|
|
Punahou Class of 1959
40th Reunion Photos Scrapbook
In Memoriam Service - Sunday
|
|
Vicky, Jon and Sally conduct the service. Vicky chants the Lords Prayer in Hawaiian and sings her beautiful music. Jon and Sally read the words of Aloha Oe.
|
|
|
|
The group watches as the Spirits assemble.
|
|
The Spirits are held gently, each waiting its turn to be released with the others.
|
|
Midgi releases the Spirit of one of our classmates.
|
|
Jon motions a final Aloha Oe to more of our classmates' Spirits.
|
|
A final release of Spirits symbolizing our departed spouses, partners, and parents leap from our hands and head up to join the Spirits of our classmates soaring overhead.
|
|
The symbolic Spirits of our departed Classmates, spouses, partners, and parents soar over the Koolau's in a perfect Rainbow of color and disappear into the noon day sun.
Punahou Class of 1959 - In Memoriam
|
|
Aloha Oe to our departed family and friends. And may God Speed us all.
Punahou Class of 1959 - In Memoriam Service
Sunday June 13th, 1999 Waimanalo, Hawaii
Here are the words and poem spoken during our In Memoriam Service. They will also be added to the "In Memoriam" section of our 1959 Class Web Site where they will remain to honor our classmates no longer with us on this earth.
" S L O W D A N C E "
"Have you ever watched kids on a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?
Or followed the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down, don't dance so fast.
Time is too short, the music won't last.
Do you run through each day on the fly?
When you ask "How are you?" - do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores running through your head?
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast.
Time is too short, the music won't last.
Ever told your child, "We'll do it tomorrow."
And in your haste, not see their sorrow?
Ever lost touch, Let a friendship die,
Cause you never had the time to call and say "Hi"?
You'd better slow down, don't dance so fast.
Time is too short, the Music won't last.
When you run so fast to get somewhere,
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your busy day,
It is like an unopened gift.... just thrown away.
Life is not a race. please take it slower.
Hear the Music,,,,, before the song is over."
We are told the above words (in the form of a poem) are the request of a young girl who will soon leave this world. She is the innocent victim of a serious and fatal form of Cancer. We are told she has months (not years) to live. She will never make it to a prom, graduate from high school, or get married and have a family of her own. As her dying wish, she sends her poem telling everyone to live their life to the fullest.
More Words of Aloha for our departed classmates:
"From all of us who will join you some day,
May the memories now of our good times together with you at Punahou remind us to give thanks for all that we have.
May our fond memories of you remind us to reassure our loved ones every day of our lives while we are here together with them that we love and enjoy and need them very much. These are your special gifts of remembrance to us now.
And may our tears in memory of you now be like gentle rain that feeds and softens the desert places in our souls so we will continue to bloom and grow beautiful things for all the world to see for as long as we are here."
|
|
And at this time we send our special thoughts and love to ALL of our parents, some already gone, some infirm, and others still active and enjoying life. During our special 40th reunion weekend, those of us with parents still living in Honolulu used the opportunity to spend time with them. Lionel visited his mother, Dick visited his father still living in the Ednie home in Aina Haina, and here Jon and Karen visit his Mother Becky at The Arcadia in Honolulu. Nearly blind and hearing impaired, at 92 she still loves life and her children. They talked about Jon's Father Vic, gone now and still so near to his wife and children.
We pass along our farewell greetings here to ALL of our dear parents, those still with us and those who have passed beyond life here on Mother Earth.
Aloha nui loa, me kealoha pumehana, a hui hou. Much love and warmest regards until we meet again.
|
|
And so to our dear departed Classmates, Friends, Parents and Partners,,, Aloha Oe. And may God Speed us all.
In Memoriam Service afterthoughts:
(from Jon)"Mahalo's to Sally and Dotsy for designing this lovely and moving ceremony. Mahalo to Vicky for her beautiful chant of the Lord's Prayer and her lovely music. I feel deeply honored to be asked by the committee to join in selecting and reciting the words written above. The unspeakable beauty of the release to full flight of the homing pigeons, each dressed in one of the beautiful colors of the rainbow, is beyond belief. As their numbers increased as more names were read and a spirit released with each name, the flight of homing pigeons grew larger and larger. They kept circling overhead highlighted against the clear blue sky until all the spirits were joined together. Then they all made one final circle overhead together and disappeared into the sun high over the Koolau mountains.
10 months ago I selected two paintings of the northern face of the Koolau mountain range as features of our In Memoriam section of our class web site. To me these two paintings represented a sense of permanence with roots in the lands of Hawaii from which our spirits are nourished through the love of the Great Spirit. How could it be possible that 10 months later this exact same Koolau backdrop would frame the rainbow flight of the spirits of our 28 classmates no longer with as represented by those 28 rainbow colored homing pigeons? Did the Great Spirit relocate our Sunday family Picnic from Kailua to Waimanalo at the last moment in order to complete the perfect Aloha farewell to our classmates? I think so. How about you?"
Aloha nui loa, Brother Jon
