hau‘oli lā makuakāne
On Father's Day, we went to church then celebrated my dad with lei + his favorite brunch at the Maui Prince. It's so important to take the time to honor him because he's usually the one behind the scenes, quietly making our hectic lives run smoothly with everything he always does for us. It was a beautiful day to let him know how blessed we are to have him in our lives. I love you Dad!
~ Remembering Uncle Jimmy Kapohakimohewa ~
Also on that special day, I found my thoughts turning again + again to my hānai dad. I met Uncle Jimmy + Auntie Judy through church. They remind me of my own parents: Uncle's Hawaiian like my dad, Auntie's haole like my mom + they're both very loving people. For some reason, Uncle Jimmy + I were drawn to each other from the very beginning. He sings, I dance...nothing brought us greater joy than to share our love of music together. We both love nā honu, and he always made me feel so special on my birthday by gifting me with something honu-related. I loved hearing his rumbly bass voice in choir, and miss seeing him in "his" seat.
I was very blessed to spend some time with him in the hospital while his spirits were still up and we thought he was coming home. He played "Hanalei Moon" on the ‘ukulele so I could dance; now that will forever be “our song.” There was a lot of laughter in his hospital room that night, and I am so grateful I can remember him that way. Uncle Jimmy was such a warm, giving man with a huge heart + smile...I still feel his spirit, but sometimes I miss him so much!
I just came across some letters my boys wrote for our church’s youth group newsletter last year. It was for a section honoring Uncle Jimmy. Here they are:
I really appreciated the quality time I had with Uncle Jimmy, whenever we'd have a nice time to talk story. When I came to church, we would share how our lives were at the time. He would always give me a big hug and a few words of wisdom. I wish I could have spent a lot more time with Uncle Jimmy.
Uncle, you will always be in my heart.
Love, Kanoa (15)
~~~
I don't really have only one favorite memory with Uncle Jimmy, but I know that whenever I was with him, it was a good time. Everyone who knew Uncle knows that he was always one to put a smile on your face and lift up your heart. I remember the last time we saw each other. He greeted me with, “Hey boy, you getting big ah?” That just made me smile.
I went to church for the first time in a while a couple weeks ago and just knew that it wasn’t the same. The energy was not the same, and the blowing of the pū (conch shell) definitely wasn’t the same. At keiki time, I happened to look over at Uncle Jimmy’s seat, and I knew that even though he wasn’t sitting there, he was with us in spirit. In my heart I could hear his voice tower over all others and it made me cry on the inside. I miss him, and I know all of you do too.
Kala‘iomākena (14)
I was very blessed to spend some time with him in the hospital while his spirits were still up and we thought he was coming home. He played "Hanalei Moon" on the ‘ukulele so I could dance; now that will forever be “our song.” There was a lot of laughter in his hospital room that night, and I am so grateful I can remember him that way. Uncle Jimmy was such a warm, giving man with a huge heart + smile...I still feel his spirit, but sometimes I miss him so much!
I just came across some letters my boys wrote for our church’s youth group newsletter last year. It was for a section honoring Uncle Jimmy. Here they are:
I really appreciated the quality time I had with Uncle Jimmy, whenever we'd have a nice time to talk story. When I came to church, we would share how our lives were at the time. He would always give me a big hug and a few words of wisdom. I wish I could have spent a lot more time with Uncle Jimmy.
Uncle, you will always be in my heart.
Love, Kanoa (15)
~~~
I don't really have only one favorite memory with Uncle Jimmy, but I know that whenever I was with him, it was a good time. Everyone who knew Uncle knows that he was always one to put a smile on your face and lift up your heart. I remember the last time we saw each other. He greeted me with, “Hey boy, you getting big ah?” That just made me smile.
I went to church for the first time in a while a couple weeks ago and just knew that it wasn’t the same. The energy was not the same, and the blowing of the pū (conch shell) definitely wasn’t the same. At keiki time, I happened to look over at Uncle Jimmy’s seat, and I knew that even though he wasn’t sitting there, he was with us in spirit. In my heart I could hear his voice tower over all others and it made me cry on the inside. I miss him, and I know all of you do too.
Kala‘iomākena (14)
