The Policy™ is our Opportunity

Recently, The LDS Church,  made official the policy that excludes children of gay parents from fully participating in Mormonism. In fact, Elder Nelson, current President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, in an address to students, asserted that the leaked handbook policy came by way of revelation to President Thomas S. Monson. This means The Church's official position is that this policy came from our Creator, our Father in Heaven, our God.

For more about the policy, or Elder Nelson's talk, follow these links:

https://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-christofferson-says-handbook-changes-regarding-same-sex-marriages-help-protect-children?lang=eng

and

http://www.sltrib.com/home/3391057-155/lds-gay-policy-came-from-god

Now, I believe in prophets, and in revelation. (  See my post on my definition of prophets: http://unchurchedmormon.blogspot.com/2015/02/prophets.html  ). I believe the church's general authorities spend a lot of time, thinking about important issues, issues of moral relevance. I believe they do their best in their callings as prophets, seers, and revelators. I believe they take their callings seriously, and I believe they have a great love for people, specifically for members of the church. I don't know what experiences each of them have had with the LGBT community. I can't say with any certainty what they were thinking when they apparently sought this revelation. There have been times where general authorities have admitted mistakes, and that leaders have gotten things wrong. ( https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/come-join-with-us?lang=eng )  I believe it's very easy to let personal bias or opinion cloud the channels of inspiration. And I believe this policy/revelation is NOT from God; I believe they got this one wrong.

I believe the basis for, and the overwhelming message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is love. In the scriptures, Jesus spent a lot of time with people. He obviously loved those precious souls. He showed that every soul is precious to God. When asked what was the greatest of all the commandments of God, Jesus replied that we are to love God with all our heart, mind and soul, and that we're to love our neighbor (everyone/everything with whom we share this world) as ourself. We should love others as we'd have them love us. We are to love as God loves, looking not at the outer form, but at the inner Being. My personal belief is that this policy focuses far too much on the outer form (one's sexuality in this case) and pays very little attention to who these souls really, truly are.

Now, regardless of whether the Brethren had the best of intentions, and regardless of how much they prayed over this issue, and regardless of how much they love people, real souls are being harmed by this policy, and by such a laser focus on the LGBT community and any supposed sin. Real families are being pushed and pulled and divided. Loving parents are being criminalized as apostates based on who they love. Children are being otherized by this policy and the accusatory attitudes it engenders among members. Those same children are being told, essentially, your parents, who love you, are an abomination. They are then being told, if you want to be exalted, you must disavow your same-sex parents' loving relationship. I can only imagine what that must feel like.

I do not agree with those who suggest this policy is "causing people to take their own lives." I don't blame those suicides on the church, nor on the policy by itself. I know that there are so many variables and factors to why people want to end their lives. HOWEVER, I do believe, per the Mormon culture, and stigma surrounding homosexuality, the church and this policy are pushing at-risk kids toward, and sometimes over the cliff's edge, rather than pulling them to safe, kind, loving, empathetic arms.

The church has a real opportunity to exercise God-like love here, and I worry they're missing it. This is our opportunity, as fellow saints, to change our own behavior, rather than pontificating/rameumpting on why we think someone else needs to change theirs. How much beauty, and how many souls are we overlooking? How many of God's precious children are we forgetting? For these too-often marginalized souls, this policy is less likely to make them feel loved and wanted, and more likely to make them feel more hopeless, and more likely to contemplate or attempt suicide. On the other hand, if we can offer a GOOD support system, offer them hope, and show them we believe in them and want them here, they are more likely to succeed in leading productive lives and in having a beautiful existence.

Right now is our opportunity. For those people in their social circles, their families, their workplace, their wards--will those beautiful souls see our outstretched arms, waiting to embrace them, or will we turn our backs to them? Never mind "loving the sinner, hating the sin." We need to drop that from our gospel vocabulary. God-like love doesn't offer one hand of support, while the other hand waits to slap with piety, condescension, condemnation and judgment. We must offer both hands, both arms, our whole hearts in a loving, caring, welcoming embrace. We must discontinue to see people as their outer forms, and begin to see them for the beautiful inner-Beings which reflect our own, and which reflect God.

If this policy, or an unkind attitude has touched you, and affected you in a negative way, I want you to know that I stand up for you. I see you. I am listening to you. I love you. I want you to be a part of this journey we call life. You are enough. You are perfect. I want you to be a part of my own journey, and I hope you want me to be a part of yours.

No, you haven't failed as a parent, and no, your child isn't rebelling.

I'm writing this post in response to an article in the February 2016 copy of The Ensign. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2016/02/when-a-child-leaves-the-church?lang=eng&clang=tpi

As a parent, I try to teach my kids what I believe to be correct principles, but I can't make them walk my path exactly, nor should I try. I try to teach them about faith, to have it. I teach them to think critically. From my perspective, I may fear their path at times, but I must also remember to take joy in their journey.

While reading the Ensign article, a few thoughts came to mind: First: Parents will never stop being parents. They will never cease to care for their child(ren). (At least not the good parents.) Secondly: It's natural for parents to have dreams and aspirations for their children, and expectations for how their lives will turn out. It's important to remember that everyone has agency, and children will have to use it at every point in their lives. Helping them attain sharp critical thinking skills, and helping them know how to nourish their faith are important parts of parenting. They'll need these skills when they begin to be faced with tough choices in their lives. They will need them in order to use their agency. And thirdly: As children begin their journeys, it is important to recognize they aren't rebelling against you when their path varies from the map you had envisioned for them. This is neither inherently failure for a child, nor his/her parent(s).

I am a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, as are/were my parents, my grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great gra--you get the picture.  Up until ten or twelve years ago, I was quite active. I served a mission. I once married in the temple. (Ended in divorce). I served in leadership positions, as well as experienced times where I was active, but without a calling. I've had spiritual experiences within the context of Mormonism, and without. And I have had wonderful ward members, leaders, and church friends all along the way. At some point in my life, I began really questioning my beliefs. Questions from my mission, as well as earlier on, which I had basically just put on a shelf after no one could answer them, began to weigh heavily. Rather than facing the fact that I was having serious doubts, I went inactive. I stopped reading scriptures or studying gospel principles, more or less. I didn't go to church. I stopped asking questions. I was quietly being "less-active."

A little more than 4 1/2 years ago, my mom took her own life. I was devastated. I became unsure of myself. I questioned all of the things I might have done or said to my mom. I wondered how I might have saved her; how I might have made her happy instead of depressed and sad. I broke down many times over my mom's passing. I spent many hours in therapy, and shed many, many tears. I even went through a couple of nervous breakdowns. One of my favorite therapists told me that I was being very strong. He said that I was in a self-preservation mode, but that I was likely to crack within a couple of months. At the time, I had no idea what that would look like exactly. But he was right. My belief system, the lenses through which I viewed the world, my proverbial shelf of ideas and questions, and my whole self shattered.

After about a year of just trying to stay afloat, I began to look at all of the pieces of my old self; everything that had come apart. It was a puzzle of sorts. And when I decided to put it back together, it seemed as good a time as any to make a deliberate choice to put that puzzle together in a way that made sense; in a way that seemed truly me. Some pieces were still as necessary as they ever were. Others seemed less definitive of how I then felt about myself, and I set them aside. But I was on a new part of my life journey; I wasn't reinventing myself, mind you; rather, I was attempting to look into the mirror and see what was authentically me. Who had I been? Who had I become? (Of course, I believer my soul is eternal, and my Being is intrinsically me always, but that's another post for another day.)

When you're raised as a Mormon, you're taught that, through an exclusive, special temple ritual, called a sealing, your family will be granted togetherness for all of eternity. After losing my sweet mom so tragically, it was natural that I would take a hard and honest look at my feelings about eternal families and temples. Earlier on in my life, I had always just taken this for granted. My parents were sealed in the temple, so we'd all be together for eternity. I had also always figured it made sense that, if there is a Heaven, EVERY family--where there is LOVE--will be eternally bonded. When I really thought about it, I realized I didn't necessarily believe about eternal families, in the way that Mormonism teaches. At present, my belief is that we are all eternally linked. Our souls are eternal. I hope that I'll be with my loved ones forever, but it's not contingent upon whether or not a temple ritual took place. Rather, it is contingent upon the closeness and love that is present in a family. Obviously, I might be wrong, just as we all might be wrong. But this is what I believe, deep down in my soul. As a side note, but an extremely dear side note, I feel my mom's presence at times, which bolsters my faith in the eternal nature of that relationship, and in the possibility of eternal families.

I won't go into all of the other things that fell off my shelf. That would take many other blog posts, and none of that is the main point of this particular post. As well, I don't feel it necessary to lay out which of my beliefs now differ from those of my traditionally-believing parents, or friends. Suffice it to say, my faith journey has led me to a different place than where my parents might have hoped I'd be. It very likely isn't the place they'd have chosen for me, if the choice were theirs. This doesn't mean I'm rejecting everything my parents taught me. It doesn't mean I'm rebelling against them. It most certainly doesn't mean I don't love them, or that I'm not grateful for all of the things they taught me. Most certainly it doesn't mean I don't want to be with my family always. But I feel that it's most important to take the path that feels divine, or good, or TRUE to my soul. I am the son of very goodly parents. I love them intensely. But I am also an individual. I have a personal relationship with deity, and it's not something that anyone else can feel, nor think, nor choose, nor do for me. One of my greatest fears is that I'll one day face my Creator, and be asked, "Who were you on Earth?", only to be able to answer, "I'm not sure. I just did what I was taught by The Church."

I get anxiety, and downright uncomfortable thinking that my dad or mom feel sad about my place in the church. It would be a painful thing to think my parents look at my path, or where I've been, or to where I've thus far come, and feel like they've failed as parents. And I guess I could write off the hurt that causes me, but I hate the idea that they feel bad because of something I do, or say, or believe, or don't. Those feelings, if they're there, DO NOT come from our Creator. I believe they come from the darker part of ourSELVES. I believe they come from our egos, trying to falsely attach all of this stuff to our identities. Those feelings are not light. Mom and Dad, if you do feel like failures, please, PLEASE stop. And look at me. Try not to look at me through anything but the clearest, truest of lenses.

I may not have millions of dollars. I may not have a prestigious job. I may not have done everything my parents had envisioned I would. I don't believe exactly as I was taught at church. But I am a wonderful person. I'll just come right out and say that. I am a great friend. I'm a good dad, and a decent husband. (Working on that, Honey!) I'm a good home teacher. I am good at caring for people. I don't always do a great job at it, but I am good at loving other people. I still have so many of the values that I saw in both of my parents. I'm a bit of a perfectionist and can be hard on myself. I'm always working on myself. I get that from my dad, for sure. I am learning compassion and empathy for others. My mom was always so great at that. There just wasn't anyone around--even people she didn't particularly like--in whom she couldn't find the good. I'm a hard worker--no one worked harder for the benefit of loved ones than my dad did. I want to be every bit like him in this way. I have a good sense of humor. I can make people laugh, and I can laugh with others. Both of my parents have great senses of humor--although my mom was certainly less afraid of showing her goofiest sides. How I miss that! I have a profound love and respect for Mother Nature, the wild places, the wild creatures, etc... Certainly, that came from my dad, who took me fishing, hiking and hunting, very early on when I didn't stand as tall as that damned stinging nettle that always seemed to get me. I still have a relationship with my dad, which I value greatly. I still go to him with questions, or problems, or wanting advice, or wanting to share a story, or some success I've had, etc...If I experience the same from my own kids one day, I will see that as success. I am a good person, with a lot of good qualities. I'm not trying to toot my own horn there, but I want to show you a clear view of who I am. We are not our skin color. We are not our jobs. We are not our sports trophies. We are not our bank accounts. We are not our political affiliation. And we are not our religion. We are Beings. And we are intrinsically divine.

As parents, we needn't view our kids' personal journeys as rebellion. Sure, some kids are rebellious. I get that. But I'm just a few weeks shy of 40 years old. I'm hardly interested in rebelling. Every soul has its own journey. Every person has to make their own way. Every believer in God has to work out that relationship in an intimate, sacred, and personal way. Some people's paths will look Mormon. Some will not. There is no failure in either path. So, if your child goes less-active in the church, or steps away for a while, or leaves completely, do not listen to the darkness and feel as though you've failed. Instead, find your light. Listen to it. Let it shine and see all of the good, miraculous, and amazing things that your kids ARE.

Post Script: I realize that because I don't subscribe to a literal interpretation of most of Mormonism, this may be tough to translate for the traditional or more orthodox Latter-day Saint. This post may not resonate with everyone. I know many of you believe that your kids are lost, and breaking up the eternal family if they leave The Church. And if that is what you believe, I accept that. Still, I'd encourage you to look past the Mormon elephant in the room, if only for brief glimpses of your kids. See them for who they are, intrinsically. They are not reasons for you to feel like a failure. They are children of our great Creator. That is a beautiful truth, in my heart of hearts. You can find joy in their joys, and you can have pride in their successes. You can take satisfaction in the way they're taking their journeys and owning their paths.

Prophets?

I believe in prophets, meaning I believe people can be divinely inspired. And, I believe I am the primary prophet for my life; I have a direct line to 'God' and divine influence; nothing, and no one, is supposed to replace that direct line. I believe that the general authorities are prophets, with a special calling--that is to focus their time and energy, pondering many important matters and questions of mortality, and then presenting their ideas to others.

I believe the purposes of a priesthood blessing, prayer, listening to General Conference, attending the temple, etc...are actually united; they are to bring to our minds, things and ideas and questions we may not have considered previously. If we listen closely, we may hear or read about an idea that we should be pondering in our lives at that moment, but maybe something we hadn't thought of, due to our foci being elsewhere. These things--prophets, scriptures, blessings, etc...--are all sources of ideas and inspiration. However, they are NOT the answers, in and of themselves.

To put it as simply as I can, prophets DON'T have the answers; rather, they have the questions, and then it's each of our responsibilities to consider those questions, and then present them to God, always seeking his influence on our hearts and souls.

This idea that the prophets don't have the answers, and aren't there to give us the answers was a bit of an epiphany for me. But it sure makes sense, and rings true to life, in my experience.

Care to take TWO quick surveys for me?

I'm doing this research for my blog, and because I have these questions myself. If you would, please take the time to take both. (I realize they're not completely professionally done; it's my first time using surveymonkey).

Thank You!

1) https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/63QRLWS

2) https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/6QM37FR

What do you mean, SUSTAIN?!?!

SUSTAIN

1) "I SUSTAIN the leaders of the church. I raise my right hand to show that I will sustain them. In so doing, I'm showing my willingness to support THEM in their callings. I don't necessarily intend that I will believe anything that comes from their mouths. I believe they are called of God, yet I recognize that they are mortals, subject to all those things to which I am also subject--both strengths an weaknesses."

2) "F*ck this guy! He isn't my president! I didn't vote for him!"

The Oxford dictionary defines "sustain" to mean: Strengthen or support physically or mentally. It also describes it to mean: Uphold, affirm, or confirm the justice or validity of. We do these things "from below," meaning, we submit--or subject ourselves--in some way to those things/persons we sustain.

The 12th Article of Faith says: "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."
As a collective church, we believe the 13 Articles of Faith to have been divinely inspired.

Now, where is the distinction in sustenance, of the following?

1) I sustain Pres. Monson, as president of the church, and as a prophet when he speaks as such. This doesn't mean, necessarily, that I will automatically agree with everything he says/does. And sometimes, I don't agree with him. I will pray on all of it first, and then draw my conclusions, as to its origins, whether divine, or mortal.

2) F*ck President _________ and his stupid health care law! I aint having it. Impeach him! Screw the fed. government! Let's sue them and take our land back! Screw the BLM! I'll graze my cows wherever I want to! F*ck the EPA! Let's get in our trucks and "roll coal!"

Assuming these 2 statements were said by 2 different people, why is one considered more pious or faithful than the other?




For a great article on why Mormons are more hostile toward the current U.S. president, than are their Christian counterparts, go to this link: http://m.deseretnews.com/article/865606978/Latter-day-Saints-should-appreciate-the-president.html?ref=https%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com

Forgiveness and Repentance

I was just reading Talmage's "Articles of Faith." In the section on Repentance, it talks about how
FORGIVENESS is one of the necessary parts of repentance; forgiveness of ourselves, but also
forgiveness of others. Essentially, if we don't forgive others for their trespasses against us, God will not forgive us. I don't often think about that part, when I think about my own repentance. I usually just think about how I have to be better about this, or that; I think about how I need to feel contrition and sorrow for my sins. But I rarely consider whether or not I am forgiving of others. That is a VERY difficult thing sometimes.



Forgiving others isn't as simple as just telling the jackass who scratched your car, "That's OK; I forgive you."; it's much more than that. It's having a freely forgiving heart. It's allowing others to have their imperfections, as God allows you to have yours; it's allowing everyone to BE where they are in their journey, as you hope God will bless you and keep you in yours. That is one of the most difficult things in life for me; that allowance for others to simply BE. And so, I'm sort of an incomplete repenter, until I can arrive at a place in my heart where I'm not worried about someone else's sins, or their differences, or their opinions, or their politics, or their personal path, or their understanding of the world which differs from mine, etc...


And I'll add one of my favorite quotes (which I've probably quoted a hundred times): “Ever keep in exercise the principle of mercy, and be ready to forgive our brother on the first intimations of repentance, and asking forgiveness; and should we even forgive our brother, or even our enemy, before he repent or ask forgiveness, our heavenly Father would be equally as merciful unto us.”

--Spiritual teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith; Section 4; p. 155--


LORD, BEER ME MERCY.

A brief post about our trip to Kauai

Very recently, my wife and son and I had the opportunity to visit the island of Kauai, in Hawaii. My awesome sister-in-law wanted to go over there to marry her fiancé (now her husband), and was so kind to invite us to go along. While I was unsure about making the trip, and whether or not I cared at all about Hawaii, I can now say, Kauai is AMAZING!!!

One of the many gorgeous river valleys on the island.

We stayed on the southern end of the island, in Poipu, and in one of the nicest hotels I've ever seen. We were right on the beach, and our room had a balcony with a view of the blue, blue ocean. Every morning, I'd wake to the sound of hundreds of birds singing, and the waves hitting the beach. From the hotel, I could go running along this path, which eventually became a dirt and lava-rock trail. It was a pretty wonderful thing; a very spiritual environment, in which to run and start my mornings.

Local surfers were a regular site at the beach by the hotel. The water was so comfortable--around 75 degrees, so the surfers would stay out as long as they were catching good waves, right up until it was too dark to see.

This was our hotel, the Grand Hyatt in Poipu. There were regular swimming pools and jacuzzis, as well as these tidal pools. I was surprised to see so many people spending more time in the tidal pools, than just out in the ocean itself. Not us; I don't think we ever set foot in the hotels pools. It was the ocean, or nothing for us.

There is something incredibly special about this island. I felt it. I don't think you can help but feel it. Kauai is nicknamed "The Garden Island," which is very appropriate. The entire place is covered in jungle, basically. There are green plants and trees, everywhere you look, and so thick that you'd need a machete to navigate most of it. I could not help but notice that the island just feels so ALIVE!! So much plant life. So many beautiful rivers, full of life-sustaining water. So many huge, powerful waterfalls along those rivers. The mountains on Kauai are gorgeous, though many of them are often socked in by steam and rain clouds. Near dead-center of the island, Mt. Kauaikini rises up over 5200 feet, being the island's tallest peak. It receives over 400 inches of annual rainfall. I can't help but wonder how much more beautiful it would be here in Utah, if our mountains received even 200 inches of annual rainfall.

We were only on the island for a week, but enough to get a sense of the people there. They are hard-working, but also quite relaxed. No one seemed to be in a rush, or very stressed out about anything. The fastest speed limit on the island is 50mph, and most of the narrow stretches of highway, where I would assume the speed limit might be 55 or 60mph, the speed limit was only 25mph. It made driving very pleasant, and such that you could really see things, and take it all in, as much as possible. I was very fortunate to be able to meet up with a missionary friend, who I hadn't seen since we were both serving as Mormon missionaries in Los Angeles, CA...17 or 18 years ago. He is from Kauai, and continues to live there, now with his wife and son. And he showed us a great time at Anahola Beach, about 2/3 of the way up the west coast of the island. The beach was so nice, and secluded from all of the tourists. (We would never have known about it if he hadn't have invited us and given us good directions). There, we sat on the beach, did some snorkeling--where I got stung by jellyfish--and tried paddle-boarding for my first time. I LOVE it!! Now I want to buy one, and try it out on the lakes around here.

Sheldon Espina and I at Anahola Beach, Kauai, Hawaii. He hasn't changed a bit, after 17+ years, when I knew him as a fellow-missionary in the California Los Angeles Mission. It was really great to see him, and I hope it's not so long before we can hang out again.

This is at Wailua Falls, one of the first places we found a ways off the beaten path. I didn't get any good photos of them, because they were too far away for my wide-angle lens, but we watched these beautiful White-tailed Tropicbirds, circling around below, and near the river, and they'd follow each other, almost in a dance, and fly in and out of the falls. It was a cool thing to watch.

Opeakaa Falls--allegedly this is shown during the opening credits of that old show, "Fantasy Island." (Remember it? "Da plane! Da plane!")

Opeakaa River. And if you click on the photo, you can see some tiny kayakers, probably having one of the most amazing experiences of their lives.

I took over my nice camera, hoping to do lots of photography. But, on a family trip, I realized that was more easily said than done. So, I didn't get as many photos as I might have wanted. I did manage to capture some nice pics at sunset, in Poipu. As far as wildlife in Kauai, it's pretty much birds. LOTS of birds, including a gazillion wild chickens. Yep. Wild chickens. That no one eats. I asked my friend, as well as the lady working one of the delicious food trucks, and they told me no one eats the wild chickens; that the meat would be too tough, and not that tasty. That surprised me; I would have assumed one could subsist well on nothing but the wild chickens. They were EVERYWHERE. 

Common Myna.

Cattle Egret.

A very handsome Red Junglefowl rooster, one of the MANY wild chickens on the island. These were introduced to Hawaii by some early Polynesian settlers, and they have no real predators on Kauai, other than a few raptor birds. On some of the other Hawaiian islands, there are Mongoose, which helps keep the Junglefowl populations in check.

While I didn't take photos of them, I wanted to mention that I also saw: A black-crowned Night Heron, Hawaiian Hawks, many finches, lots of Zebra Doves (very common over there), Northern Cardinals and Red-Crested Cardinals, Peacocks, and many others I couldn't identify. It's also worth noting, I think, that there are raptors that we also have in Utah, such as Short-eared Owls, Barn Owls, Osprey, Peregrine Falcons and others.

I appreciated the simple, yet soulful architecture on Kauai, and found a couple of churches to be very charming.

This was the Mormon Branch Building in Hanalei. Still a bland looking ward/branch house, but with a tropical, Hawaiian twist.

Wai'oli Hui'ia Church. (It's a Christian/Bible-based church). Why doesn't every church have stained-glass and palm trees?!

Same thing--different angle.

For my sister-in-law's wedding, the ceremony was held at a place called Smith Gardens. It was a simple and beautiful ceremony, with a mountain and jungle backdrop. I didn't take any photos of it, as I didn't want to be an "Uncle Bob," and bother the professional photographer that Smith Gardens provided, as part of the wedding package. But it was a gorgeous afternoon, birds were chirping, romance was in the air, etc... ;) Following the wedding, we attended a luau in the same location. The food was SOOO GOOD!!! And that was followed by a presentation by island dancers/performers, representing all of the different peoples of Hawaii (called the Rhythm of Aloha show). http://www.smithskauai.com/luau.html

This was the backdrop for the ceremony, or at least one small part of the backdrop.

It was super hard to take nice photos of the show, as it was very dark, the lighting was poor, and the dancers were 25 yards or so away from where the audience was sitting. This fire dancer was amazing, and had A LOT of personality. We really enjoyed the show.

There truly is something special about Kauai. There is a spirit there that I couldn't ignore. It's in everything. It's in the people. It's in their culture and traditions, which they keep alive. It's in the wildlife. It's in the green jungle, the rivers, the waterfalls and the ocean. It's in the gorgeous starry skies at night, and in the sunrises and sunsets. Kauai isn't too commercialized, like some of the other islands. There aren't any skyscrapers. There aren't a lot of roads. The ecosystem seems, in great part, to be intact, and unmolested. The whole place just feels very much alive, and I was invigorated by it all. It changed me. And we look forward to going back.

And just a couple other pics to end on.

Huge cave, just beyond Hanalei Bay.

The hotel's dining area was open to the outdoors, which was lovely. The air always smelled so good, and the sounds of the ocean and all the birds were better than lousy elevator music. After people would leave their tables, these Mynas and Finches would swarm in and start cleaning up the plates and bowls, as much as they wanted. It was kind of awesome.

"Spouting Horn," near Poipu.

"Spouting Horn." This lava outcropping has been hollowed out underneath, over time, and when the waves come in, the water is forced up through these channels and holes in the top. Not nearly as cool as Old Faithful geyser in Yellowstone, but still pretty cool. And hey, you're at the beach!