Purpose...

I stopped by the hospital to see a dear friend, Bobby. I missed his last recent hospital stay and really wanted to make sure that I could see him this time and help lift his Spirits. As usual, we lifted each other's Spirits. We talked about Truth, Justice, Healing, Love, Spirit and Mauna-a-Wākea...

We enjoyed the Beautiful Spirit of Heather, the nurse, who tended to Bobby, and tried to lift her Spirit for what will be a long night for her, through levity, and expressions of deep appreciation and gratitude. We laughed often. 

At the end, we prayed intensely. The words flowed and the sincerity of a humble petition to our Creator filled the room with Presence, and the tears cascaded down from both of us, again consecrating a hospital floor covered in the tears of many a prayer over the years by all walks of Humanity.

In the end, we laughed again. Appreciative for the time together, and the Blessing of one more day of Precious Life for both of us. We knew that the sense of humor bestowed upon us, was the same Aloha that helped our Beloved Kūpuna survive many horrors of the past.  We parted with Love and a renewed Spirit.

On my way to the elevators, I noticed a familiar face in an adjacent waiting room, buried in a tattered magazine, carrying the weight of the World. It was another dear friend and former co-worker from a decade ago. Although I was again exhausted and worn-out, and in a hurry to get home, I walked over to him and greeted him with surprise. His face lit up. It was a beautiful reunion and he desired me to sit with him for awhile. 

He poured out his story. His 22-year old son. In and out of the hospital for the past year, once again in, fighting Leukemia. The initial diagnosis. The trips to the Oregon Cancer Center. The return home. The relapses. The pneumonia. The bacterial lung infections. The respirator. The pneumonia again. The returns to the ICU. The abdominal drainage tubes. The tracheotomy. The feeding tubes. The catheters. The relentless bedside attendance by a family determined to create a home for their son by their Loving presence in a sterile environment. And a Beautiful Young Man, just starting out in Life, and painfully worn out already of this very same Life. Trying to sustain the Will and Spirit to Live. 

I spoke of my own death and resurrection experience in 2012 and the parallels of crisis and lessons learned, and most importantly, about the Will to Live. I thought my quarter-of-a-million dollar hospital bill was incredible until he shared his 1.2 million dollar billing statement, for his Precious son. 

Not particularly religious, my request to pray with him for his son and 'ohana was graciously granted. We clasped hands and bowed heads. The words poured forth again. Powerful and sincere petitions for Divine Intervention, Healing, Guidance, Strength, Understanding, Patience, Forgiveness, and Gratitude for one more Precious Day of Life, for a son on the the edge, and a Father mustering the seemingly last vestiges of Strength to keep going for his family, and especially, for his son. Tears flowed. We embraced. We parted in Love. Others sitting in the waiting room all quieted themselves, partaking of the Overflow of Blessed Love and Light.

I was grateful to know that upon my imminent return to the hospital, I wouldn't have just one Beautiful Soul to visit, but now several. 

As I briskly walked home in the dark along King Street, to make up for lost time, I couldn't help but take in everything around me. The scent of each tree canopy, blowing in the wind, as I passed beneath, was intoxicating to my senses. The expansive night sky, peppered with rain clouds, billowing by in a caravan of morphing kind faces was humbling and reassuring. I felt Life all around me. Interconnected Precious Life. 

With each step, I felt the vibrations of my foot reverberate through the sidewalk, and through the ground, the crust, the mantle, to the Fiery core of the Earth. And I knew She felt me. I also felt the Stars and the Heavens pulling me upwards with each bounced step as I expanded to the far reaches of the Universe. I was amazingly Alive. Humble. Grateful. And Alive.

It was a connection I never felt before. Connecting Heaven and Earth. And finally understanding the Amazingly Beautiful Connectivity of all Life. All of Us. Everything. In this seemingly Singular Life. As Above, so Below. You. Me. We. Thank you Ke Akua and Beloved Ancestors for Blessing me with Purpose on this Night. And more Importantly, for Blessing me with Purpose, in This Life...