My mother was a woman who could cut through the heart of things with just a few words. She had eight kids and countless foster boys and had a neighborhood filled with kids who called her Mama. I can still hear this little 5'2" under 100 pound woman saying these words. The same words I said to my kids and I'm sure my siblings [...]

While getting my car repaired a few years ago a darling little couple walked into the waiting area.  They were in their late 80s, she in a pair of pants that were far too baggy, he in a shirt barely covering the evidence of having eaten years of her good cooking.  She was hunched and far too short to drive a car. He shuffled [...]

Every year I sang with the Hawaii Vocal Arts Ensemble HVAE we did a Black History concert at Chaminade. It was, hands down, my absolute favorite concert of the year. We didn't have a large population of African Americans on the stage or in the audience. But that never stopped us. I remember standing with singers and audience members to sing this anthem. I'd [...]