Ephemeral Life...

With the passing of my Father, this past December, I was able to have his body taken care of at the mortuary, by a beautiful Hawaiian woman, who cremated him, but left his iwi, or bones, unpulverized. Much like my Mother, it allowed me to take care of his iwi much like the multitudes of ancestral burials, in the thousands, that I have had the honor of taking care of over the past twenty-one years. Instead of holding the bones of an ancestor who I pondered about their life, I knew exactly about the life, and the person, I was holding. I wasn't sure if I would be getting a rare ground plot at Punchbowl or a more common niche, just days before the planned interment. I have had my Mother's remains, in an 'eke lauhala, sitting in a favorite chair of hers in my living room, since her passing in 2010, awaiting my Father.   I took my Father and Mother's remains, in their own individual p ū 'olo lauhala, and the koa and cedar urns, with me down to the ocean, just as

From the Ancestors...

Face-to-face...

Every New Sunrise... Delivers Beautiful Promise... To Heal the Past... To Forgive... And seek Forgiveness... To Fulfill your Dreams... To Truly Know Love... In soft affirming Whispers... And a gentle Soul Awakening... Kiss...

I found Gary the snail all grown up, healthy and doing well. However, I do believe "he" is a "she"...

Kamehameha Schools Kap ā lama Hawaiian Ensemble left on their huaka'i to Japan today. It is going to be a whirlwind unforgettable adventure...

As Elliott prepares for an International trip, on his own, with his school, I am not sure at what point my little boy, whom I would never let out of my sight, suddenly became a Man...

I remember at the Lantern Floating Ceremony, watching this brave little boy, holding onto his Love for his Beautiful Grandmother.  He waited patiently, with tears streaming down his face, for the Sun to slowly set. I know his Grandmother stood lovingly by his side. So filled with Love, Pride, Joy, Gratitude and Happiness. Such are the things that Power the Universe...

Lantern Floating. One of the most Beautiful and Powerful Remembrance Ceremonies that I love being present for, and a favorite to photograph...

Ha'aha'a... Humility...