The surf is up on the Big Island. Swimmers beware, only surfers dare. Small craft advisories. Many go to the shore to observe the pounding and feel the spray - catch the images on their cameras..... and yes, I'm one of those drawn to the sea on days like these.

Yesterday's impressions were that of Grief. I was reminded of men and women, throwing themselves upon the caskets of their beloved ones; a kind of fury that finds no consolation............only finding respite after utter exhaustion. This is no quiet resigned grief; it has the power of the human at its most primal. A woman, at the moment of giving birth, yells her power.....a man roars in his moment of triumph and victory......and so we all do in our grief.....yesterday, the ocean carried our voices.

Christmas time is considered the season of Joy, a time for Giving, a time of Gratitude for the Child's birth. For many, it is more a reminder of loss. Yesterday, the ocean gave her gift to me; it was Compassion