RESET

Aloha Everybody!
“Each morning sees some task begin, Each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, Has earned a night's repose.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow



“If you can speak what you will never hear, if you can write what you will never read, you have done rare things.”
Henry David Thoreau

Thank you, Drum Major, for these lei.
We all appreciated them, though Kitty refused to wear hers long enough for a photo. The rest of us savored them!


“The biggest reward for a thing well done is to have done it.”
Voltaire

Thanks to EACH one of you for your kind comments and your support.

My dad passed last Thursday afternoon, May 21st.

He was 82 years old, a WWII veteran, and a retired small business man.

He always swore that the first thing he had ever seen upon opening his eyes for the first time was a telephone pole outside of the window.

The last image in those eyes was his son and daughter standing by him on either side. It was a good death after a long struggle.

We woke my mom and my sister in law from their well deserved naps so we could all be together in the moment. My niece and nephew returned from a surf session to join the family in some private time before alerting the proper functionaries.

Things have seemed unreal. My mind refuses to focus.

Your comments on this blog really touched me though!

I have to say that our friend Walking Man (see my blog roll) was a standout with his choice words in English AND Hawaiian.

"Drum Major" a VA nurse from Kansas City, and generous fan of my writing, arranged with Cindy's Lei Stand here in Honolulu for an abundance of floral lei for my family; I was surprised and cheered by the bounty of blossoms! Mahalo, Dear.

Yesterday, Honolulu celebrated Memorial Day with OVER 50,000 donated lei adorning the graves at Punchbowl and our other veteran's cemeteries. The whole world seemed to be mourning with us.

I happened to be having my first solitary moment in my parent's apartment (after the passing) yesterday.

Suddenly, the F-16s setting up for the "missing man" salute flew by right outside the window!

Then, last evening, an armada of floating lanterns was launched from the beach park nearby with solemn ceremony. They carried prayers and fond wishes for those who have passed this year.

So you see, the world really has seemed to join us in our grief.

But grief is nevertheless exhausting.

Death hits the "Reset."

Struggles and hurts transubstantiate into warm aloha.

The arguments, heck the WARS that he & I fought are over.

Now, a sad gratitude grows.

Yet, the world appears more beautiful than ever.

Tomorrow,

or the next day,

my muse will return.

Something will catch my eye and my mind.

An opening phrase will emerge

and I will run home to share it all with you.

Till then,

I want you to know that I'm alright.

A L O H A ! Cloudia