Mr. Green

I am not a social butterfly. Sometimes I secretly wish no one sitting next to me on the train, bus or airplane will fancy striking up a conversation. Maybe it's just that I'm not that great at small talk.

No. I think it's really just a weird fear that I still sometimes struggle with. Because, honestly, I have had hour-long conversations with total strangers on airplanes before. I am capable of making small talk when necessary.

So, the evening we attended a luau on the Big Island, I was a bit nervous about who we'd be sitting with. Everyone sits at long, banquet tables, and, although most of the evening is filled with hula and fire-dancing entertainment, there's plenty of unfilled time to chat with the other dinner guests. My saving grace is being with a husband who can pretty much talk to anyone, anytime, about anything. We are polar opposites in this regard.

Turns out, one of my fondest memories of that luau is talking with the 80-year-old man who sat across from us that night. While it was a little sad that he was vacationing alone, we left with no doubt that Mr. Green is a happy, hopeful man.

And we have some things in common with Mr. Green. He and his wife loved to travel...and so do we. In fact, he has Hilton diamond elite super-special status, just like John. (Although, he was spending his own money to stay at the Kona Village Resort, where the luau was, because he loves it so much. It's an all-inclusive resort with fabulous grounds.) He also collects American Airline miles for his flights, just like John.

I don't recall him ever asking if we have children...until the very end of the evening. I think that's because he and his wife never had children. Not by choice, but because in the second year of their long marriage, his wife was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and the doctors warned her that she should not become pregnant.

Mr. Green is also a believer in Christ...a Messianic Jew to be exact. He told us how he did not come to his faith until he was in his 40's. I believe he said something like, "God used my wife's illness to send us on a faith journey. It was our search for healing that eventually brought us to the Lord." Mr. Green said he has visited almost every kind of church there is. He now attends a Messianic Jewish community (where I believe he's a leader in the church), as well as a pentecostal congregation. He is an encouraging man to talk with.

Mr. Green's wife died in 2002. He still travels...at least to Hawai'i. It's not hard to see why he loves the islands so much! That hardest part of the evening was parting ways; Mr. Green is an amazing man.

Even though your dinner companions are not guaranteed to be as interesting or encouraging as ours, we would join our guidebook in recommending the luau at the Kona Village Resort. It's an entertaining way to learn a little about Hawai'i's history and partake in some delicious food.