Ke Aloha O Ka Haku, The Queens prayer

This morning as I was giving thanks for all the many blessings in my life, I was thanking God for the support he has sent me through the kindness of people who I have never met in person! This has been a rough couple of years for me, and just having lost my mother the first of the year was especially hard. Kindness can be in the form of such simple things ,and when the heart is open God can use those kindnesses in such a big way!
In January I recieved a care package from my friend and in it was a book called the Aloha Quilt. Well I just finished the book last night, and was touched by the friendships that the characters in the book shared, which made me think and give thanks for the friendships that God has placed in my life.

Another topic in the book that really touched me was the mention of Queen Lili`uokalani , and the quilt that she made while imprisoned and in exhile. She was a loving and noble woman, not only did she give herself for her people of Hawaii nei, but she was very creative and talented as well. I am taken with her song writing. Here she was held against her will, and still was able to compose such beauty.

Queen's Prayer (Ke Aloha O Ka Haku) - by Queen Lili`uokalani
`O kou aloha nô
Aia i ka lani
A `o Kou `oia `i`o
He hemolelo ho`i
Ko`u noho mihi `ana
A pa`ahao `ia
`O `oe ku`u lama
Kou nani ko`u ko`o
Mai nânâ `ino`ino
Nâ hewa o kânaka
Akä e huikala
A ma`ema`e nô
No laila e ka Haku
Ma lalo o kou `êheu
Kô mâkou maluhia
A mau loa aku nô
`Âmene

Transalation
Your loving mercy
Is as high as Heaven
And your truth
So perfect
I live in sorrow
Imprisoned
You are my light
Your glory, my support
Behold not with malevolence
The sins of man
But forgive
And cleanse
And so, o Lord
Protect us beneath your wings
And let peace be our portion
Now and forever more
Amen

This song (mele) is so beautiful and the words really touch my heart as to the example that the Queen is today.
The picture above is the quilt the Queen made while in exhile.

Here is a bit of her history, In 1895, an abortive attempt by Hawaiian royalists to restore Queen Lili`uokalani to power resulted in the queen's arrest. She was forced to sign a document of abdication that relinquished all her future claims to the throne. Following this, she endured a humiliating public trial before a military tribunal in her former throne room.
Convicted of having knowledge of a royalist plot, Lili`uokalani was fined $5000 and sentenced to five years in prison at hard labor. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment in an upstairs bedroom of `Iolani Palace.
During her imprisonment, the queen was denied any visitors other than one lady in waiting. She began each day with her daily devotions followed by reading, quilting, crochet-work, or music composition.
After her release from `Iolani Palace, the Queen remained under house arrest for five months at her private home, Washington Place. For another eight months she was forbidden to leave O`ahu before all restrictions were lifted.
She abdicated her power so that no harm would come to her people. She sacrificed herself for her people. Much like my Jesus did for me!