“You can always identify a kidney stone patient!”  I remember the lecture as if it were yesterday. “They writhe...they can't sit still, they can't find a position of comfort.”

Our Gospel text a couple weeks ago was the story of the two thieves crucified on either side of Jesus, and the hymn spoke of “the Lamb who bore our sins.”

I had a flashback....right there in the middle of the service....I remembered playing a computer adventure game. It was likely a King's Quest or Hero's Quest game. The protagonist needed to perform many tasks in order to save the girl (..or the kingdom....or the castle...or whatever...).

....before.

....after

..the grime is gone.

We are blessed to be able to live on the Hamakua coast of Hawaii.  We are doubly blessed to be able to look out our windows and see the sea in all its glory.

Well, after the Tsunami alert was lifted, DS and DDL came over for cards and food. In a role reversal,  they brought US new toys--an new Wii Resort game with new controllers. They brought along their own controllers and we joined in a family game of bowling.

Remember the movie "Christmas Story?"  Ralphie lusted after a Daisy BB gun, and all the adults brushed him off with the admonition "You'll poke yer eyes out..."

The announcer on MSNBC just noted that "the concern is that there is a large American population in the Hawaiian Islands...."

.....um, last I knew, Hawaii IS part of the USA....and so why is it a surprise that there is a large American population here......

Idjits.