Ephemeral Life...

When I first picked my Father up from the Care Home on the East Coast, that early morning in May, I honestly wasn't sure if he would recognize me. It had been seven months since I saw him and I wasn't sure how far his cognitive abilities had deteriorated. Sometimes he would painfully ask others "Is Kai dead?" He had seen me in Queen's ICU when I was in a coma and on Life-Support in July of 2012. It was hard for him back then to comprehend what he was witnessing. He doesn't really comprehend that my beloved sister, Nalani, who passed away last year, is now gone.  When he first saw me, early that morning, he had a blank thousand-mile stare as he sat in his wheelchair and the staff brought him to me. It wasn't until we loaded him into the rental car and we embarked on the long trip to the airport, that he slowly and laboriously reached over, grasped my hand into his, held on tight, and wouldn't let go for the whole journey. It moved me to tears. ...

I am still experimenting with art styles on my photographs to see what really catches my fancy...these are quick mock-ups that leave a lot to be desired. I don't have much patience now...but this is my creative outlet while taking care of Father 24/7....

In the days of my Youth… I sprouted on the tallest branch… For I could see all the Beauty in this Shadowy World… Every Sunrise… Every Setting Sun… The Heavens… Then as we grew up... We crowded each other’s view from the treetop… We lived our whole Life isolated from this World… Living in each other's Shadow... Remembering the Beauty and Innocence of our youthful emergence… Holding tightly against the ravages of the Wind... Until the Autumn of our Life quietly arrived… Our color changed… And faded… Our desperate grasp weakened… And I let go… I separated from the only thing I ever knew… And Loved… I began my plummet to nothingness… But as I descended… It was the loving kindness of the Wind… That lifted me high above the canopy… So I could see once again... And there was the Beautiful World… Right where a little boy left it... And I savored everything on this last Journey… Just as I had remembered as a child… The Bright Beautif...

Hula at Kamehameha Schools...

My Father once held the World in his hands... Then my Mother left on her Journey... And the clouds softly wept rainbow hued tears... And the trees mourned in mesmerizing dance... As the somber wind caressed them... Then the Sun slept... And darkness set in... Starlight was all that remained... Like sparkling shattered glimmering fragments... Of broken glass...

I wonder how much brighter and more beautiful this World would be, if every little girl in India was loved, respected, cherished and provided all the opportunities to fulfill their highest potential. I wonder about every child in the World...

The loving memory...

The road I have been traveling on for the past month has been arduous and extremely challenging. I never know what to expect around the next turn...

I choose to walk the path of my ancestors... Until the ends of the Earth... 'Onipa'a...

A powerful pohaku kupuna at a luakini heiau, a po'o kanaka class sacrificial temple on Moku o Keawe...