Rain is a Blessing

Hawai'i definitely left an impression on me, emotionally and spiritually. On the last day there, in Hilo,we were walking down the road when it started to rain. Rain in Hilo is as common as the sky is blue..it rains a lot on that side of the island. Just ahead of us was a young Hawai'ian family; a mother, father and a toddler. 

When the first drops of rain started, the little toddler said, with palpable fear , "oh no, it's raining." His mother held up an umbrella, and the father gently  told his child, echoing thousands of years of Kahuna wisdom ,"The rain is a blessing."

a big Banyan tree in Hilo, HI, in the rain!

That really touched me, seeing young native Hawai'ians embracing their birthright by remembering it to their children.

I suppose what also touched me was how it was said. It wasn't preachy, or "new agey", it was just said as a gentle fact. 

 The rain is a blessing.

Here's a tiny video I took of the park behind our hostel, in Hilo... it's raining!

"In Hawaii, a rainy day is a thing of poetry. The Hawaiian language has more than 100 words for "rain," which describe the location, volume and intensity of the shower. 'Awa refers to a fine rain or mist, and kawa is for when it's raining heavily. If a storm is unexpected, it's called ililani. If the rain is at a slant, it's called ua hikiki 'i. So much for "cloudy" and "sunny." gohawaii.com" (http://www.islands.com/article/Hawaii-Rain-by-Any-Other-Name)