All of Waikiki cheered for YOU tonight

After the crazy madness that I had felt the other day for that job, tonight I was reminded why I work in Hawaii. I cleaned the house (because that's what I do when I want to feel like I've accomplished something...haha) and I am sitting here in my clean apartment, making artichokes and rice, drinking a glass of Merlot, candle lit on my dinner table and from outside I hear a loud !BANG! Like a gun shot, like numerous gunshots! The car alarms start going off and the reverberation off Diamond Head echoed back into my apartment and jolted me from the couch. I ran outside, into the perfect cool Hawaiian night air...and watched the Friday night fireworks explode over my head, illuminating Waikiki beach and sparkling off the high-rises around me. For a few peaceful moments while exploding colors above me tinkled down like thousands of falling stars, I took a moment to pray.

I prayed for my brother in New Jersey and I hoped that he gets his mail this week and all the belated letters of love that were sent to him for Valentine's day. I prayed that he is well and that all of Uniform 182 is succeeding and growing and looking for the light at the end of the tunnel...they're so close! I prayed that my brother Jonathan is successful in his school work and his life. I prayed for my father's health, my mother's happiness, my cat's fat couch-dwelling pleasures. I prayed for my grandfather and grandmother's health, my cousins and aunts and uncles. I prayed for my friends here in Hawaii and far away in California, Ohio, Texas, South Carolina, England..all over the world. I prayed for Grady's ease through his last semester at school, for strength in myself to realize what I have, can and strive to accomplish.

It was at the end of that moment when I realized that THIS is why I work. I work so I can look out at fireworks over a Hawaiian beach on a balmy tropical night. I work so that I can have a moment of prayer from my balcony for my family and friends. It didn't seem so bad in that moment and I felt and still feel extremely blessed.

As the last beautiful bouquets of neon colors fizzled out and the echoes off the surrounding mountains came to an end, all of Waikiki broke their silence. They irrupted into cheer and applause and it was so neat to be able to hear a whole city go up in a roar of happiness. All of the town was watching that with me, and to me, all of the town felt like they were cheering for my prayers and hopes. They were cheering for my brother in the Coast Guard, they were cheering for my family in California. They were cheering for my friends, they were cheering for the other families of Uniform 182. They were helping me cheer all of the people in my life that I want to applaud.

I wish you were here to see this, it was truly wonderful.

I love you all :)

Brianna