'Ohana Means Family.......

Can you tell we just recently watched Lilo & Stitch?  I Love that movie.  It teaches such a wonderful lesson about what families are. At the beginning of the movie Lilo's 'ohana consists of herself and her sister Nani. (Their parents died in a car accident). Gradually Stitch becomes the third member of their little "broken" family.  "This is my family. I found it, all on my own. It is little, and broken, but still good..... Yeah, still good. ~~Stitch

By the end of the movie, and in scenes from events which take place after the story ends, you see that their 'ohana consists of quite a few new members including Nani's boyfriend David, the social worker Cobra Bubbles, and even the two aliens who were originally sent to capture Stitch, his creator Jumba and sociologist Pleakley.

The Hawaiian word 'ohana literally means family. The basic concept of a family is a Mother, a Father and their children. But many other types of families exist. 

In Hawaii, the "other" type of family is more the norm than the exception. Many families consist of parents, grandparents and children all residing under one roof. It's not unusual to see a child being raised by a grandparent or aunt while the parents live and work elsewhere. The Hawaiian family or 'ohana can also consist of others not related by birth.

A valued friend can be a member of your 'ohana. An entire group of close friends or associates can be their own 'ohana. The late Hawaiian music superstar Israel Kamakawiwo'ole who recorded "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World" (which is now a very popular song within the adoption community)---often referred to the friends he chatted with on the Net as his "Cyber 'Ohana".

This leads me to one of the areas we are going to start learning about and working on here at our house and in our home-school.  

Love... and what it means to be a family. Each day we will talk about what love is and also what it is not.  

Straight from 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.....here is what Love is and isn't:

Got that?  ....ok.....so here it is one more time.....

*Love is patient*  *Love is kind*   *It does not envy*   *It does not boast*   *It is not proud*   *It is not rude*   *It is not self-seeking*   *It is not easily angered*   *It keeps no record of wrongs*   *Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth*   *It always protects*   *Always trusts*  *Always hopes* *Always perseveres*   *Love never fails*   

.......and Family (Love) means nobody gets left behind. 

Or forgotten.

Wishing you 

A house full of sunshine,
Hearts full of cheer,
Love that grows deeper
each day of the year.
~ from an old Welsh blessing

May your 'Ohana be filled with Love...

Wendy