REMEMBERING LAHAINA

 Sorry I have not been posting updates for a while. I have been dealing with my hearing loss, and my “good” knee went out. Getting shots in both knees and doing lots of PT trying to gain flexibility and strength back. Making progress—but slowly.

For the last week, I have been grieving the loss of historic Lahaina Town. We visited Maui (and five other islands) on our first trip to Hawaii in 1978. The charming, historical town became one of my favorite places.

On that first trip, we stayed in the old whaling hotel, the Pioneer Inn. It was rickety and had holes in the floor, but it was also a charming and fun location. On one memorable trip, we didn’t notice that we had booked our room in the hotel on Halloween. Big mistake! People from all over Hawaii and the mainland gathered in town for a noisy all-night party. They celebrated along Front Street. Our room faced the street. Needless to say, we got no sleep that night. But, hey, Larry got the Halloween t-shirt. He still has it.

And we stayed there several other times, just not on Halloween!

In the ‘80s and ‘90s, we tried to visit Hawaii nearly every year, several times more than once a year. We always went to Oahu, but we usually went to at least one other island. At the time, several friends lived on Maui. We arranged to visit them whenever we were there, and we always made a trip to Lahaina, even when we didn’t stay there.

Before our first trip, several friends told us to eat at Longhi’s. At the time, Bob Longhi was there in person. They had a verbal menu, and Bob delivered it with annoyance, as though guests were putting him out just by being there. He was hysterical! We usually went there for breakfast and always ordered one of their cinnamon rolls to split. It was one of our “must go” places whenever we were in Maui. The last time we were there, we ate dinner upstairs at sunset. Great food and a fabulous view.

Unfortunately, the Lahaina location closed in 2019, but their Kaanapali and Oahu locations remain. Bob Longhi passed away in 2012, but the restaurants bearing his name remain.

Our friend from work, Steve Russell, who lived in Wailuku, passed away in 2016, and Suzi Osbourne, our high school friend, who had lived on Maui for many years, passed away in 2020. On our last trip in 2015, we stayed with her, and she often stayed with us when she was in California. However, we have several other friends on the island. We have heard from one, but we can’t contact the others. We pray for them and will send a written note to let them know we are concerned.

When we used to go with our close friends, we stayed at the Maui Islander Resort. It was a great location, just a couple of blocks from Lahaina Harbor. Larry and Bob loved it because they could walk down to the harbor and surf early in the morning. Bernie and I loved it because there was lots of shopping, historical locations, art galleries, and dining in easy walking distance.

There used to be a Hilo Hattie’s store couple of blocks over, and we always shopped there for island clothing. Unfortunately, it closed, along with the flagship store in Honolulu. However, it appears a new one had opened in Lahaina. It was probably lost in the recent fires.

Whenever we were in Lahaina on a Sunday, we attended the Lahaina United Methodist Church. We loved this charming place, where everyone was “ohana.” Visitors were presented with leis made by church members from flowers grown in their own yards. They had a wonderful choir, and the pastor was delightful. We always felt included and at home. I cried when I read that it had burned down. However, the congregants have stayed in touch and met for worship in small groups last Sunday.

Seeing the historic Banyan Tree smoking and burning hurt my heart. It was such a symbol of the old town. Hearing there is some hope of its survival gave me reason for optimism amid all the loss.

However, the museums and other historical sites are gone forever.

While I grieve all the loss of places and people, I am also grateful that we were able to spend so much time enjoying the very special and magical place.

Vacations

 My mother-in-love had a theory which I've found to be true. Not only do people take vacations, but so do things. You, know, those items that go missing and, after a period of time, you discover in the place you’ve searched several times before.

Recently we went on a long trip and, against my usual practice, I took along some jewelry. Among the items was my mother-in-love’s gold cross. It’s one of my most precious pieces, not for its financial value, but for its meaning to me since I’m the only one in the family who remembers why it was so important to her.

Mother (she was ‘Mother’ and my own was ‘Mom'—I truly had two mothers) was a pampered only child. Her mother died fairly young, which made her even more of a ‘daddy’s girl’ than she'd been before. And that was always a close relationship. When her dad died of cancer at seventy-three, she was heartbroken.

One day, while cleaning out his safety deposit box, she found a lovely gold cross with a diamond at the center attached to a watch fob. She brought it home and invited me over to see it.

She told me, “It’s almost like Daddy left this for me to find.”

I had just gotten some of her family pictures framed for a photo wall. The minute I saw the cross, I took her to the wall and pointed to the one of her as a baby with her parents. In that picture, she is clearly wearing the same cross.

Of course we both cried.

“I’ll bet Daddy bought it for me and then put it away until I was old enough to wear it. So it really was a last gift from him.”

On the day she died, Dad asked me if there was anything of Mother’s I’d like to have. Of course I answered, “Her cross.”

He went straight to her room and brought it out.

“Oh, Dad,” I said with the tears starting afresh. “I don’t need to take this right now.”

His eyes shone when he wrapped his hand around mine holding the special piece of jewelry. “She knew you loved it, and I’m sure she’d want you to have it. I’m afraid it might get mislaid if it stays here.”

Whenever I wear it, I tell Larry, “I’m wearing your mother today.” And I feel her presence around me.

Since we were going to be visiting our niece and her pastor husband, and since we’d be gone for several Sundays, I took the cross with me on the trip.

On Easter Sunday, I looked for it to wear, only to discover that it hadn’t been put back in its usual place. So I checked all my drawers, all the suitcases, in short, everywhere I might have stashed it. No cross. And none of the other pieces I’d taken were anywhere to be found.

I wasn’t worried that I might have lost it because I’d worn it the week before and was sure it had come home. But after returning from church, I went through everything again. Still no luck.

When these things happen, I always remember Mother’s vacation theory. It also includes that those things that take trips return when they’re ready.

This morning I guess the vacation was finally over because I made one more thorough search of the suitcases. And there were the little bags with my jewelry, right where I’d already checked several times.

Do your possessions ever take vacations? This beats every other theory I’ve heard for what happens to them.