Page 3 - Hawaii Island MidWeek - March 30, 2022

MARCH 30, 2022
HAWAI‘I ISLAND MIDWEEK 3
tioned for me to come to his desk. When I leaned over, his earnest whisper dissolved my concerns: “Don’t worry about your hair,” he shyly said. “It will grow back, just like my mom’s did.” The presence of children, with their boundless sensitivity to the human heart, I have learned, can soothe the soul — if we but listen to what they have to say.
Recently retired after four decades as elementary princi- pal of Hawai‘i Baptist Acad- emy, Dr. Rebecca Sanchez Ovitt is author of “My Jour- ney of Healing from Cancer.” She continues to teach at the Bible Institute of Hawai‘i and leads a support group for di- vorced, widowed or separated individuals.
Chasing The Light is pro- duced by Robin Stephens Rohr and Lynne Johnson.
Spring Into a New Home with Academy!
FROM PAGE 2
room with laughter and lively play. Suddenly one sponta- neously broke out with, “You are like our mother here.” “Yes,” said another, “you love us, and we love you!” The third added, “I’ m sure your mom loves you.”
I was taken aback once again at the instinctive knowingness of a child’s intuition. Then the bell rang, we high-fived and they skipped off to class. I stood quietly, gratefully feeling my mother’s comforting embrace.
After nearly a year of cop- ing with illness, I wondered if my hair would ever grow back. (Everyone knew I was wearing a wig.) Students, faculty and staff showered me with lei when I returned to work. I decided to visit all the classrooms that day. In a first-grade room, a boy watched closely, then mo-
Equal Housing Lender | Corp NMLS #3113 | MAC223-1479520