I was driving my children to school one Friday morning when I saw a lovely rainbow cross the sky ahead of me, filling me with joy and happiness. It reminded me that there is much beauty and happiness about us, but unfortunately we forget to see it because of the downpour of bad news. So today let's shut out the nastiness about us for a few moments and sing the song printed below.
If you don't know the melody, go to YouTube and listen to the words and the lovely Hawaiian dance performed with it. Your heart will overflow with the beauty of it and flood your mind and heart with memories of the loveliness about us. The song is from an old Hawaiian lullaby called Where I Live There are Rainbows. It was written by Peter Moon and Hector Venegas.
“Where I live there are rainbows and life
Filled with the laughter of morning and starry nights.
Where I live there are rainbows and flowers
Full of colors and birds filled with song.
I can smile when it is raining
And touch the warmth of the sun.
I hear children laughing in this place I love.
Where I live there are rainbows
With life in the laughter of morning and starry nights.”
And I add we are blessed with beautiful rolling hills and a near perfect ocean full of blue clear water. Several months ago I was host to a visiting professor from China. He wanted to explore our lagoon. As we slowly floated over the smooth waves, he kept looking deep into the water. Finally after a few minutes to turned to me and said, “I have been to many countries in my research, but honestly, this lagoon is one of the cleanest and most fertile lagoons I have seen anywhere. It is perfect for fish and seaweed. Please take good care of it.”
Then his gaze turned to the rolling hills and clouds lazily drifting over us. He smiled and said, “What beauty and clear skies. You are fortunate to live here. We rarely see the skies in China and rolling hills as you have here.” I sat quietly and listened.
As I drive my children daily to school I feel for their safety. Daily I read about the vicious crimes committed in the mainland and the abuse of children. And again I am glad I live here with them.
I often hear complains from you who have a job with the government about austerity and the retirement problem. But think of the number of people who are lingering in front of employment agencies hungry for any job. At least we can enjoy a slice of bread. If we wish more, we can earn it by improving our abilities.
Blessed are we who can line up for food stamps. How many times have I heard from other nationalities lament that in their country if they do not work and earn money, they will not eat!
Blessed are we to have such a generous benefactor and protector as the United States. Over the past years we have received over $3.8 billion without ever having to repay one cent. Annually we receive hundreds of millions of dollars to supplement our private schools and other agencies' budgets.
Every time tax season descends upon us, do we understand how fortunate we are living on these blessed islands? When I lived in Hawaii, how well I recall their tax structure. I had to pay federal tax, Hawaii state tax, real estate tax on my property, school tax whether I had a child attending school or not, and a sales tax on every purchase. None of this was ever rebated except for overpayment. Meanwhile we in the CNMI have most of our tax money returned to us as a rebate. What a wonderful program!
When was the last time you stopped and watched the sun slowly recede over the horizon? Can we see the same in Los Angles, New York and in many other big cities? How many of us own winter clothing? Isn't one of the delights of living on our beautiful islands is the luxury of not having to worry about weather changes? We never need heaters with their expense to warm up our homes. I grew up in Pennsylvania so I fully understand weather changes and the added expenses of living in such climate changes.
Where else do people greet each other with a friendly smile and openness? I have lived in the mainland in apartment houses where I never knew or saw my neighbor. Where else can we enjoy the multiplicity of various ethnic groups and share in their culture? Almost daily I meet people visiting us who express a desire to move here.
I feel sad that so many of our local people are fleeing the islands in search of making a living. Somehow we should find ways to entice them to stay here. Perhaps we will if we strive hard enough.
You have heard me comment about the acres of diamonds under our feet. I still firmly believe they are here, but unfortunately we have not learned how to mine them. But let's keep searching and mining them.
Some of my most pleasant trips have been to Tinian and Rota. These two islands blossom with so much natural beauty that even surpasses our Saipan. It is unfortunate that so few tourists actually visit these two gems. Any ideas on how to change this situation?
I could go on and on singing the beauty and peacefulness of living in the CNMI. Please let's take a few moments of respite from all the nastiness and name-calling and increasing mistrust of one another and consider how lucky we are. But let me pause for a moment and allow you to fill in your reasons why our islands are blessed and why you enjoy living here. Think of the loveliness and beauty we find about ourselves. Aren't we blessed and lucky to live in the CNMI? I know I am.
Meanwhile join with me to sing:
“Where I live there are rainbows
And life with the laughter of morning and starry nights.
Where I live there are rainbows
And flowers full of colors and birds filled with song.
I can smile when it's raining
And touch the warmth of the sun.
I hear children laughing in this place that I love.
Where I live there are rainbows
With life in the laughter of morning and starry nights.”
Let's appreciate and treasure our precious islands before we lose them to our greed and foolishness for something else. We must develop our islands with plans on how to improve and to enjoy living here. The soil is fertile and waits for us to cultivate it. The oceans are bountiful with sea creatures. Let us be careful how we use them. Let us work to keep our islands clean and lovely and productive.
Our lovely islands reflect who we are and what we think. Let us never forget the gifts given us. May God grant us the sanity to preserve what we so dearly cherish. So enjoy and appreciate that “where I live there are rainbows.” May they ever fill the sky and our hearts. May the CNMI always maintain the beauty and sparkle that makes living here a delight.
In closing, don't forget that a smile is the link between us. The brighter and wider our smile is the warmer we make others and ourselves feel.
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