”.
The Byodo-In Temple is tranquil and serene and it’s wonderful just to walk around and be at peace with yourself, meditate and set your intentions. The drive alone to Kaneohe Bay is worth it in itself.
We miss you mamma… I’m watching for the air fares and planning your next visit. We love you!
Much Aloha,
~j
