AloHA!

This time last year I had the experience to be in a woman's choir directed by the amazing Merrilee Webb. My sister talked me into it and it was a life changing/attitude altering experience for me. The first thing Merrilee shares with you is her story from living in Hawaii and about the Hawaii people's "HA" or breath of life (life energy) and the whole spirit behind the AloHA or the Aloha Spirit.  So when the Hawaii people say AloHA they are breathing life into you.  Merrilee's whole goal is to teach you how to make a difference everywhere you go by your attitude and how you present yourself - to smile to give energy off to the people around you and create friendships and wonderful relationships. It was inspiring and like I said life changing. She has such wonderful stories and she makes you laugh and cry in the same five minutes. I loved my experiences in that choir last year. We were the choir that sang on the day after Thanksgiving on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah last year when they lit up the square with Christmas lights and it was awesome. We all made Hawaiian lei's to wear around our necks and the Christmas music we sang was just beautiful.  We would do a Hawaiian chant at the beginning of all our rehearsals that I will play back on the CD sometimes when I am feeling down just to remember that experience and to remember what the chant meant. Here is the chant and it's interpretation:

HIKI MAI E NA PUA I KA LA’IE

COME FORWARD AND APPEAR YOU PRECIOUS FLOWERS ARISING IN THE

CALMNESS OF THIS SPECIAL DAY

KE PI’I A’E LA KA MAUNA KI’EKI’E

EACH OF YOU ARE TAKING UP THE CHALLENGE OF NOT SIMPLY CLIMBING

A HIGH MOUNTAIN BUT YOU HAVE CHOSEN TO CLIMB THE HIGHEST AND

MOST MAJESTIC MOUNTAIN OF ALL

HA’A MAI NA KAMA ME KA MAKUA

DANCE FORWARD YOU CHILDREN OF YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER

HE WEHI PULAMA A’O KE KUPUNA

FOR IS IT NOT SO THAT YOU OUR CHILDREN ARE SO VERY PRECIOUS, IN

FACT, YOU ARE THE MOST PRECIOUS ADORNMENT WORN AROUND THE

NECK OF YOUR ANCESTORS

E KA’I MAI ANA E KA’I MAI ANA

COME FORWARD COME FORWARD FOR THERE ARE MANY ROADS FOR

YOU TO CHOOSE…

E HAHAI I KA LEO O KA HAKU E

BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE VOICE OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, FOR HE WILL

ALWAYS KEEP YOU, PROTECT YOU, AND SHOW YOU THE WAY.

So when I am in a bad mood I think of the difference one smile, one AloHA can make to someone and I think of the wonderful spirit I felt at every rehearsal in that choir and it puts me in a good mood. So aloHA... go and breathe energy or life into someone.