Does God do the hula?

Hanging on my wall is a traditional Hawaiian lei with ten strands of tiny sea shells strung and tied with a small ribbon. It's not just any lei however, this one is special...it has hula in it.

Five years ago, as my husband and I and our friends, Tom and Terrie, boarded a plane for Hawaii, it became immediately evident that this flight would be difficult. In the seat behind Terrie sat a woman who looked like a linebacker with her long, thick legs stretched out beyond the seat in front of her because of 'a bad knee'. The seat in front of Terrie held a giant of a man with 'a bad back' so his seat was already reclined and he made it clear from the get go that it would never be placed in the full upright position. Terrie folded herself into what was left of her seat between Amazon Woman and Andre the Giant, and I do mean folded. It looked to be a very long flight. Being a full plane, there was not a lot to be done about the seating arrangements. Our steward, John, did his best to make Terrie comfortable. After take-off, John walked back and pleaded, "Come sit with us in the galley; it's more comfortable." I think he was impressed and grateful for Terrie's kindness in accepting the situation and not getting angry! In the back of the plane, John had set up metal boxes with blankets on them for us to sit on. He introduced us to Beryl, the lead flight attendant, and there we sat, talking and laughing and munching on tortilla chips dipped John's homemade salsa. "Don't eat the airline food," he ordered, "It's awful!"

Great friendships were made that day. Later in the week, before returning to the mainland, we all met for dinner. John arrived and placed the ten strand lei around my neck. "This is special," he said, "it has hula in it." You see John, being a native hawaiian, has danced the hula all his life. Hula is a sacred dance whereby every graceful movement has specific meaning. Every hand gesture and sway of the body tells the dancer's story. After making the lei himself, John wore it while dancing the hula...that's what made it special; it had hula in it!

We all became friends that week. The year passed with the occasional email and annual christmas cards exchanged, and as soon as we were ready to return to Hawaii we planned it with our new found friends. Again, we spent the flight in the galley with chips and salsa and this time we were priveledged to have Beryl's husband as our pilot! Three years ago, we two couples, planned another Hawaiian trip. We had to cancel due to surgery for Tom, and Terrie was tending her sister, dying of cancer. We rescheduled for last year, but alas, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. We cancelled again and told ourselves we would make the trip this year and celebrate life.

On 10/10/10, Terrie's 55th birthday, we boarded Hawaiian airlines for our celebratory trip. We did not notify Beryl or John beforehand because, frankly, they spoil us too much! Terrie and I decided, "If we see them, great! It was meant to be. If not, that's okay too." As we entered the mammoth plane, there at the doorway, was beryl! A bottleneck in the isle was created as we all hugged. "I can't believe you're on this flight," Beryl stammered, "I haven't flown this route in over a year. I'm not supposed to be on this flight! What are the chances?" Upon making our way to our seats, we saw John at the back of the plane. His face broke into a wide grin and he shouted, "What are you guys doing here? Did you see Beryl? Beryl and I haven't flown together in over a year; what are the chances we are all on this flight?"

In his novel about the Titanic, V. C. King states, "The probability of a certain set of circumstances coming together in a meaningful (or tragic) way is so low that it simply cannot be considered mere coincidence."

After take-off, Terrie and I made our way to the galley. While munching on tortilla chips dipped in John's homemade salsa, we discussed the previous two years. "we cancelled our trip two years ago," she explained, "because my sister was so sick. She died November 18."
"We cancelled last year's trip," I continued, "because I was diagnosed with breast cancer." Tears welled up in John's eyes. "Last year, November 18th," he said quietly, "my sister passed away from breast cancer. It is no mistake we are all on this plane. There are no accidents" I slipped the pink enamal ring off my finger and placed it in John's hand hoping he would know it was special...it had survival in it. I had worn it all year, to every chemo and radiation appointment, to remind me of the life I have left to live.

Albert Einstein is credited with saying Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous. While I agree that there are no coincidences, I do not think God wants to remain anonymous. What are the chances that five years ago a large woman with bad knees and a selfish man with a bad back would board the same plane as us, causing a friendship to form? What are the odds that five years later the same friendships would be rekindled and mingled with tears for loss? Is it a strange coincidence? Maybe not.

Maybe it's the fluid motion of a perfectly choreographed hula, where every hand gesture and sway of the body tells God's story of love, forgiveness, and life everlasting.