Bon Dance Season Closes

 A L O H A  From

H O N O L U L U

During  BON dance season

on Summer nights

we dance with our loved ones who

have passed. 

During BON season -

they are near. There are many stories

of dead loved one's being glimpsed among the dancers, or making themselves known

in other ways. 

Beneath soft lanterns’ 

amber glow,  

Ancient steps

In circles flow.  

Around the tower’s 

wooden frame,  

Musicians breath

Old songs into flame.  

The shamisen

A gentle cry,  

The taiko’s pulse 

Touching the sky.

Neighbors weave

 In twilight’s dance,  

Sacred across

The timeless expanse.  

Hands and feet in

Tradition's grace,  

Echoing stories

Time can’t erase.  

Here in aloha’s

Warm embrace,  

Cultures blend 

As hearts enlace.  

Each year the bon dance 

Calls us home  

Living thread joined 

To family spirits who roam.

Binding past

To present Here 

With love that lingers,

Bright and clear.

Cloudia Charters 

As you pile up the Summers, there probably are more and more of your friends and family who have gone to join the ancestors. 

There is some comfort, 

and more than a tint 

of immortality, in 

dancing with them. 

Maybe they will 

catch our eye 

momentarily in the frenzy. 

Maybe it's just some 

resemblance or living memory 

that we see in the 

colored light - maybe not. . .

I felt it shelter
to speak to you.
Emily Dickinson

𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶𓏶

 Links

My Bon Dance Video
30 Aug 25

My Bon Dancing Video

Monday Murals

Sweet Neat

 A L O H A  From

H O N O L U L U

This day unfolds

With gentle light,  

No rush to chase

No need to fight.  

Tasks like petals

Soft and sweet,  

Flow in peace

Calm and neat.  

No ticking clock 

No hurried beat,  

Just footsteps soft

In mindful street.  

Worries drift

Like clouds that roam,  

Here in this quiet

We find our home.  

Each moment blooms

A tender song,  

Where heart and soul

Both belong.  

Doing all with love

Not stress,  

A life in grace

Quietly blessed.  

So let the world

Spin wild and fast,  

We hold a calm

That’s made to last.  

A new way walks

Serene and true 

A sweet life’s dance

For me and you.  

This gentle path

No need to race,  

Is work and joy

In warm embrace.  

Breathe deep, be kind,

let laughter flow—  

In every task,

let kindness grow.  

Cloudia Charters

Linking To

Monday Murals

The Crown Flower Queen

 A L O H A  From

H O N O L U L U

Painting is the 

silence of thought and 

the music of sight.

Orhan Pamuk

🐝

One word of encouragement 

can be enough 

to spark someone's 

motivation to continue 

with a difficult challenge.

   Roy T. Bennett

🐝

🐝

Na nā lani ē mālama iā ʻoe

“May the heavens

take care of you"

Aloha nui,

Pixie & Cloudia

🐝🐝 🐝🐝 🐝🐝

Linking To

Saturday Critters

The Crown-flower queen,

In robes of lilac blue With her stems of attendants, And Bees, around her head. The little bees are glad, For they know that she is good, And the Crown-flower is happy, In their neighborhood Together they endure In harmony and peace. The crown herself is crowned By her golden bees.

Cloudia Charters

🐝

Importance

 A L O H A  From

H O N O L U L U

 No matter how old you are, 

if you still enjoy it, do it! 

Rob Reiner

What you learn and who you become is more important than how you temporarily feel.

Brianna Wiest

Who feeds a hungry animal 

feeds their own soul. 

Charlie Chaplin

The loss of vanity 

means freedom. 

Jamie Lee Curtis

The most important thing 

is to find out

what is the most 

important thing.

Shunryu Suzuki

⦽⦽⦽⦽⦽⦽⦽⦽

Love You,

Pixie & Cloudia

⦽

 Links 
Weekend Reflections & Street Photography
Skywatch
Feline Friday
Floral Friday

My super smart and kind nephew just started college this week at the University of Hawaii!

What a pleasure to see him spreading his wings. I've been giving him small bites of advice and encouragement. Like the first week all you have to do is find your classes, familiarize with the campus. 

Today I texted him the message below that I've been wanting to share with him. What do YOU think?

Secondary School like high school is all about equipping you and building you up and giving you confidence.

Freshman year of college. They are doing something different. They are showing you the limits of your knowledge. They are introducing you to the universe of things you do not yet know. It is challenging because that is the intent. But you got this. There could be more work and you could feel way too busy. Especially you because you're still involved in your important activities. But just cruise and just know that it's almost like a well-intentioned hazing. Once the freshman eyes are open to the universe of things to be interested in, you start finding your way in one of those directions and it gets more familiar and your mastery comes out. <3

Here is a link to the non-profit he started at age 14! (Yes, still operating)

Bottles4College

And In Dreams You Remember

A L O H A  From
H O N O L U L U

You are born to fly,

and in dreams

you remember the soul has wings Robert Moss

Many eyes go

through the meadow, but

few see the flowers in it.

 Ralph Waldo Emerson

The mystery of a hidden face 

is a canvas for imagination.

Sometimes, the unseen 

speaks louder than the seen.

And an obscured face 

invites deeper contemplation.

Pixie

Only the weak are cruel.

Gentleness can only be

expected from the strong.

 Leo Buscaglia

ᥤᥥᥦᥪᥫᥡ

Love You,

Cloudia & Pixie

Links
Thankful!
Little Things Thursday
I Like Thursday
Thankful Thursday
SkyWatch
Floral Friday
Friday Faceoff
Friday Smiles

It isn't the tunnel

we pass through 

that matters,

it's what emerges 

on the other side.

    Richelle E. Goodrich

A Few Moods of Diamond Head

 A L O H A  From
H O N O L U L U

British Sailors saw calcite crystals glinting on the volcanic slopes of Mount Leahi, and dubbed it Diamond Head. To the Hawaiians, it resembled the brow of the Tuna (Ahi). There was an important temple on her slopes.

 Locals don’t just SEE DH; we  smell the flowers, hear the surf and enjoy the birds. At the right time of year it’s the perfect place for spotting whales as they spout and splash out to sea.

A lookout on Leahi watched for Kamehameha's fleet of war canoes and lit the warning signal fire. Today Diamond Head Lighthouse maintains her own stoic vigilance; As do the F.A.A. folks guiding air traffic from within the crater.

True happiness is. . . 

to enjoy the present.

                                    Seneca

I love everything that's old, - 

old friends, old times, 

old manners, old books, 

old wine

   Oliver Goldsmith

 The less open-minded 

someone is, the 

more open-mouthed 

they tend to be.

Nicole Azavedo

ᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶᱶ

Love You,

Pixie & Cloudia

And in fancy I am led

back to dear old Diamond Head.

Honolulu I am coming back again.

Song

Smiles And Salutes

A L O H A  From
H O N O L U L U

Life smiles at you when you are happy; But life salutes you when you make others happy. Charlie Chaplin

They say all marriages

are made in heaven, but

so are thunder and lightning. Clint Eastwood

If you hold your tongue,

really listen, look at the

person's face, and let them talk.

They will feel that you are the greatest conversationalist they ever met.

Sometimes adversity is

what you need to face

in order to become successful.

Zig Ziglar

ᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍᰍ

Love You,

Cloudia & Pixie

Be grateful for luck.

Pay the thunder no mind –

listen to the birds.

And don't hate nobody. Eubie Blake