hauʻoli lā makuahine

With love to all the beautiful mothers + mothers-at-heart I know...especially my own mommy, kuʻu makuahine makamae. I love you!

This poem was given to me by my Auntie Susan upon graduation. I've always used it to sort of check my "inner compass" and to see if I was fulfilling each of these criteria to the best of my ability.

That Woman is a Success...

Who loves life and lives it to the fullest;
who has discovered and shared the strengths and talents that are uniquely her own;
who puts her best into each task and leaves each situation better than she found it;
who seeks and finds that which is beautiful in all people...and all things;
whose heart is full of love and warm with compassion;
who has found joy in living and peace within herself.

~ Barbara J. Burrow

hauʻoli lā makuahine!

We just enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day + I was reminded of how blessed we are, so I'm dusting off one of my favorite posts to share a message that is still close to my heart...

Having grown up with just a younger sister, I was not prepared for having two boys. They constantly surprise me with the things they do + the way they think - never a dull moment! There truly is something to that men=mars/women=venus theory.

It's been just the three of us (+ my parents) since my boys were 1 + 3 years old, so we are especially close...they're 13 + 15 now, but I still feel so blessed that we have in incredibly special bond. We're an affectionate ʻohana that frequently says "I love you" + fills each other's "lovetanks."

When my sister had her first child, my niece filled a space in my heart I didn't even know existed. She's my sweetiegirl + I'm her auntiemommy...she's come to church with me since she was three months old, and my choir director loves that she's the "keiki alto." She's my little shadow, a true child of my heart. She now has a little brother who's really great at filling lovetanks...I feel so blessed to have these four keiki to bring so much joy, laughter + love into my life.

ʻAe, mahalo ke Akua no nā keiki. I am so grateful for such precious blessings!

he makana
A valuable and lasting lesson from my mommy: "catch your child doing something right." Focus on the positive, not the negative.

Mahalo ke Akua no kuʻu makuahine, no nā makuahine i keia ao...thank you Lord for my mommy, and for all the mothers of this world.