Married to Maui

One of my finer, yet more annoying qualities - depending on your viewpoint - is that I like to analyze things and find applicable analogies; parables, if you will. So, given the challenges we have discovered in living here - many of which caught us totally off guard - I felt compelled to understand it, to translate it, and find a way to put it in terms that I could grasp. After lots of prayer and scripture reading, I finally opened my ears enough to hear what God had to say, and how to put it in terms I could handle. Are ya ready!?!?

For many years, we came to visit Maui. We were dating Maui. Just as two people who are dating, we found ourselves falling in love. During this courtship, Maui put on her best face: beaches and golf by day, dining and moonlight walks on the beach by night. There were no worries. There were people to make our every wish come true. We didn't even have to worry about our car messing up. If the rented convertible made us unhappy in any way, we could simply return it for a new one. And maid service. Who doesn't love maid service? But there was something beyond the outward and surface beauty that made us want to commit to this exquisite place. After much prayer, we chose to marry Maui!

For those readers who have been married longer than a couple of weeks, you probably can figure what happens next. Just like when the young bride discoveries that this man who was her Prince Charming just a couple of weeks before is suddenly the guy who leaves dirty dishes everywhere, can't find a laundry hamper with a searchlight and bloodhounds, and leaves millions of teeny little black whiskers in her sink. The idealistic groom so smitten with his bride is horrified to discover that she doesn't always look (or smell) that great every morning, he can't get into the bathroom as freely as he used to and when he does, he needs a weed whacker and a machete to get through all the "girl stuff", and to top it off, she always wants to talk - the bane of many husband's existence.

So, also, did we discovered some not-so-attractive realities after our honeymoon with Maui. Business is tough, but we still need to earn an income. We have a beautiful home, but it is not ours and even tough our landlords are responsible for fixing what is broken, it takes forever - and even then it may not work. And there is no maid service. We aren't on vacation, so we aren't hanging out on the beach or the golf course. Amid the laundry and trash duties, Don is still trying to run a real estate business and I am trying to write a book and get some clients for my business. We're trying to find our way in a culture that is vastly different than anything we new before. We miss the familiar. We're lonely for our San Diego friends, even though we are making new ones here. We just miss the familiarity of those whom we've invested years. But it's all okay.

Just like with marriage of two people, we have to keep dating our island. As marriage coaches, we tell our couple how vital it is to keep the relationship stoked and fueled by spending time doing those things which helped them fall in love. And so we must do the same here. We are spending time on our days off doing fun stuff - golf, beach, dinners out. And just like the young couple must remember to appreciate those qualities in each other that took the love to a deeper place, we also must look into the eyes of Maui. It would be foolish to miss the breathtaking beauty of this place - from mountains to sea, palm trees and plumerias, doves and mynahs and egrets, fish and whales. It's all a wonder.

And just like with marriage, by not bailing when it is tough, by loving and nurturing and appreciating, and by trusting God's Will and Mercy, a new, deeper love is discovered.

Amen.