The Spirit of Ohana

We have had a chance to make a trip back to the Islands this summer. Hawaii is a magical place, full of beautiful ocean views, tree, flowers. But that is not what appeals to me most, as I grow older. The Spirit of Ohana is what makes the trip worth it.

There is a spirit of Ohana I witnessed on a trollie ride to Hilo Hatties. A mother, and her three small children, were riding the trollie. Depending on where you go, you can ride the trollie for free, or just a tip to the driver. For her, it was a way to make tough times work better.

For me, it was a chance to play "peek a boo" with her one year old on our 30 minutes ride to Hilo's. The beautiful child made me feel young again. Even her mother laughed, when she figured out who her child was laughing at. I have granddaughters that age. The spirit of Ohana is in the young.

There was a spirit of Ohana in the ukelele music of a local who played at the Barefoot Bar and Grill last night. He picked up on the fact we could sing with him,sometimes in Hawaiian. He brought a sense of Ohana back to me, as he sang his version of Iz's "Somewhere over the Rainbow." Iz left this world in 1997, but still touches my soul. Whereever you are Iz, there is such a place.... Mahalo.

We had a chance to teach our new Hawaiian friend to say "yeehaw" like a real hillbilly, and gave him some local lessions on the pronunciation of "Missouri". And we all laughed about a journey up the road to Hana. He remarked, "did you ever figure out what we were supposed to find there?" The spirit of Ohana lives in the stories we told, though we grew up 3000 miles apart.

And there is the spirit of Ohana with my own extended family here in the Islands. We get to take Dad back to Pearl at 83 years old. It was the place that began his Marine career, as they prepared to leave for Japan. Not long afterwards, they went to the Chosin Reservoir in Korea. Last night, he remarked to us all "I'm so glad I came back." It might help you to know that he can no longer see the beauty of Oahu, as his sight has diminished.

I invite you all to look for the spirit of Ohana all around you. Til next time,

Ray Province
The Celtic Ozarkian
www.celticozarkian.com
www.celticozarksolutions.com