Sisterchicks Do the Hula (26 page)
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Authors: Robin Jones Gunn
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1. Have you ever done the hula? Details, please!
2. With your friend, have you ever felt the way Hope did when Laurie came to visit and Hope hid behind the curtains wondering what they would talk about?
3. What is it in a friendship that makes two women feel instantly reconnected after years of not seeing each other?
4. Would you have gone in the ocean your first night like the bobbing Betties? Why or why not?
5. How do you see yourself changing as you get older? Are you more adventuresome or less?
6. Is there a maven in your mirror? What sass-and-slash comments has she been feeding you? How do you overcome the negative messages she dishes out?
7. Have you ever rented a convertible? How did it make you feel when you were riding in it? Do you drive like Lead Foot Laurie, Reluctant Hot Rod Hope, or Slowpoke Sally?
8. What is the wildest adventure you and your sisterchick have ever experienced? The most moving?
9. Do you or your sisterchick have a 259-pound baby that’s yearning to be born? How can you serve as midwife-encourager for her? What do you wish she would do for you?
10. According to Laurie’s definition, are you in a season of beauty, contentment, or dignity? How do you see this concept being played out in your life?
11. Hope rode high on the blessed-art-thou-among-women cloud when she found out she was pregnant with Emilee Rose. If you’ve been pregnant, how was your experience similar or different from Hope’s?
12. When was the last time you were overwhelmed with the beautiful artistry of God’s creation? How did you respond?
13. In what ways have you experienced the “unforced rhythms of grace” lately?
Hello, dear Sisterchick!
One of my greatest delights in writing the Sisterchick novels has been the journeys I’ve taken around the world while researching the location of each book. (I know, what a writer’s dream!) If I could take you with me on these adventures, oh what a time we would have! Since that’s not possible, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few snapshots and hearing a few of the stories behind the story for
Sisterchicks Do the Hula!
A
LOHA!
I love Hawai’i. We’ve traveled to the islands many times over the years, starting with our honeymoon (many, many honeyed-moons ago!) and including a year on the island of Maui when our son was in third grade. Maui is the home of my heart. Warm sunshine toasting the powdered sugar beaches, turquoise waters ebbing and flowing with life, trade winds whispering in the swaying palm trees—what’s not to love about this island paradise?
K
AWAIAHA’O
C
HURCH
My Sisterchicks Carrie and Cindy and I joined in the worship service at the coral-block Kawaiaha’o Church on Sunday and stayed after for a special Hawaiian celebration in honor of King Lunalilo. Tribute is paid to certain
Hawaiian ali’i (royalty) on various Sundays throughout the year. One of my favorite sounds in all the world is the sound of Scripture read in Hawaiian or, better yet, hymns sung in Hawaiian. The sound feels like a gentle brook rolling over you.
C
ARRIE AND
R
OBIN UNDER THE
P
LUMERIA
T
REES
This book is dedicated to Cindy and Carrie, my longtime prayer pals. As soon as I started writing this story, my imagination turned to the time the three of us spent on the beach
at Waikiki as well as to the time we spent doing research at the Mission Houses Museum in Honolulu. Cindy snapped this photo of Carrie and me under the memorable arched plumeria trees that stand guard over the missionary graveyard located behind the Kawaiaha’o Church. We were there in January, and the trees were not yet in bloom. However, I’ve been there in the spring as well as in the summer when the branches of these two trees are bursting with fragrant white plumeria. Ahhh! What a memorable scent that is!
B
OBBING
B
ETTIES
My daughter and I have found it easy to imitate the “Bobbing Betties” that Hope and Laurie observed on the beach at Waikiki. Floating devices are optional, of course, but if you do choose to go bobbing about in the Pacific with
a raft, we highly recommend one that comes in a shocking shade of pink.
C
INDY
S
OAKING
U
P THE
S
UN!
Here’s my beautiful Sisterchick Cindy, soaking up the sun on the beach at Waikiki. You might recognize Cindy’s name because she coauthored the Sisterchicks devotional
Take Flight!
with me. This picture was taken a mere twenty minutes after she really did hang the red hibiscus bedspread off our balcony, just like in the story. Carrie and I were on the beach, watching the surfers, when we called the room and told Cindy to join us. Since we could see our hotel from where we were camped out, we said on the phone, “Wave to us from the balcony.” Cindy did one better and waved the bedspread so we’d have no doubt which room was ours! (I’m so glad she didn’t drop it. We were on the twenty-third floor!)
R
OBIN AT
F
LORAL
H
OTEL
Just like Hope, I was caught off guard by an amazing, fragrant, vibrant bouquet in the lobby of one of the grand hotels in Honolulu. God is so creative! The variety He wove into His creation stirs my soul.
“M
ORNING
G
LORY”
In the same way that Hope found a unique sort of peace and solitude when strolling on the beach early in the morning, I too have reveled in that “beach morning glory.” God feels very close at the start of each new day in this island hideaway. Our Lord daily throws “garlands of hosannas” around our necks, even if we can’t see them with our human eyes.
M
ISSION
C
HURCH
Hawai’i has many different sides. Visitors who explore some of the more remote corners of the islands will find beauty in unexpected places. We pitched our pup tent and camped not far from this spot on our first visit to Maui. Since then we’ve returned to the area a number of times to find it as unspoiled and wild with lush tropical foliage as it was on our first visit. Protestant missionaries built the church in the background over 150 years ago. The lovely chapel is still used for services and has amazing acoustics. It does the heart good to know that many places on the islands remain as they have been since the days of “old Hawai’i.”
A F
EW
T
IPS ON
S
OME
H
AWAIIAN
F
AVORITES
Hawaiian food: kahlua pork, laulau (steamed pork wrapped in taro leaves), and mahimahi fish. Be sure to try some lomi salmon and, of course, poi.
Beaches: Visit them all. Black sand, hidden coves, and even crowded Waikiki. Each beach has its own personality and beauty. Just as you wouldn’t smell a single hibiscus and say you’ve experienced the flowers of Hawai’i, why go to only one beach? Scoop up a bouquet of beach experiences!
Teatime: Yes, the Mission Houses Museum has a lovely tearoom, as mentioned in the story. Cindy, Carrie, and I sipped afternoon tea on the veranda under the banyan tree at the Moana Surfrider Hotel in
Waikiki. Highly recommended as a way to get into the island pace of life.
Churches: Kawaiaha’o in Honolulu is referred to as the “Westminster Abbey of the Pacific.” Visiting on an Ali’i Sunday is a special opportunity to glimpse Hawaiian tradition. Check the calendar on their Web site for celebration Sundays:
www.kawaiahao.org
. Or visit First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, where Dan and Pam Chun have been faithfully ministering for more than twenty years.
Best luau: I’m partial to the Old Lahaina luau on Maui. If you go and Malia is dancing the hula, say hi for me! Even though the luaus at all the many venues on each island can be a stretch to your meal budget, it’s well worth the experience. You’ll come away with a memorable sampling of the food, stories, traditions, and the hula and mele (dance and music) of the islands.