Chicken Skin...

I've often had people over the years ask me about my love of Hawi'i. When did it start? I've always understood the meaning of Aloha...how did that happen? It's because of these two ladies that showed me aloha, that a small seed was planted...

Reverse 47 years. I was 15-16 years old, my mother had friends in Hilo. I went with her on one of her trips over there, ended up staying and living in this house on Reed's Bay...
The Bell Family were also members of the church. You have to appreciate that this was the first time I'd ever really lived with a family, siblings, etc. I left and many, many years passed, but I always remembered them and that time that I'd spent with them.

Fast forward. Merrie Monarch time again. I was in Hilo. The first year I went, my friend Iris and I found the house (it wasn't that hard, since Hilo really hasn't changed much). I remember asking about the family, but the guy had no idea who they were. I always remembered. Two years ago, on Sunday before leaving Hilo for home, I went to church. I asked if anyone remembered this family. The RS President did, but said that they went to a later service and that the daughter always came for Merrie Monarch.

This year, I was determined I was going to try harder to locate them. When I found out the plans for Sunday and that it meant leaving early, I realized I wouldn't be able to attend church. When I was with Charlotte, I recall telling her that I was going back to the hotel and start looking in the phone book. That's exactly what I did.

I sat on the bed, looking across Reed's Bay at the house where I had such fond memories, and opened the phone book. Trying to think logically, I dialed a number and asked "Is this Sister Bell"? "No, you've got the wrong number". Ok, I would not be discouraged. Decided to start at the beginning of the listings for the last name. Second call. "Is this Sister Bell?", I asked again. "Yes, it is". "Do you have a daughter Leona?", "Yes, just a minute she's right here".

I was stunned. Leona came on the line. I told her who I was, using my married name. She was trying to recall, then she said "Is this Janey Campbell?" Within 20 minutes, they were sitting downstairs at the hotel with me! Time had melted away. We laughed about silly things we'd done. I have much better recall on specific things; making hot chocolate through a whole process, Sister Bell grateing coconut that one of the boys had gotten down from a tree in the front yard, paddle boarding to Ice Pond (to this day, gives me rolling stomach thinking about it's bottomlessness), going to the movies for 25cents, hanging laundry under the house and starching it, riding the flues above Rainbow Falls. So many memories of Hapuna and Puako.

These two ladies never knew the profound affect they had on my life or how dear those sweet memories were to a young girl.

me ke aloha pau 'ole

mahalo