Shirley’s Ode to Book Club in Kauai

We say we’re a book club, and yes that’s true
But we’re more than that and here’s the first clue
What other book club do you know
That eats together three nights in a row

Or who can say that they’ve shared ahi tuna
On a lovely plantation named Kia huna
We might love books and be birds of a feather
But if it weren’t for Barbara, we would not be together.

She put her dream of a book club to the test
And organized it all – it’s what she does best
What started with five soon became six
And this seemed to all to be a good mix.

But even this did not reach her core
In 2008 she added two more
She is our center – she sets the tone.
We are better together than we would be alone

Sometimes we laugh, sometimes we cry
But we never will say that life passed us by.
Barbara has stretched us, urged us to grow
It’s the teacher in her, I’m sure you know.

We traveled to Boston to visit a museum
We read about gardens and then went to seem ’em
We realized that books are a valuable tool
So we donated some to a local school.

Now we are all gathered together
Where some play golf in spite of the weather
Some go for a walk or lay in the sun
But all are having a lot of fun

Some will remember the song of a bird
As the sweetest sound they ever heard
Others may talk of the day at the spa
Someone else will remember we ate tuna raw

Some will recall he slept like a log
And some will still talk of the down facing dog
Maybe we’ll remember it was a mixed bag
As we tried to understand Agent Zig Zag

We’ll think back with fondness of walks on the beaches
And experience again the peace this place teaches
But at the end of each day, no one will forget
The sound of the surf as we watch the sun set

Now here we are in Poipu Bay
To help celebrate Barbara’s birth day
So here’s to Barbara on her special day
We, the book club, just want to say

“We wish you happiness and freedom from strife And friends like us for the rest of your life.”

Presented by Shirley Heine, at the Birthday Celebration, October 29, 2008, The Beach House, Kauai.