Hello 2026!

 This is my first post in 2026! Come to think of it, I have been blogging for 20 years. 

That is a lot of years! When I logged in today, Blogger informed me about this new beta feature ... the Google Search Preview. So letʻs try that. Let me search Liza Pierce Maui:

How about just Liza Pierce

Not sure what is happening. Maybe when I publish and then click those icons, that is when the action will happen. Ok, let us try that ...

PART 2:

I am back from checking the published post, and yes, when those icons were clicked - it shows the search and the search results of whatever I set it up to search.

Well, we have learned something new - or at least have tried a new feature.  Now I am wondering if I can blog daily as I used to. 

I will be back tomorrow. We shall see, one day at a time ...

My Story

I grew up believing that "good people go to heaven", so I tried to be good. I went to church every Sunday, I recited a couple of memorized prayers, and I tried very hard to obey my parents. I thought I was doing ok, until I went to college...

In college, I had two classmates, Abigail and Anthony, who are very different from the rest of us. They are not weird or anything like that. In fact they are so much fun to be around with because they have so much peace, joy and contentment, which I lacked at that time. So I started observing them...

One day Abigail and Anthony invited us (our class) to a Bible Study and because I was curious to find out "what their secrets were", I went.

Anthony used a little tract called "The 4 Spiritual Laws" to explain that doing good cannot save us because "all have sinned and fell short of the glory of God". I couldn't quite comprehend what it means, so he gave an illustration which stuck with me. He said, "Liza, if I give you a glass of water with 10 flies in it, would you drink it?". Yuck, no!, I answered...

He continued..."ok, if I give you a glass of water with just one fly in it, would you drink it?".. No...it's still dirty, I said.

That's the same way with God. Even if we sin "less" than other people, the fact is we sin...and still is not accpetable to God. And that's why Jesus came to die for me. Then he quoted Ephesians 2:4-6 "For it is by grace that we have been saved through grace. Not by works that no one would boast".

That day, I prayed to God for Him to forgive me, and asked Jesus to be my personal Savior and Lord. I became what they call a Christian. It's the best decision I have made in my whole life!

This is my simple and short version. There are actually a lot that went on inside of me through this process. Every now and then, I'll talk about it through this blog. But for now, I want to keep this short :)

Thanks for reading my story :) And if you live on Maui, come visit me at Hope Chapel.

Time - Stillness Is The Key

 

So much work to do, so little time. And time is passing by so quickly. I can not find the time to write in my journal, we havenʻt been attending our "Ohana Group" regularly (we are MIA), sometimes, I do go to the Sunday Worship service, and sometimes I donʻt.

With the full-time job (8-5), a book project, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a few side hustles here and there, I canʻt find the time to sit still. I feel like I am always on the go; I canʻt even find the time to clean and organize our house ...

But oh ... I find some time doing Instagram and watching YouTube .... hmmm...

Instagram is part of my work (both for full-time and side hustle), and YouTube is where I learn stuff like new skills and whatʻs the latest in technology ...

Posting in this blog is my attempt to "sit back".  This is my digital journal. This is a good start. I may or may not start posting regularly here again. We shall see.  But for today, I am able to  "journal" here.

If you are reading this right now, MAHALO.  Thank you for hanging out with me here. I will be back.

Slow down .... stillness is the key.

"The call to stillness comes quietly, the modern world does not." - Stillness is the Key - Ryan Holiday

"Be Still and Know that I AM God" - Psalm 46:10 in the Bible

Maui 2024 and Beyond - The Maui Travel Guide Book

 

I have been working on the second edition of Maui 2021 and Beyond.  I initially titled it Maui 2024 and Beyond but decided to change the year to simply "now".  It took me 3 years to write the 2nd edition and so I don't think it is wise to add the year in the title. 

My one word for the year 2024 is DO. Do as in TAKE ACTION.  I did. Now I have to finish it, so I need to do what I can to get it published.

So many ideas and projects, so little time ....

Stop and Smell the Plumerias

 

The expression “stop and smell the roses” is not just about flowers or nature, but an encouragement to live life with a deeper gratefulness for the world around us. It is a reminder to slow down and take notice of the people and events of the day, to be present in every moment, seeing beyond the ordinary. It means consciously directing your mind to be aware and attentive to the present moment to be able to experience and enjoy more of the world surrounding you.

Living here in Maui, Hawaii, I would say "stop and smell the plumerias". I did. I just did.

Not As Easy As I Thought It Would Be

 I 

I gave up my personal Instagram for this blog. I thought, instead of posting to Instagram, I should be documenting my thoughts here on my blog.  As the title suggests, it is not as easy as I thought it would be. When out dear Italian Greyhound Sonny passed away last Tuesday, I meant to write an entry here and journal my thoughts and feelings. It didn't happen.  Somehow it is easier to post my thoughts on Instagram....

But I must not give up. This is a discipline builder, and focus training for Deep Work.

And so until next entry, a hui hou!

Hello Blog

It's Monday., March 14, 2022 and the Spring Forward Day for this year. was yesterday. I thought today would be a good time to revive this blog (for the nth time - ha! ha!). A quick reminder, Hawaii do not do Daylight Savings Time, so the time difference will increase (or decrease) as what my friend Katy explained I her blog. 

Writing is such cathartic activity, as well as an empowering activity. I wish I have more time to write.  But then again, wishing for more time won't do it. I need to make time for it. And that is what I am doing today. Making time for it.

Lots to write about. Free flow writing. No stressing out. I hope you'd all join me in this writing adventure.

Too Busy and Not Have Enough Time?

I am guilty of often feeling like "I do not have enough time to do what I need to do and what I want to do".  In today's message at Life.Church,  Pastor Craig said a few things that struck me:

1. The greatest enemy of the life that you want might the life that you are now living.

3. You always have the time for what you choose to have time for.

The solution is not "more time", the solution is doing more of "what matters most".

Prayer: God help me to walk slowly enough to experience Jesus fully deeply and love people deeply.

Life is Beautiful, and Hard, and Complicated

 

I have no idea how I was able to blog daily when I first started blogging here at Liza's Eyeview. At that time I had two small children, I was working full time, and my husband was working 2 jobs. I guess it was really important for me at that time to connect with other moms and the only way for me to do that was online because the only time I had available to do that was when the kids were asleep at night and my husband was still at work.  

Now I have the same need to blog but with a slightly different need for connection. I simply want to journal online as a way for me to document my days, clear my mind, and also be creative; and be inspired as well as inspire others. I have 1001 posts in my mind, I hope to "unload" and upload some of it in

Lots accomplished today and lots to do tomorrow. Now time for me to unplug, read a few pages of DEEP WORK (yes, I bought the paper book!) then go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day. And I am grateful for today.

Playing Jenga during his (Brad's) birthday celebration.

Maintaining A Positive Mindset

 

How do one maintain a positive mindset without getting out of touch with reality?

This thought came to my mind today as I encountered some negativity and am now facing a few hurdles.

I guess for now I just need to go back to reading my books because  "reading self-help books" is my happy place. And most often than not, I get nuggets of wisdom while I read.

Tomorrow is another day.

So Much To Share, So Little Time

What do would you be doing a lot when you retire? For me I see myself as writing a lot (journal, blog, book, letters to family and friends). I also see myself gardening.  Gardening is something I'd love to do but don't have the time to do right now.  I also would like to travel if I can afford it.

So much have happened in the past few weeks. Each of these events deserve its own blog post. I will eventually write a blog post for each, but for now it will just be mentioned here: Our dear Aunt, Tita Manding, passed away.  Two days ago was my mom's 10 year death anniversary.  My Maui 2021 and Beyond Book is very close to getting published.  My son G's best friend got married, G came home for a day and a night to attend it. He is now back in LA. My daughter is moving to Texas soon. It's my husband's birthday yesterday. And oh...so many more. So many port worthy events in my life. However, I promised myself that this blog is a place for me to de-stress instead of something to be stressed about. So I will write a post for each of these mentioned events when I can, and if I can't then at least I have mentioned them here.

Each and everyday when I wake up, I think of how blessed I am to live on Maui, to have wonderful family and friends, to be alive.  

Have I already told you how much I love blogging? The journal kine blogging? If not, then I am telling you now, I do.

It is Thursday today and I'd be working from home. Oh, that's another blessing I am thankful for everyday. I am blessed to have a job that I love, working with people who are great to work with. 

Time for me to wrap up this post.  A hui hou!

Liza

Hello Blog, Hello Liza's Eyeview

Liza's Eyeview is back!

This is the blog that started it all.   And I am coming back home. Remembering why I started blogging and being reminded of its benefits, made it very exciting for me to return here.

The goal one post a day. If it becomes too much then I'd go 3x a week, and if that's still too much then once a week. But no less than once a week. I am excited!

Thanksgiving 2020

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Guess what? Our Christmas Tree of 5 years died today. It’s been a  family tradition for us to put up the Christmas Tree on the night of Thanksgiving with the help of our friends the K’s. Tonight we tried to so do, but the lights on the tree just won’t turn on. 

Ha! If you know me, you know  I love Christmas and Christmas Trees. This could have been a very sad time for me. However, I have learned during this 9 months of COVID19 pandemic that we really can’t hold on to things ... that we should be flexible because anything can happen.  My husband has been wanting to get a smaller tree instead of this big one for a while now, so I guess this is the time to do it . We had this big Christmas Tree for 5 years. Instead of trying to fix this by adding lights I think we will just get a small tree.  

We will have a small tree this year and forward.  

Other than the tree, the Thanksgiving Day was great.  It’s a small group this year. Just us 3 (N, B and myself). I talked to G on the phone and we had a good conversation. Our friends the K’s family came for dinner.  Brad baked his famous and most loved Apple Crisp. We did turkey in the rotisserie. I forgot to put the green bean casserole in the oven when it was time for me to put it, so we didn't have the green bean casserole for dinner.  I decided to put it in the oven anyway. Then we ate dinner. After dinner we went down for some relaxing dip in our jacuzzi. Guess what? I had forgotten about the casserole. And since I didn't put it in the timer because I thought we'd just be upstairs and I'd remember to take it out ... well, it was overcooked (a.k.a. burnt). 

Ahhh, but life is good and we are thankful.

How was your Thanksgiving Celebration this year 2020?

Reviving Liza's Eyeview - Full Circle With a Twist

While it seems counterproductive to start another IG account on top of all my projects right now, I think this is a good thing. I need an outlet for my thoughts. And sometimes, releasing my thoughts and anxieties into a post is cathartic.

Here is what I wrote on @lizamaui's instagram:

On one hand I wanted to make this Instagram account public because I desire to inspire people with my life and writings, on the other hand I want to keep this lizamaui private because I post photos of my family and I respect their privacy. 

I needed a place for me to be authentic. I needed a place for me to “dump” my thoughts, to unwind, to unburden, to muse, to reflect. In the process I want a record of my struggles, my failures and successes. 

A place to share my joys, celebrations and lessons learned. 

My hope is for my children and grandchildren to read it and learn from it. A legacy of sort. 

No, this is not just another social media account. It is so much more. After all the musings a revelation popped. I’m going full circle. 

Back to where I started. I’m blogging back at Liza’s Eyeview ... but this time it’s gonna be different because my thoughts will also be on Instagram, with videos and such. 

So, I won’t be posting much here @lizamaui, but you will find me at @lizaseyeview (that is if you want to find me; no pressure in following it though. Only follow if it will help you, if it will inspire you or simply make you feel better. I may or may not follow you back.) It might actually be entertaining. Who knows. I’d just keep on doing what I do best ... reflect, reflect, reflect. 

(P.S. - I placed @auntypineapple in hibernation to give room for @lizaseyeview in my phone ☺️🦋🌈🌺)

Re-Start and Life Scale

Today is a tough sobering day. A young lady we know died in an accident. She's 19. It was sudden. She was full of life and very much loved.  Praying for her family and loved ones, especially our friend who loves her so much.

Life is precious. It is also fleeting.  We don't know when it's our time to go. Make the most of it. Love. Love deeply.

I had been thinking about restarting this personal blog. Today seemed to be the right day, so I did. I use this blog to retrospect and introspect.  I like it when I can think out loud. I know I attempted to revive this blog several times now. It is ok. Not giving up. Just doing it without pressure.

The month of June 2019 is almost over. Half of the year is almost gone. How are you doing with accomplishing your goals for this year? Me, so and so ... inconsistent. I'm doing a restart on July 2019. Want to join me? 

I am planning to write more on my Prayer Journal (offline) but I am also planning to be consistent on my journal entries here. Yes this is going to be on my online journal ... something to keep me accountable - a combination of  "brain-dump" and "introspection journal".

A Maui Blog is going to be upgraded to a full website instead of just a blog. My friend Erik is helping me do this.  Have lots of plans. I am telling myself I can do this. 

There are many times when I "envy" people who are naturally organized. They are naturally great accomplishing the things they need to do and fulfilling their goals.  But alas, I am reminding my self today to not envy. I am who I am. I come with gifts and with imperfections. Sure I have to work hard to be organized and follow through with my plans and goals.  That is ok. I am who I am.

Using these 2 books. One Thing and Life Scale as my guide to Re-Start. 

The following contains affiliate links. Won't cost you anything but I'd get a commission when you purchase through this link:

Life Scale Book on AMAZON

Random Thoughts on Stage of Life & Marriage

Brad and I's 25th Wedding Anniversary is coming up soon.  We are practically empty nesters although not exactly yet ... I think we'd be fully empty nesters when kids graduate from college.  At least that's how I look at it.

This week Kula Farms' Pumpkin Patch Opened up and Maui Fair happened.  I love going to these two, but Brad does not.  When the kids were small and at home ... I made it a point to go, and if Brad didn't want to go, I take the kids and we go.  I think these two events/activities are good memory makers for families. Anyway, the point of my post is that I think we have reached a new blissful stage in our marriage that even though I wanted to go to Kula Farm and Maui Fair, I was fine just doing errands and staying at home with Brad

Last Saturday,  I went with Brad to Home Depot and Costco.  I would have rather stayed at home and catch up with chores but I know he enjoys having a company doing errands so I went.  Then we walked Sonny at Keawakapu (yes that photo was taken there) Then we went on a casual "date" for dinner in one of the usual Mexican restaurant we go to. Then we watched several episodes of "Designated Survivor".

OK,  time to go to bed.  A hui hou.

Miracle Morning (Part 2) - Affirmation

My Personal Miracle Morning Affirmations based on the Bible:


1. I Am fearfully and wonderfully made. - Psalm 139:14

2. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. - Phil 4:13

3. For God did not give me the spirit of timidity,  but a spirit of power, love and of self-discipline. - 2Tim 1:7

4. For Jesus came that I might have life, and life more abundantly.  - John 10:10

5. Not by might, not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord. -  Zechariah 4:6

The Days Are Long But The Years Are Short, and Life is Simple yet Complicated

I love Sunsets. It has a calming effect on me.  My husband and kids know that too.  The photo above was taken last Sunday.  After walking Sonny (our Italian Greyhound) on the beach, Brad drove up a street in Wailea where there is an unobstructed view of Maui Sunset. Not only do I love watching sunsets, and I love sharing it too (which explains this photo :) )

This week I found out that two of my friends got divorced :( - I was surprised.  I thought things were going great, but apparently, they were not. This made me sad a bit. Divorce is hard.  Needless to say, I am praying for these two friends ... praying for the next chapter of their lives whatever that is ...

On the other hand, one of my dear sweet friends got married.  This made me joyful and I wish them the best.

And that title I have ... it's a famous line by Gretchen Rubin (my new favorite author) ... that line "Days are long and years are short" is good reminder especially for mothers with young kids. Because it is true. Just like the saying "time flies fast".  And how about the "Life is simple yet complicated"? Well, I said that ... I don't know if someone else has quoted that, but that's just my random thought that I wanted to add in the title. And i think if you are alive, you kinda know what that means. :)

There are so much I want to share but I am already yawning.  I decided that I will blog when I can with no pressure.  Blogging back here at Liza's Eyeview (which is now lizapierce.com) is for catharsis and reflection.  No need to worry about what others will say.  No one will probably read this because I am not sharing this on social media.  Ok, some may read because the blog is public.  But that is ok.  It's like the good old bloggin days, before social media came about. I like it better that way, at least for personal blogs. 

So bye for now, and see you tomorrow. Yes, will blog tomorrow again.

Miracle Morning (Part 1)

Maui Canoe Club and Rainbow. Photo by Jeff Moore

I love reading self-help books, motivational, inspirational books, and biographies.  I love learning from other people's experiences.  In addition to reading books, I also like reading blogs, listening to podcasts, and watching Youtube videos in the topics of books I like and people I want to learn from.

Sometimes a voice in my head will say something like "if only you had applied all that you've learned from all those books you read and podcasts you are listened to, you should be "perfect" by now. You should be successful by now. But you are not."

That voice in my head was not a good voice. And here is my reply:  Had I not been reading those books, I probably would be a mess by now.  Sure I am not a millionaire now, and I am not "perfect", but I am happy where I am and I will continue to strive to be better each and every day. Being happy and content with what I have and who I am, and yet continuing to improve myself is a form of success. I am successful in my own way.

My "time" for morning journaling" is over, so I'd stop here for now.  Will continue with more thoughts and musing tomorrow.  A hui hou.

YOUR ONE WORD by Evan Carmichael