Adventures in Paradise 73
Kia Orana , everyone! Our excellent adventure continues with some thoughts on famous last words. As we come to terms with the realization that we must actually leave our little island, our focus has shifted. For the last week or so, we have been directing home affairs from afar. There are cars to be inspected, doctor’s appointments to be scheduled, bills to be paid and income taxes to be reconciled. Our phone will be switched on April 1 and we look forward to hearing it ring once again. We are grateful to friends and family who have been so willing to help us get organized. But as I mentioned, our focus has shifted. That focus is now directed to those here that we will leave behind. Our thoughts revolve around what last words we want to leave with them. Given one last opportunity, what is it that we wish most to say.
If I were a screenwriter, I might find a very clever way to deliver one last line. In” Casablanca”, Rick reminds Elsa that “They will always have Paris”. Yes dear friends, we will always have Raro. That memory is ours forever. This island is truly “The stuff that dreams are made of” (“The Maltese Falcon”) and it has been our good fortune to live here. But what is it that we wish to have them know and hopefully remember. What will our famous or not so famous last words be?
Today is our last teaching day at Tereora College. I have lost a lot of sleep pondering over the subject of my last lesson with these young people. Is there anything that I can say to a roomful of teenagers that will be heard, let alone remembered? What also is the last piece of advice that we should leave with our newlywed friends? What should we share with the parents of young families? Is there something memorable that we can impart to the children? For the last month or two, my mind has raced from one subject to another; from one person to another. I have felt restless and unsettled while trying to formulate my thoughts. I have been searching for appropriate last words.
In the past few months our island has been besieged by teenage suicides. People are worried. The Prime Minister is so concerned about this loss of young lives that he has decided to form a coalition of local church and civic leaders to formulate a plan to combat this tragedy. Just this week, the first of many youth-oriented gatherings took place. The aim of these gatherings is to teach those attending how to better handle their frustrations and to train them to recognize signs of distress in their friends. Perhaps these young people would do well to recall what Scarlett O’Hara said at the end of “Gone With the Wind”. Truly , “Tomorrow is another day”, and as I mentioned in a previous blog, it will feel better when it stops hurting. I think that I would like to remind these young people that they should look forward to all of the tomorrows in their lives.
For my friends with young and growing families, I would suggest that home and faith should be the focus of their lives together. It would be wonderful to create a loving retreat where children would want to return at the end of the day. This should be a place of physical and emotional safety. It should be a place where trust is nurtured and lessons about thinking of others could be learned. I suppose that Dorothy said it best when she exclaimed, “There’s no place like home”. Yes, “Wouldn’t that be loverly”.
For my newlywed friends I would suggest patience tempered with the willingness to forgive. I would remind them that a good marriage takes a lot of hard work where both partners give one hundred percent. All marriages are works in progress and they need to remember why they got married in the first place. They need to be willing to work hard, and learn to laugh. I would not want to live a life where there was no laughter. The movie, “Some Like it Hot”, sums it up in three simple words. “Well, nobody’s perfect.” A young wife once told me that her husband was not perfect, but he was perfect for her. That was what mattered most.
“Thank heaven for little girls” and boys! I hope that the children realize how much we love them and how valuable they are. It may sound trite to state that these children are our hope for tomorrow, but it is true none the less. We have grown to love these children more than they can imagine and we are wishing that there is a bright future in store for them. We would like them to remember to say their prayers before they sleep and to be grateful. We would remind them to keep learning and be respectful of others and demand respect for themselves. We would suggest that they try very hard to be good role models for others and that they take time to appreciate the beauty that surrounds them. Speaking of this island, Gidget would say. “Honest to goodness. It’s the absolute ultimate!”
While I realize that there will never be enough time to impart all of the last thoughts that we would like, I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to speak to so many of our friends personally. We continue to receive invitations from those who want to say goodbye in their own way. It’s just possible that they too are considering what last words to leave with us. Even if no one were to speak, we can tell through facial expressions and heartfelt hugs that we have permanent friends on Rarotonga. We look forward to our last week in paradise. We cannot assume that our excellent adventure is ending. We have other goals and dreams to dream. “So your adventures are over.” “Oh, no. To live, to live would be an awfully big adventure.” (“Hook”) So as always, we are happy and trying to work hard. We know that other wonderful experiences await us and many of them will include some of you. We can hardly wait for the next chapter in our lives. And if someone were to suggest that they will miss our presence, I will tenderly tap my heart and remind them , “I will always be right here.” (“E.T.”)
Love Ward and Susan Elder and Sister Belliston, serving in the Cooks
"If you look in this place tomorrow and its gone, you musn't be sad.
Because you know it still exists not very far away." "Green Mansions"
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