Casualty

In Lahaina, Maui, Hawaiian Islands

As I type this, my heart is heavy with the sad and scary news of devastating wildfires across Maui that have caused widespread destruction of this beautiful island. Among the many burned landscapes, homes, businesses and landmarks is the world-famous banyan tree in Lahaina. The shot above is a closeup of one section of the massive tree’s above-ground root system and the graffiti scrawl left by visitors. A central gathering place in the middle of a park/square in town, the banyan tree is (was?) a 150 year-old tree that was planted in 1873, a gift from Indian missionaries.

Maui was born of fire and chaos and has since been rocked by natural disasters through her lifetime (such as the tsunami mentioned in this post). Here’s to trusting that the spirit and resilience of her people will rise to the occasion once again and soar like a phoenix in short order. It’s too magical of a place to go out like this.