Collection 1

July 17, 2017

Koae

In the heart of the Pacific Ocean are some beautiful islands - points of green that arise from the dark blue depths. One of these islands is called Oahu which in Hawaiian means "the gathering place". It is well named for it is the home of many.

Among the people that lived on Oahu in times long past was an old man named Koae and his grandson Keola. Koae was a kahuna, a man of God, whose wisdom and love for others was well known. Koae loved many things - the sparkling curtains of rain falling on the dark green mountain valleys, and the roar of the rollers breaking over the reef, the bright orange and red hibiscus blossoms that framed the still brighter smiles of the graceful island women, and the sound of drums and chanting on quiet moonlit nights.

Most of all, Koae loved to sit on the beach with his grandson Keola, and as the sun set he would tell stories of long ago - stories that had been told by his grandfather and his grandfather before him.

The sun had dropped below the horizon, that distant place where sea and sky meet, but its rays still pierced the ocean's edges with beams of orange and crimson light.

"Look, my son," said Koae, pointing out beyond the reef. "It is Koae, the tropic bird, coming home from the sea. It is for him that I am named."

"Grandfather, please tell me of Koae," said Keola.