Am I next?

I shared yesterday about the tragic events of the death of a nephew of mine. I still haven't totally come to grips with the situation, but today I had the chance to visit with the boys mother. His father is deployed and won't be back in town for another day. I have been around people who have lost children. And it is never the same. You would think you would get used to it, but you don't. There are multiple levels of grieving going on. I am grieving because of the loss of a baby that I know. But I am also grieving for his parents. In fact, I grieve more for them. For their broken hearts. Hearing the cries of a parent that has lost a child is something that stays with you forever. The total despair. The anguished cry of a mother is something that shakes you to your bone. Especially if it's someone you care about.

At times like that, you are at a loss for words. You know you can say something, but it's really not registering to the person that you are intending them for. So I've found that it's best just to be quiet. I am reminded of the Psalmists words': Be still and know that I am God. Just to sit there with them quietly. I don't subscribe to the belief that we should hold it in. I know it's a Samoan custom to be strong. To hold it in. But I believe that grieving is a natural process that has to be played out. And everyone grieves at their own pace. Their own style. Some people take comfort in work. They go right back to work to take their minds off of the loss and to get back to a routine. Others take days, weeks off. They can't leave the house. Or they can't return to the house, if the loved one died at home. We shouldn't dictate how people grieve. I know that if we have children and others looking to us for leadership that we should be strong for them. But we must also be allowed to grieve.

I have two natural born brothers and Faga, our adopted brother. My family took him in and he is like a son to my parents. All three of my brothers have now lost children at very young ages, before they turned three. And all of them died accidental deaths. I often think these deaths are harder in a sense to comprehend because there's a lot of blame and finger pointing that goes on. The danger is when people start to play the what if game. What if I had gotten off earlier? What if I had stayed home that day? What if...what if...what if? At my niece's funeral three years ago, my brother who was the first to lose a child gave the eulogy on behalf of my family. He said that having lost two grandchildren, some might say that my family is cursed somehow. But he said that he believed that my family was blessed. Blessed because God tests those that He intends to use for His greater purposes. And that people that are tested often become stronger in the long run. Last night, I said to Go..."no more tests please. No more."

I have always considered myself a mature Christian who's faith is strong and has been tested by fire. But the creeping feeling that came over me was...Am I next? Will I suffer the same fate as my brothers? Are we really cursed? I felt guilty for having those thoughts because it showed a lack of faith. Perhaps it's just my way of grieving. But I know that those are fading doubts. And I believe with every fiber of my body that everything that happens to us happens for a reason. That our time on this earth is temporary and that the Lord has already prepared a place for us to come to at a time of His choosing. I know that. But it still hurts. It still aches.

Adonijah - The Lord is my God

When we suffer pain and loss, we often ask 'If God is with us, why has this happened?' Sadly, we also tend to question if God really loves us. For if a father loves his children, then why would God let us feel pain as great as this. The Bible supplies no explanation of the events that take place in our daily lives. I've searched over and over and it doesn't tell me why this happened or that happened. But what it does tell me is how to deal with situations, particularly how to deal with adversity. But we can hold fast to the words of Isaiah: 'Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord.'

In fact, the Bible tells us over and over that this life is filled with pain. Jesus told us directly that in this world, we will suffer. We will face tragedies. But don't let tragedy steal your trust in God. When all things seem to be against you, remember that God is for you. I find it strangely comforting that when Jesus faced pain, He responded much as I do. It comforts me that He cried when His friend Lazarus died. It tells me that He cares. He feels the pain of death, of loss, of separation. I know that the world we live in is our temporary home, but it still does not make the sting of death any less. I know that we will all be reunited in heaven one day. But it doesn't fill he void in your life and the aching of your heart.

Last night at approximately 8pm, death visited my family once again. My brother Faga's youngest son Adonijah was called home to be with the Lord. To compound the tragedy, Faga is currently serving his second tour in Iraq. He would have been home next week for his R&R. Now he gets to come home for a very different reason. Please keep him and Crystal and their boys in your prayers. My father named Adonijah. It is a Hebrew word that means 'The Lord is my God.' A beautiful name for a beautiful baby boy. Let his name be our comfort in this dark hour: 'The Lord is my God.'

Lessons from the road

Just returned from a weekend in New Mexico tired, but refreshed. There were several lessons I learned this weekend. I've shared with you before the importance of getting away to recharge and renew physically and spiritually.

The last getaway I had we flew out to California. This time we drove to New Mexico. There's definitely a big difference between flying and driving. I spent a total of twenty hours on the road. It was soothing in its own right. I got to observe the scenery. Granted, there's not much scenery in west Texas and New Mexico. But upon second glance, there was quite a lot. There mountains and canyons, lakes and rivers, and plains and plateaus. I know, it sounds like vocabulary from Geography class, but it made me realize how vast our world is. I often read about how overcrowded our world is becoming, but you wouldn't notice it from driving just a few hours in one little corner of the world. There is so much land out there that the wildlife can roam untethered for days. It's just awesome how vast the works of our Lord is. He did this all in just seven days.

As big as the world seems, it also made me realize just how small I am in the greater scheme of things. But as small as I am, God loved me enough to send His only begotten Son to die for me. The Bible says that before we were even born, Christ died for us. I want to say what a wonderful drive my family and I had Sunday. And I owe a lot of it to a good friend of mine, Mr. V, who was kind enough to load our IPOD with over 4,000 songs. And just Samoan songs. We were able to listen to different spiritual albums during the entire ten hours. From LMS choirs, to Catholic choirs, to Pentecostal groups. You name it, we probably listened to it. Music has the power to take you places in different ways. I felt like I was in church with the Malaeloa choir. I felt like I was at a revival listening to Mana o Vi'iga. Or at a mafutaga listening to the Samoa College choir. Music moves, encourages, motivates and comforts.

So on a Sunday afternoon, take a drive out into the country. Admire the works of God's hands and thank Him for all He has done for you. Take a CD of gospel music, or better yet take an IPOD and load it up with all your favorites. Beautiful music, in the company of those you love, out in nature. What more could you ask for?

Lessons at an amusement park

As I write this, my daughter is sleeping blissfully on the bed next to me in our hotel room in Albuquerque. What a day we spent. We took her to her first amusement park today. We were kind of worried that she might be too scared of the rides. Boy were we wrong. She was fearless. My mom would warn me now to stop bragging on my daughter, but there was simply no fear in her. She wanted to go on this big ride called Rocket something, but she was too short of the height requirement.

I was about to escort her to the bumper cars, but she let go of my hand and looked at me and said, "I can do it myself daddy." With that, she smiled and ran off to the ride. My sisters would call me drama-queen, but my heart skipped. I couldn't help but to think that this is the slippery slope of my little girl growing up. And way too fast. I know it was just one incident, but it's a metaphor for our children growing up way too fast. Before I know it she'll be telling me that she can do it herself driving the car, finding a college, or walking down the aisle. OK, scratch that last one off because that's one thing she CAN'T do herself. LOL

The other thing I can't get out of my head is her looking for me as she circled the rides and saying, 'Daddy.' And this is the happiest I've seen her in a while, and made me realize how happy I was. My happiness is intricately tied to hers. All the cares of the world slipped away. I quietly thanked God for His blessings. If God called me home tomorrow, I'd go a happy man. Often times we look to big things, big achievements, big accolades to validate ourselves. But God shows us that it's in the simple joys in life that give it real meaning. My daughter rode a roller coaster today. And it meant the world to me.

Crouching tiger

A lot of you know that I'm a history teacher. I've always been fascinated by history and politics ever since I can remember. In fact, I've always thought that the two dream jobs for me would be as a football announcer or as a host of my own political talk show. I haven't gotten a talk show, but I love having debates in my classroom about politics and current issues. Suffice it to say I follow current events pretty closely.

I don't know if you've followed the case of Harvard professor Louis Gates. He's a distinguished professor at Harvard that had a brush with the law last week. Upon returning from a trip to China, he had trouble getting into his house. He had his driver help him unjam the door to get in. A neighbor, upon seeing this, called the police because she thought they were trying to break into his house. When the police arrived, Professor Gates was incensed. I might add here that Gates is an African American who specializes in the study of race relations in America. He was enraged that the police would question whether he owned this house. The policeman asked him for his id and initially he refused. He got on the phone and demanded to talk to the chief of police. He accused the responding officer of being a racist. He followed the officer outside and berated him in front of neighbors and other officers. After repeatedly ignoring the police's instructions to calm down, they arrested him for disorderly conduct.

This case made headlines because President Obama chose to comment on it and took Gates' side, even going so far as calling the police "stupid." Putting aside all the racial, political aspects of the case, and there are plenty, I wanted to focus on the human element. Anger is a normal human emotion that we all feel. In fact, it would be UNhuman not to feel it. But how we deal with our anger is vital for us to be healthy human lives.

The Biblical story of Cain and Abel provides a vivid illustration of what can happen when we let our anger get the best of us. It can control us cause us to do things we wouldn't normally do. I would venture to say Mr. Gates doesn't make it a habit of berating police officers everyday. But he was angry at what he perceived was racist treatment. Again, putting that to the side, the way he reacted was a poor role model for our children. Every time you fly off the handle, we're telling our kids it's OK to do this. The Bible says that sin, such as anger, is crouching behind a door ready to pounce if we give into it. We all have issues of self control that we must deal with. But letting our tempers get the best of us is something that we can work on with a lot of prayer and meditation. And if a cop ever asks you something, ALWAYS comply. If he was in the wrong, it can always be sorted out later.

You can call me Al

We had a guest preacher on Sunday from Malua Theological Seminary. His theme was on the power of the tongue. More specifically, the power of the spoken word. He said that the tongue is the smallest organ in the human body, yet it is the most powerful because it controls speech. Speech is such a powerful weapon that its effects cannot be underestimated. It has the power to inspire, to convert and to overcome insurmountable obstacles. It can life the human spirit to such wondrous heights and encourage the heart and mind to reach for the stars, literally. Words have the power to change the course of history. It can inspire like the works of Shakespeare or instruct like the Bible.

But it can also be a vehicle for evil. It can cause people to kill millions of their fellow man, like Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' did. It can cause people to enslave others, as the Communist Manifesto did. And it can encourage abhorrent behavior that can lead to the breakdown of the families, found in much of the music and movies found in today's pop culture. Words do indeed have power. The choice is ours to make. Do we use it for good? Or do we use it for bad?

Speaking of words, an event happened recently that has to do with words, sort of. On our last trip out to California, my family decided to bestow upon me a chiefly title. For those of you unfamiliar with Samoan culture, there are still chiefs in Samoan culture. They act as heads of clans and attend to the affairs of the clan. This is done mainly in being the spokesmen for the clan in ceremonial events. They also are leaders in bringing the clan together in times of crisis or in times of special events. One of the essential skills that chiefs need is the ability to speak in the ceremonial Samoan language. I have been thinking about becoming a chief for sometime. I don't know what the normal age is for a chief, but it's one of those things that kind of signifies your entering another stage in life.

It is a tremendous responsibility and honor. I am humbled that my family would think enough of me to allow me to be one of the family chiefs. Now, mind you, my title is not a high title. In fact, it's one of the lower ranking ones because it's a brand new title that our high chief made specifically for me. But it is a chiefly title nonetheless. It doesn't mean that I am any different than the person I was before I received the title. It doesn't mean I'm any better. But it does mean that I represent not only my immediate family, but extended clan. I pray that God anoints me with the true love of family that this title requires. I pray that God grants me the words to speak that is appropriate for any occasion. I pray that I become a positive role model for Him in all that I do. And if you could also pray for me, I would greatly appreciate it. My chief title is Teuimaotaifaletauleanavofaoa. I know it's a mouthful. So it will be shortened to Teuimaota. But you can still call me Al, as the song says.

Big picture

I was reading God's Daily Word the other day and it talked about the story of Naomi and Ruth. That story is so rich and full of life lessons. It's like so much of the Bible, it teaches you something new everytime you read it depending on the juncture of your life you are at. Sometimes you're Ruth. Sometimes you can empathize with Naomi. Other times you're Boaz. Sometimes you're back in Canaan. Other times you're stuck in the foreign land of Moab. Sometimes you're poor like when Ruth and Naomi first came back to Canaan. Other times you are sitting pretty married to Boaz.

When they first returned to Canaan, the two ladies had it rough. It is written that they lived off the discarded food left by the farmers. In other words, the leftovers. No man around to help them. To say they had a hard time is to put it mildly. I often find myself asking if they ever felt like giving up? Did they feel as if the misery they were going through had a purpose? Did their lives have a purpose or a meaning? What would Ruth tell you if you told her that her grandson would one day be the greatest king of Israel? Or that her lineage would lead directly to the Savior of mankind? Do you think she would believe you?

What about us? When we go through struggles or difficulties, can we say that there is a greater purpose in this? That God has a plan that will make things work out in the end? Because that's what the Bible says; God will work for the good of those who believe in Him. It's hard for us to have an eternal perspective; that things that bother us now will be meaningless when we stand before God. A speeding ticket is meaningless when you stand before God, but it's everything if you're struggling financially and its another burden added to you. Not getting that new pair of shoes is not a big deal from an eternal perspective, but its a big deal to your son or daughter who goes to bed crying because you didn't get it for them. Things that seem major now will be minor in eternity. The struggle for us is to maintain that frame of mind. We live in the here and now, but we are running towards eternity. Discard all things that will hinder your run towards that goal. There's no sense in winning this race, but not making it to the eternal race. That's the only one that counts.

Happy Adversity

Yesterday my wife and I celebrated our ninth wedding anniversary. We had to stop and ask ourselves where the time went. On our trip to California this past weekend, we saw one of the flower girls for our wedding. When she came for our wedding, she was fixin' to start school. Now she's half way through high school. Time sure does fly.

We've been really blessed. I thank God everyday for his blessings in our lives. We have good jobs, a loving family support system and a great community to live in. As wonderful as the fellowship was with family and the weather was in California, nothings beats home. In fact, when we first arrived in San Diego, my daughter said she wanted to move there. But by Sunday night, she told me, "daddy, let's go home. I miss my house." And off course I thank God for my daughter. She's brought unspeakable joy to our lives. I didn't know I had that much capacity to love. In talking with friends and classmates who are all now parents, the same thought came through. It's all about our kids and their lives now. I guess it's what they call the maturation process.

As blessed as we've been, we haven't been spared our tough times. We've been challenged in more ways than I can count. I had my bout with cancer. Tile lost a brother and I lost a niece. And the normal things couples go through. But I'm reminded of the story about an old man that got an anniversary card from his grandson that said, "Happy Adversity." The grandsons' 'mistake' was actually a pretty accurate summation of how the Christian life is sometimes.

We make the mistake that when we become Christians we should expect an easy life. But that is far from the truth. In fact, we are told to expect hardships and trials. Jesus tells us that in this life, there will be trouble. And not only that, we should consider our trials as "pure joy." The Bible teaches us that adversity is a wonderful teacher that brings about perseverance. And perseverance brings about faith. So whatever hardships we go through, there's a purpose for it. And remember that God will never put you through what you cannot bear. So don't be offended if somebody wishes you 'Happy Adversity.'

Down and out

I've been battling a bad case of the flu since returning from San Diego a couple of days ago. I don't know if I brought back some swine flu or not. LOL I am only now recovering to the point that I can come online. My wife calls me the big whiner when I'm sick. She's right. But in my defense, I tend to have bad cases of the flu. I don't get sick often, but when I do, watch out.

Many of us struggle with thoughts of God in times of sickness. When the pain becomes unbearable at times, we question whether some action of ours has caused this affliction to b visited upon us. Did we do something to deserve this? Is it payback for something? It's natural, but I think unwise to have thoughts such as these. God doesn't punish/reward us like that. He is a merciful God who loves us all. Sickness and illness are a part of life, just as breathing and sleeping are. We all get sick and we all feel weak at times. I'm just thankful that I have a God to turn to in those times of need. Whose words comfort us.

Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs.....

I just got back from my trip to California. I went out there for a family wedding. Had a wonderful time of fellowship and reuniting with family. There's a joke in my family that we don't take vacations or trips, we just go to fa'alavelave's. Those are our vacations. Perhaps it's true of your family as well. Anyways, these get togethers always end up being mini reunions. Time to catch up with family members from far and wide. This occasion was no different. These are also memorable for things that happened during the events. Someone will get lost driving the UHAUL with all the fine mats, or someone gets a little carried away at a bachelor party or bridal shower. Always makes for fond memories at the next gathering.

My dad conducted the ceremony at the wedding this past weekend. It was a pretty big wedding for close to 500 guests. It was held outdoors on the seashore overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The setting was priceless. The flowers were beautiful. Even the music was inspiring. A picture perfect wedding, if I may say so myself. There were also moments of levity. The PA system didn't work, so the old man had to almost scream to be heard. And if you've done any kind of public speaking, you know the speaking loudly throws off your rhythm, your natural speaking cadence. To top it off, it was close to 90 degrees out doors and the old man had a heavy gown on. To say he was battling the elements is an understatement. The old man has a terrible memory. As far back as I can remember, he has a really bad memory. Sometimes he'd forget names of his grand kids. Forget nieces and nephews. At the end of the ceremony, when he was about to present the newlyweds, he said: "Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. and Mrs. .....and there was a pause. He forgot the groom's last name. But he quickly recovered by saying Dennis, the groom's first name. LOL I've got to give him credit, because he was also against a time crunch. The ceremony had started about an hour late because some members of the wedding party arrived late. It turned out really nice though. Praise God.

Having a beautiful wedding is much different than having a beautiful marriage. The wedding's the easy part. The marriage is more difficult. It takes commitment, understanding and forgiveness. The old man said during his abbreviated meditation that you can't get something that you don't give away first. He told the couple, if you want love, give it away first. If you want compassion, give it away first. If you want humility, give it away first. If you want forgiveness, give it away first. He told them to base their family on the Godly love that Paul spoke about in Corinthians in his chapter on love. He said everything else fades. Beauty, charm, looks. All that's left is Godly love. Romantic love is also fickle. But Godly love sees you through sickness and health. Through richness and poverty. Through agreement and disagreement. And may I add, through fa'alavelave's. LOL Weddings are sometimes made in heaven, but marriages have to be worked out on earth.

Sorry isn't enough

We're travelling to San Diego for a weekend getaway. My cousin's getting married so it's a wonderful time of meeting up with family and getting to relax a little in one of the best cities in America. Escaping Texas' heat in the middle of July is an added bonus.

My daughter's been excited about the trip for some time. She's going to be a flower girl and she's already got her shoes. While packing tonight, though, my wife's had a hard time to get her to do things. I don't know if it's her excitement from the trip or she's just being a normal four year old, but she's been really bad tonight. When I finally stepped in to get her to do what she's supposed to do, she yelled at me. Or raised her voice as she would say later. Obviously unacceptable behavior. So I punished her. Because some of you may work for Social Services, I won't go into detail. LOL Part of the punishment was the threat of not taking on her on the trip. The tears started to stream down her face. Not during the other phases of the punishment, only when it was threatened she wasn't going.

She has a habit of doing this. I'm sure every child does it, but I've noticed a pattern here. Misbehavior, followed by punishment, followed by remorse. But then the pattern starts all over again. I'm sure my parents are like, get a taste of your own medicine buddy. But it got me to thinking that this must be how God views us sometimes. The Israelites would stray from Him and disobey and dishonor Him. They would bring burnt offerings and think everything was OK. Well it wasn't. God told them that I don't desire your offerings and sacrifices. What I desire is your repentant heart. What good are your sacrifices and offerings if you're just going to repeat the pattern again.

So with that in mind, I looked through the tears and told her sorry wasn't enough. I wasn't going to forgive her immediately. That she had to demonstrate remorse and not to return to the pattern of behavior that caused her to be punished. She looked at me, probably confused from all the words, and said..."Does that mean I get to go to California?" I guess it's going to take a little more work. I told her no...not yet. She would have to prove she was really sorry by changing her behavior. SO if you receive a call from me asking to babysit a four year old, you know the behavior hasn't stopped. LOL It's hard, and I can imagine how hard it is for God to look at us and say...no, prove your remorse by truly repenting. Because sometimes, sorry isn't enough.

Venting session

I shared with you yesterday the wonderful time of fellowship I had over the holiday weekend. I was able to reconnect with close friends and make new ones. I was able to fellowship with people I hadn't seen in a while and those that I see often, but don't really get a chance to sit down with and get to "visit"...it's a Texas word for fellowship.

But there was one acquaintance that I had a difficult time with. I asked how they were doing because I had seen them in a while. And this person hit me full speed; everything that came out of her mouth was negativity and bitterness. Basically, she said she'd had it with our community. She was tired of...and then proceeded to tell me all the things she didn't like. As she was "venting" to me, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was not at a happy place in her life. I was wondering if there was any joy in her life. I was trying to figure out what had made her so angry, so bitter. She wasn't always this way. Was it my fault? Did I contribute to her negative outlook on things? I consider myself a generally positive person, but you never know how your actions can be interpreted by others.

I tried to encourage her, but I don't think it was getting through. I finally told her, if you're so unhappy, why don't you find another community? Or another church? If your needs aren't met here, then you should go to where they are. I don't think she was expecting that response. Perhaps she wanted me to validate her feelings. I wasn't going to because I don't feel that way. Yes, our community has some glaring weak spots. But we also have some strengths that you don't find in other communities. The thing I told her was she would have to balance the bad with the good. If the good outweighed the bad, stay and try to make things better. If the bad outweighed the good, leave and find a better place.

I always encourage people to put themselves in the best position in life. Especially when it comes to your spiritual life. If you feel you have a particular weakness, don't put yourself in a spot where that weakness is exploited. If you're an alcoholic, don't hang out at bars. If you're a gambler, don't visit casinos. Avoid areas where you will be tempted to sin. And if a particular church is not feeding you spiritually, go to one that does. Life is too short, and your spiritual life too important for you not do what is best for you and your family. Pray to God to give you the answers. Sometimes when you weigh things, it's better for you to stay and try to make things better. Sometimes it's better to leave and start fresh. Only God's wisdom can give you the answer you desire. I pray for my friend, that she gets the peace that she's seeking. Whether it's in this community or not.

A time of fellowship

It's been a long weekend. In the past couple of days I've really enjoyed some great fellowship. The holidays are a great time to get reconnected with friends and family and this past 4th of July was no exception. I was able to relax, spend some quality time with family and friends that I hadn't seen in a while or at least spend some time with lately.

The Christian term for "hanging out" is fellowship. It's also an important concept in our faith. Some may question what the big deal is. After all, what could be so important about getting together with friends. The Bible thinks it a critical issue. It encourages Christians to gather as often as possible. This is done so that we can encourage one another and bear each other's burden. It's a time to catch up with friends and family. What I mean is not get the latest gossip, but rather to find out what's going on in their lives. Some of them are doing wonderfully. Others are going from day to day. And yet others are struggling, barely able to stay above water.

It is for that purpose that we fellowship, so we can find out what our brothers and sisters need. Some times it's just a friendly ear to listen as we "vent" our frustrations with our current situation. Some times it's advice they're seeking on a problem they may be facing. Some times it may be something more significant. But the point is to be there for each other. I experienced all of those this past few days. I talked to people that were visiting from out of town. I talked to people that live in town, but whom I seldom get a chance to connect with lately. And I talked to people that I don't normally fellowship with, but for the chance encounter of being at the same place these past few days. Fellowship is not just about being together. It's about being there for each other. Finding out the needs and concerns of our brothers and sisters. It's not a gripe session or a gossip session. But it's time to be there for each other. Pray for each other. Celebrate each other. Fellowship is a wonderful gift God gives His children. Use it often.

Last dance

I'm listening to Luther Vandross's song "Dance with my father again." I don't know if that's the title, but that's the chorus line that sticks out to me. One of the lines of the song says...I would play a song that never ever ends. It's a very moving song that talks about having a girl reminiscing about her father after he's gone. She wishes she could dance with him, just one more time. It's a song of regret at not taking advantage of the opportunities life presents us with. Little did the girl know that her father would be taken away so suddenly. It's playing on the page of a good friend of mine who recently lost her father. Tears streamed down my face as I thought of her and her siblings with the words of this song playing.

We all have relationships that we struggle with in life from time to time. I too struggle with my relationship with my father. There are issues there that I pray to God to resolve in my heart. But listening to this song makes me realize just how short life really is. And how really short it can be when we lose people we love. The Bible says that there is a time for everything. A time for joy and a time for sorrow. A time for peace and a time for war. A time to be born and a time to die.

Tomorrow, my sister leaves us. She's moving to Maryland with her husband. This is difficult for my family because it's the first time one of the siblings has left. True, we all went away for college. But we all returned home after. But this is the first time that someone from our family will move and settle out of state. I've known about the move for some time and didn't think much about. I knew it was inevitable because my sister is married to a soldier and that's part of the life of the military - moving from place to place. But it wasn't until the last couple of days that the move really hit me. My sister has always been there to support my parents, the ministry and all of us. Whatever was needed, I knew I could count on her to come through. Same thing with my youngest sister, although she's going through a phase...what else is new. LOL But my older sister Vali was there taking care of my parents for the last few years. Now the torch will be passed to the baby of the family. May God have mercy on them. LOL They will be missed. Her voice in the choir. Her smile in infectious persona by her Sunday School class. And her quiet support in our family. What I will miss most is her laugh. She has a laugh that melts your heart and brings joy to you. Her husband has also been a real blessing. Taking care of our parents and supporting the ministry. I know that where ever God leads, He will feed. And where He guides, He will provide. I pray for God's blessings on them and their family on their new journey.

What I've learned from this is to treasure the moments you have with loved ones. Whether it's family meals or get togethers or fa'alavelave's. Take time to tell those you love that you love them. That you treasure them and that they mean the world to you. Don't wait for the next song to dance with them. Dance now. That next song may never come.