blackrockbulletin: Adventures in Parasise 57

Adventures in Paradise 57

Kia Orana, everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with thoughts on Thanksgiving and the sweetness of being grateful. It’s difficult to believe as we hear the waves crashing on the reef that winter is approaching at home. We have had a hard time wrapping our minds around the concept that next Thursday, you will be celebrating an American traditional holiday without us. Not only will we miss the feast for a second year, but we will miss the atmosphere that those gatherings engender. The aromas, the colors, the sense of well-being, the laughter and the realization that I should have worn something with an elastic waistband are all part of how that day in November feels to me. And I miss it.

Many families have the tradition prior to the meal of having each person in attendance relate why they are grateful. Since I will not be dining at home this year, I just wanted to take this opportunity to share with my friends and family why I am thankful. My life is good because I am surrounded by people I love. My husband, sons and brothers are good men and I am proud of them. My son, Jared married a wonderful girl and I think the world of her. I have a sister and a sister-in-law who feels like a sister. Ward has provided me with the daughters I never had and has thrown in extra sons for good measure. I now have an extended family including thirty two grandchildren that I have learned to love and respect. I have been blessed with dear friends and a caring community of neighbors. Life cannot get much better than this!

In contemplation of all of this, I decided to conduct a little “Man on the Street” interview with people here on the island. I asked all of them the same question: What are you thankful for? The answers were varied and in some cases, predictable, but the end result was the same. People here are thankful for the lives they lead and most of them wouldn’t change a thing. Where I thought that this island was too small and restrictive, others feel that its size makes them feel secure. Where I felt that people worked too hard on their plantations, the locals feel that it is a blessing that they can provide so much for their families from their own land. Where it seemed to me that life here was too slow, my new friends feel sorry for me that I have to return to a hectic life. The Rarotongans are thankful for life just the way that it is.

When asked what they are thankful for, our teenage students said that they were grateful to live in a place where everyone knows each other. They like having “heaps” of cousins and aunties and uncles nearby. The boys said that they like having freedom. They can go swimming and fishing every day if they want and there is always the opportunity to play rugby or football (soccer). Life is slow-paced and no one is in a hurry. We actually wish, sometimes, that they were in a hurry, but that is another story! Everyone and everything is close by, so they never have to go very far to find something to do or someone to do it with. They are very pleased that they do not have to wear restrictive clothing like dress shoes or suits. They are happy.

One night, several months ago, we noticed what appeared to be floating lights moving back and forth near the reef. There was an ethereal quality to this and we watched, fascinated, wondering what those lights meant. We learned later that on moonless nights, fishermen take lanterns out in their boats to catch flying fish. Flying fish? Yes, the fishermen shine their lanterns across the dark water and the fish are drawn to the light and literally fly into the waiting nets. These fishermen are thankful for moonless nights as they are able to sell their fresh catches at market the next morning. And the islanders are thankful that there is another variety of fresh fish for them to enjoy.

Most islanders have a way of at least partially feeding their families from the land. We have mentioned the delivery of bananas, papaya, pineapple, eggplant, eggs and pork to our home. This is just a sampling of what is grown here. It is watermelon and cucumber season here now and they are delicious. Yesterday, someone gave us some fresh spinach after hearing that I was craving a spinach salad. I was not hinting I was just hungry! Most everyone owns pigs and many have goats. There is also taro and tapioca. Taro has been described as a cross between a potato and cardboard. We are thankful that we do not have to eat it too often, although it is a staple at every dinner we have ever attended. Hard work produces food for the table for which people here are thankful. I might add that all of us in the Cooks are thankful that the drought is finally over. We ran out of water here at the house three weeks ago, as it hadn’t rained on the island in almost four months. Late last week it starting raining and the storm didn’t let up for almost two days. Everyone was very excited to see the rain as you can imagine. Ward and I had an extra reason to smile. The clouds clinging to the mountain tops were gray and ominous. They looked to us like snow might be in the forecast. It made us feel like it was time for a batch of chili and some hot chocolate!

Our friends are thankful for their homes. They do not aspire to designer houses or matching furniture. Most have very little compared to what we have, but they are grateful. One young woman said that she loved her warm, cozy bed and hated to get out of it in the morning. There were no Egyptian cotton sheets, no duvets and no dust ruffles. She has a mattress on the floor and a Tivaevae to keep her warm. We visited with an elderly couple earlier this week. They are grandparents raising three grandchildren. We had never seen their home before and were touched by what we observed. The house sits high on a mountain with a million-dollar view. The view is unobstructed by window glass or curtains. The one large room of the house contained a very simple kitchen and five single beds lined up in a row. Each bed was neatly made, but there was no coordinating color scheme or matching bedding. They showed us their home with pride and said that they were thankful that they could provide a home for their grandchildren. When we went back outside, we chatted while the grandfather grated (by hand) fresh coconut for the family dinner. It was lovely and peaceful.

Most everyone I spoke to said that they were thankful for family. Our newest father, Tere is so in love with his new son that he hardly ever puts him down. Tere hates to leave for work for fear that he will miss something. Yesterday, we had the opportunity to spend some time with this little family as we took them to the courthouse to register little Bellitson’s birth. Ward asked Tere if he would like to have his son forever and Tere tearfully answered that he would. So now begins the process of preparing them to go to the temple to be sealed. Our friends here are thankful for their faith. They find it a source of strength and feel that it gives their lives direction. It is an anchor for which they are thankful.

So, as always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We cannot express how much we love and miss everyone, and want you to know that we are thankful that you are part of our lives. We are also grateful that an American, who is now a chef here has invited us to a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings and we are very excited. I am not even going to ask where he found a turkey. That will be his little secret! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Love, Ward and Susan Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks

Before: Our backyard without rain.

After: Two days of rain made a huge difference! We are thankful for the rain.

This watermelon is called a pineapple melon due to its color. Ward is thankful that it is watermelon season!

Flying fish really do have wings. A string of five of these fish sells for 10.00. The fisherman was thankful for the moonless night so that he could go fishing.