Mahalos
Friday April 11, 2003
~for room service in paradise meals, Asta, XT, Kim, Leslie and Jackie.
~for Jenda and her homemade squash soup as well as bird feeder hanging services
~for beautiful Big Island anthuriums from Bob K. and his wife
~for the "made it alive" gorgeous orchids from Fran and Jim
~for the most recent package of good Easter cheer, from Kathy C.
~for the silver Mexican bracelet from Julie Mc.
~for love and ongoing support from Lori B.
~for the chimes and sweetness from Kris and Dick
to Debbie, Mick and Bruce for cancer survivor counseling
to Judy F. for being an incredible colleague turned dear friend
to Kim M. and Leslie for more dinner deliveries
to Linda and Rick for undreamed of generosity despite the fact that our situation must be triggering their own grief
to Tom and Char for a flying bovine that brought a laugh out loud up from the depths
to Mama Bear for protea that keep on being beautiful
to Fran and Jim for orchids and care packages extraordinaire
to Dachs for weekly doses of Dachliness
to Ruthie and Sarah for hand made cards and pixie dust
to Jan for grass seed science project and aloha wear cards
to Kim T. for caregiver support
to Puppy Child for music to kill cancer by
to Carol and Mike for purple toenails and swimming in the blue, a year ago last week
Once we made the difficult decision to relocate to oahu ( the island of Jim's birth), our friends shifted into high gear to help us find a place to live in Honolulu. Judith Fox Goldstein, forever friend, sent emails to everyone in the western hemisphere and heard back from a very special man named Peter Mouginis-Mark.
Pete is a planetology professor at UH Manoa, has known Jim for many years, and they have occasionally worked together. We talked and Pete told me that he and his wife Ada are currently living in a condo that they wanted to sell so they can make renovations to their new empty home on Round Top Drive. In a gesture of incredible generosity, they offered their home to us for a period of time that will cover most of Jim's treatment. All we have to do is rent furniture and cover the utility bills.
Jim said that it was almost as devastating to think about leaving the Big Island as it was to receive the cancer diagnosis. But once we set foot in Pete and Ada's house, we both knew we had found a place that would be a genuinely healing place to stay. there is a palpable sense of peace and calm in this light-filled, airy home which sits on a peaceful hill on 70,000 year old round top ash and overlooks waikiki and the pacific blue just beyond the buildings. We will never be able to adequately thank Pete and Ada for this blessing.
And since we are here at the blessing portion of this ramble, please know that Jim and i both feel grateful to have each of you in our lives. Thank you for giving of yourselves so completely.
Thank you, thank you
~ for packing our stuff up and sending it to us
~ for walking, petting, feeding and surrogate parenting our "girls", Girlie, Gimel and Ernestine.
~ for the prayers you have sent out to us,
~ for noni juice and lettuce, and massages,
~ for the generous donations which go to helping us defer our expenses here - especially to the AAUW women, and to the group that funded our Fed Ex boxes,
~ for the books and videos and dvds,
~ for the shaving of the beard,
~ for the chocolate and cd's and photographs,
~ for the long hugs and understanding looks,
~ for the messages you leave, and the songs you sing to us on voicemail,
~ for celebrating with us when we feel renewed and hopeful, and even more for hanging in there when we are blue and cranky.
~ for the cards you spend your lunch hours buying and writing, for the stamps you put on the colored envelopes that arrive in our mailbox at the bottom of our driveway.
~ for the bamboo ridge babes of Hilo, so consistent in their writerly ways
~ for the flowers that come in baskets and bunches and vases, and brighten up the rooms
~ for the candles that burn bright with hope
~ for the balloons that buoy our spirits
~ for the non-sense games and toys - they make exquisite sense to us, and are healing tools.
~ for the large-as-life lava photos, and for the golden light that Brad pours in every time he writes.
~ for the Ernestine polaroids and lunchtime sagas
I walk down that 50 meter long vertical drop driveway each day. Those of you who have visited us - please tell the others that like my hero dave barry, i am not making this up. It is a daunting driveway. The climate zones differ from top to bottom. Quite possibly the time zones as well.
More often than not, I am rewarded at the bottom with a treasure in the mailbox. You have no idea how you carry me back up that hill. I fly back up with your cards and letters - and frequently i am humming "the wind beneath my wings" how sappy is that?
Before the sap runs too deep here, i'm gonna go. but i'll be back, to try again to express how much we love you. HVO/USGS/Volcano National Park People Jim's colleagues have been incredible. They are better than cross-your-heart bras in terms of being uplilfting and supportive. Long distances are made short by their outpouring of genuine friendship. We lava them!
Jeri's co-workers are great. In her absence, The East Hawaii Big Island staff is covering Jeri's full caseload of special education students in foster care. She knows how busy any given workday can be, and is grateful for the extra time that Sherry and Pauline are putting in, on top of their own heavy loads. Much love to Stan, Kathie, Steve and all the surrogate parents of EPIC.
~for Jenda and her homemade squash soup as well as bird feeder hanging services
~for beautiful Big Island anthuriums from Bob K. and his wife
~for the "made it alive" gorgeous orchids from Fran and Jim
~for the most recent package of good Easter cheer, from Kathy C.
~for the silver Mexican bracelet from Julie Mc.
~for love and ongoing support from Lori B.
~for the chimes and sweetness from Kris and Dick
to Debbie, Mick and Bruce for cancer survivor counseling
to Judy F. for being an incredible colleague turned dear friend
to Kim M. and Leslie for more dinner deliveries
to Linda and Rick for undreamed of generosity despite the fact that our situation must be triggering their own grief
to Tom and Char for a flying bovine that brought a laugh out loud up from the depths
to Mama Bear for protea that keep on being beautiful
to Fran and Jim for orchids and care packages extraordinaire
to Dachs for weekly doses of Dachliness
to Ruthie and Sarah for hand made cards and pixie dust
to Jan for grass seed science project and aloha wear cards
to Kim T. for caregiver support
to Puppy Child for music to kill cancer by
to Carol and Mike for purple toenails and swimming in the blue, a year ago last week
Once we made the difficult decision to relocate to oahu ( the island of Jim's birth), our friends shifted into high gear to help us find a place to live in Honolulu. Judith Fox Goldstein, forever friend, sent emails to everyone in the western hemisphere and heard back from a very special man named Peter Mouginis-Mark.
Pete is a planetology professor at UH Manoa, has known Jim for many years, and they have occasionally worked together. We talked and Pete told me that he and his wife Ada are currently living in a condo that they wanted to sell so they can make renovations to their new empty home on Round Top Drive. In a gesture of incredible generosity, they offered their home to us for a period of time that will cover most of Jim's treatment. All we have to do is rent furniture and cover the utility bills.
Jim said that it was almost as devastating to think about leaving the Big Island as it was to receive the cancer diagnosis. But once we set foot in Pete and Ada's house, we both knew we had found a place that would be a genuinely healing place to stay. there is a palpable sense of peace and calm in this light-filled, airy home which sits on a peaceful hill on 70,000 year old round top ash and overlooks waikiki and the pacific blue just beyond the buildings. We will never be able to adequately thank Pete and Ada for this blessing.
And since we are here at the blessing portion of this ramble, please know that Jim and i both feel grateful to have each of you in our lives. Thank you for giving of yourselves so completely.
Thank you, thank you
~ for packing our stuff up and sending it to us
~ for walking, petting, feeding and surrogate parenting our "girls", Girlie, Gimel and Ernestine.
~ for the prayers you have sent out to us,
~ for noni juice and lettuce, and massages,
~ for the generous donations which go to helping us defer our expenses here - especially to the AAUW women, and to the group that funded our Fed Ex boxes,
~ for the books and videos and dvds,
~ for the shaving of the beard,
~ for the chocolate and cd's and photographs,
~ for the long hugs and understanding looks,
~ for the messages you leave, and the songs you sing to us on voicemail,
~ for celebrating with us when we feel renewed and hopeful, and even more for hanging in there when we are blue and cranky.
~ for the cards you spend your lunch hours buying and writing, for the stamps you put on the colored envelopes that arrive in our mailbox at the bottom of our driveway.
~ for the bamboo ridge babes of Hilo, so consistent in their writerly ways
~ for the flowers that come in baskets and bunches and vases, and brighten up the rooms
~ for the candles that burn bright with hope
~ for the balloons that buoy our spirits
~ for the non-sense games and toys - they make exquisite sense to us, and are healing tools.
~ for the large-as-life lava photos, and for the golden light that Brad pours in every time he writes.
~ for the Ernestine polaroids and lunchtime sagas
I walk down that 50 meter long vertical drop driveway each day. Those of you who have visited us - please tell the others that like my hero dave barry, i am not making this up. It is a daunting driveway. The climate zones differ from top to bottom. Quite possibly the time zones as well.
More often than not, I am rewarded at the bottom with a treasure in the mailbox. You have no idea how you carry me back up that hill. I fly back up with your cards and letters - and frequently i am humming "the wind beneath my wings" how sappy is that?
Before the sap runs too deep here, i'm gonna go. but i'll be back, to try again to express how much we love you. HVO/USGS/Volcano National Park People Jim's colleagues have been incredible. They are better than cross-your-heart bras in terms of being uplilfting and supportive. Long distances are made short by their outpouring of genuine friendship. We lava them!
Jeri's co-workers are great. In her absence, The East Hawaii Big Island staff is covering Jeri's full caseload of special education students in foster care. She knows how busy any given workday can be, and is grateful for the extra time that Sherry and Pauline are putting in, on top of their own heavy loads. Much love to Stan, Kathie, Steve and all the surrogate parents of EPIC.