The music of Maui fills my soul. An unexpected delight became the highlight of our trip. We took a snorkeling cruise to Molokini Crater - one of Maui's justifiably most popular outings. During down time, the captain played his ukelele and sang (the songs were his own compositions for the most part, I believe, but lovely traditional melodies). After lunch, as we sat on the top of the catamaran relaxing in one of the most beautiful places on earth - having had two great snorkeling experiences plus seeing dolphins and several sea turtles surfacing after we got out of the water - he sang Mercy Me's song "I Can Only Imagine." Wow! Though we have been enjoying one of the most incredible places on earth, it still can hardly compare to what awaits us in heaven! We can barely imagine the glory and beauty that we will find when Jesus returns and recreates the earth.

But our day was not over yet. We had reservations in the evening for a luau that celebrated the cultures and foods of 4 polynesian lands: Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti and Samoa. I gained a greater appreciation for the owner of my childhood dance studio. She taught us more than just Hula; we learned many of these traditional polynesian dances - it was a treat for me to be in the audience watching instead of performing or peeking from backstage to watch my friends. Here's a small sample of the evening's entertainmeng:

Conch Shell call

Hawaiian Hula Dancer

Hawaiian Flower Gourd dance

New Zealand Maori Poi Ball dance

Samoan Fire Knife dancer

Michael & Me having a great time

I drifted off to sleep with the sound of traditional Hawaiian drums in my head. What a perfect final night for this vacation!