Some places are beautiful.
And then some places reach right into your soul.
The Shinnyo Lantern Floating in Hawaiʻi does both.
I thought I was just attending another event in Hawaiʻi.
You know…something to witness.
Something worth documenting.
Something I’d post later with soft music and quick clips.
But, honey…
I was not prepared for how deeply this night would sit with me.
Because this wasn’t just a festival. (And maybe it's not a festival at all!)
This was grief.
This was healing.
This was community and our communal lament.
This was love refusing to die.
And standing there on the shoreline of Ala Moana Beach Park watching thousands of lanterns drift into the ocean at sunset felt like watching people release pieces of their hearts back into God’s hands.
Everybody Came Carrying Something
That’s what struck me first.
Not the lanterns.
The people.
Thousands of strangers gathered together, but somehow it felt intimate. Soft. Tender.
Gentle. Like of a kindred sort.
Some people were sitting quietly.
Some were holding each other.
And there I was...
Eating my snacks...
Eagerly anticipating whatever was about to happen next.
As the ceremony start time drew near, people sat staring at the water seemingly reminiscing on days gone.
You could feel it.
A sentimental moment, but people were making the best of it. Making the best of time spent. Time to gather. Time to reminisce. Time to...
Grieve.
Names written on lanterns.
Prayers folded into paper.
Goodbyes that maybe never got spoken out loud.
And somehow the ocean held space for all of it.
It waited. Reminding us that we were not alone. Someone was there to help us hold our things...
All the things.
There’s something about seeing pain honored publicly that makes your own heart unclench a little.
Like maybe healing doesn’t always come through fixing things.
Maybe sometimes healing comes through remembering.
(To be continued...)
Ready to explore what God has in store for you?
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