Aloha (love), This book of Lilikoi recipes has been compiled by the members of the Center for Spiritual Living East Hawai'i. We are an intra-denominational, new thought church that has been serving the Big Island since 1986. Although the religious backgrounds of our members vary greatly, we celebrate this diversity and find unity within the Science of Mind and Spirit of Aloha; just as this book has diverse recipes that share commonality through Lilikoi. When I was a young lad, my grandmother would plant lilikoi (passion fruit) in the spring. The growing season was too short to produce fruit and the vine would not survive the winter, but sometimes it would produce flowers. What bizarre and beautiful flowers they were. One day as I was staring at a bloom for the first time, my grandmother told me a story about the flower that had nothing to do with the “passion” of the crucifixion from which the flower originally drew its name. She told me the flower should remind me to have a passion for life. The ten large petals represented my ten fingers, and if I counted the many curly thin petals there would be seventy-two (the number of beats of my heart per minute). The five stamens represented my five senses and the three stigmas at the center should remind me that there is birth, life, and death. She told me to enjoy the flower and my life today because there is no guarantee of tomorrow. The next day I took my brother to see the strange flower, but it had withered. My grandmother was a wise woman. I tell this story in hopes it will inspire you to use the recipes within this book today rather than wait and put the book on a shelf. The aromas and tastes of these recipes will open you to a passion for life. Pomaika'i (blessings), Rev. Tag