April 10, 2004

Holy Week

I've been busy so I have not been posting. A number of things. I have been working on the business quite a bit. Sales are going well for the month, I have quarterly reports and inventories to do. I am selling more items at a time so I am buying more. This means I must price imput and ticket more things. I dont have a point of sale system yet. I have a computer that can handle that, and a credit card machine that will do that but the software is so expensive and I need a barcode label making machine... It goes on and on. My system works such as it is I just need to take the time to do it.

I have been struck to by the need this week to reflect and have not said much. The Preacher in Ecclesiastes 5:1-2said"...Walk prudently when you go to the house of God, and draw near to hear rather than give the sacrifice of fools. Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart utter anything hastily before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore let your words be few....." I feel like that this is a time to think and to pray and just be quiet. In these evenings with Woody gone this is easy.

I am in prayer for your men and women in Iraq. I have a fond regard for the 1st Expeditionary USMC, it was my brothers unit as a Marine for much of his time in the service and I met a lot of great marines...I think that this was the best group to go into the hornets nest of Fallujah and deal with it... its a hard row to hoe and I hope that things calm down soon.

I also try not to think of the hole that I am in financially both with the business and personally. I hate being beholden to anyone. I didnt get the loan as we are so far behind on our personal bills, and while I wrote the whining letter that Harv wanted me to write I felt like screaming..." How can you be so concerned about this, the money I am borrowing is 1/2 the value of the collateral ie my car and my thriving business has assets of 100K.....Uggh!" for 5000.00 they want me to crawl on my belly like a reptile. I have other words I want to use but I do not want to give the sacrifice of fools... Keep the yap shut.

Like Christmas, Easter is a time when I miss being involved in a church the most. I worked rehearsed and downright sweated preparation for Easter services the minute that we took the decorations down for Christmas. Months of work, singing for nearly two days straight and then collapse for two days. Last year we visited the church that we started to attend in Pahoa for service. The situation was just short of a Easter Bunny party so we left and haven't been back.

This year we have an invite to go out to Kapoho to my new friend Claudia and her husband Mike for lunch and to visit. Looking forward to it so much. I will take my camera as they live right near the shoreline and if the weather is good ( was hideous today, we had 2700 cruise ship passengers here naturally... Did I tell you that "Hilo" in Hawaiian means " dont forget your umbrella??? It poured!") I will take some pictures to put in the photo album.

Tomarrow also is the beginning of the Merrie Monarch Festival of Hula and all things Hawaiian. Over the next week or so I will post about the events as I have time. Usually the paper has a lot of info and I will try to load pictures as I can. If you love Hawaii, the music, and the culture, the video of the competition is well worth the price and I will get the info on that. The people that compete are the best in the world and the dancing is unbelievable. The Super Bowl of Hula and its right here in Hilo.

Woody is home from the dump. What a guy... I think he likes it cause he gets to tell people what to do....