A New Day!

Although "today is a new day," it also holds so many emotions. A year ago, early in the morning I received a phone call with bad news. My Auntie Sweetie had passed away. She had been battling cancer since 2005 with some success, but in the end cancer took over. Damn that cancer!!!
I met Auntie Sweetie when I first joined Ke'ala 'O Kamailelauli'ili'i way back in `03 ( I think.) She welcomed me into the halau and introduced me to everyone. I was shy, but she helped me to feel comfortable and welcome each time I came to dance. She was fully of laughter and the aloha spirit.
After dancing for about 5 years, life started getting crazy and I needed to take a break, so I walked into halau with tears in my eyes and told Kumu that I needed to take a break. I needed to get my life together and then I would be back. He said that was okay, which was a great relief. I walked into the office and everyone was sitting around talking story. So I went up to Aunty Sweetie and was talking to her and asked her how her day was and that is when she told all of us sitting there. That the cancer had gotten bigger and that it just wasn't in her throat, but it was now in her brain. There were tears all around. Little did I know, all the information I was going to get in asking her the simple question of, "how are you doing?"
I didn't know what to do. I had just decided to take a break from hula and now my Auntie was going through more worries with cancer. All I wanted to do was be there, but I also needed to take care of what I needed to be doing.
I tried to balance it all and I pretty much sucked at it, but I'm glad that I did go to as many things I could and I feel so privileged to have been on the the last trip with her to Ia Oe Ka La `09. It was an amazing experience and even though I was at a wedding for part of the time I remember walking into her room when I got there and her face lighting up and her being soo excited to see me.
She was an amazing lady and she has a daughter to carry it all on! ( no pressure, friend!-you are doing an awesome job!) We all are better people because we knew her. And even though I miss her, she is with me. In the cool breeze I feel across my legs at halau, in the warmth given to me by the jacket I won at the Christmas party, and in the aloha I share with others, she is with me. Good morning Auntie Sweetie, I love you and miss you. Have fun at S.S. lunch. I can't wait to come.




-with my auntie's passing it reminds me how short life is and that we all need to not take life for granted and live life like we have no tomorrows. So tell your loved ones you love them, hug your kids, do the things you've been putting off....don't wait!