Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Leonard's Facebook Post: Yesterday
From my brother, Leonard:
I wrote this poem and posted it on my myspace blog on October 24th. A few people suggested that I re-post it here now that the meaning of the poem is a little clearer. If you require further clarification, please refer to my previous post entitled, "A Celebration of Life." Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like it...
Yesterday
It seems like only yesterday
We were running around the school
Getting into trouble
Or swimming in the pool
It seems like only yesterday
We were going to the beach
Watching the surf crash on the shore
With the sand beneath our feet
It seems like only yesterday
We were talking on the phone
As I was living far away
Wanting to come home
It seems like only yesterday
We were at your place
Cooking dinner, playing with the kids
Smoke from the grill in my face
It was only yesterday
The time came to say farewell
Thank you for being the friend
Who picked me up when I fell
I know eventually we'll meet again
Until then, for you I pray
A peaceful journey with God by your side
And an eternity of bright, sunny days.
I wrote this poem and posted it on my myspace blog on October 24th. A few people suggested that I re-post it here now that the meaning of the poem is a little clearer. If you require further clarification, please refer to my previous post entitled, "A Celebration of Life." Thanks for stopping by and I hope you like it... Yesterday
It seems like only yesterday
We were running around the school
Getting into trouble
Or swimming in the pool
It seems like only yesterday
We were going to the beach
Watching the surf crash on the shore
With the sand beneath our feet
It seems like only yesterday
We were talking on the phone
As I was living far away
Wanting to come home
It seems like only yesterday
We were at your place
Cooking dinner, playing with the kids
Smoke from the grill in my face
It was only yesterday
The time came to say farewell
Thank you for being the friend
Who picked me up when I fell
I know eventually we'll meet again
Until then, for you I pray
A peaceful journey with God by your side
And an eternity of bright, sunny days.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A Celebration of Life
This was posted on my brother, Leonard's, facebook. I couldn't have said it any better.
“A celebration of life.”
I’ve heard the saying at funerals before and I heard it again this past weekend. In my humble opinion, much easier said than done. How does a person focus on the life of a recently deceased loved one instead of focusing on the fact that they are no longer with us? This is a question I am struggling to answer as I write.
My brother-in-law passed away last month and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t affect me tremendously. His passing was sudden, unexpected and completely shocking to everyone. This is what makes it so difficult to deal with. My grandfather passed away not too long ago but his passing was a fairly gradual one. My family and I had time to prepare for it and we all knew the day would arrive soon. When my grandfather left this earth my heart and mind were as ready as I could make them. Sure, the pain was still there but like martial artists who condition themselves to be hit, I was set to take the blow. In this case, however, there was just no way to see the sucker punch that hit me last month.
I’ve known my sister’s husband, Kawika, for over 21 years. He’s a year younger than I am and we all went to school together. Kawika and my sister, Mary, dated when he was a freshman and she was a senior in high school. They broke up but reunited when he was a senior. They wed a few years later and were married for 15 years. It’s hard for me to recall a time when he wasn’t a part of my family.
Although I never really got to tell him, Kawika was a person that I looked up to, respected and admired. I often boasted about him and his many talents. Not only was he a firefighter (a heroic occupation in itself) but the man could cook, bake and was quite the artist. It was hard to believe that this soft-spoken local boy from Honokai Hale was so multi-faceted!
Kawika was also one of the hardest working people I knew. It was his dream to become a firefighter and he pushed himself relentlessly to reach that goal until it became a reality. He served his community proudly and many individuals benefited from that service. From the number of fire department personnel that were present at the funeral, it was clear that he was without a doubt a valued member of that organization.
Kawika leaves behind a legacy of 6 children (5 of them with my sister.) After his passing, I promised myself that I would help to raise them as if they were my own. It pains me to see them sad or crying because their father is no longer here but all I can do is hold them and tell them that everything will be okay as I fight back my own tears. Sometimes it can be really difficult to put up the strong façade and I’m not afraid to admit it. But when I feel the sadness creeping up, I try to focus on the happy memories; there sure are a lot of them.
Wherever he is, I hope Kawika realizes how much he is loved and missed by many. In my opinion, he made pretty good use of the 34+ years he spent here. His accomplishments, whether publicized or not, are a testament to that fact. While the pain of losing a dear friend at such a young age may fade over time, his memory will not. My family and I will continue to live our lives as best we can while keeping him in our thoughts. With all of us here to assist, his children will develop into individuals that he can be proud of, I’m sure.
It’s way too easy to think about death and sadness at a time like this. To disregard those feelings isn’t human, I think. But to push through the pain and sorrow by concentrating on the fond memories and good times to come takes inner strength that I struggle to muster up every day. I’m sure that my sister, my family and Kawika’s family feel the same way. I, for one, plan to use this experience to make myself stronger.
Like fire tempers steel, adversity does the same to our resolve. With that strength we can honor Kawika’s memory…and celebrate his life.
Kawika Sterling Ing
July13, 1974 - October 23, 2008
“A celebration of life.”
I’ve heard the saying at funerals before and I heard it again this past weekend. In my humble opinion, much easier said than done. How does a person focus on the life of a recently deceased loved one instead of focusing on the fact that they are no longer with us? This is a question I am struggling to answer as I write.
My brother-in-law passed away last month and I’d be lying if I said that it didn’t affect me tremendously. His passing was sudden, unexpected and completely shocking to everyone. This is what makes it so difficult to deal with. My grandfather passed away not too long ago but his passing was a fairly gradual one. My family and I had time to prepare for it and we all knew the day would arrive soon. When my grandfather left this earth my heart and mind were as ready as I could make them. Sure, the pain was still there but like martial artists who condition themselves to be hit, I was set to take the blow. In this case, however, there was just no way to see the sucker punch that hit me last month.
I’ve known my sister’s husband, Kawika, for over 21 years. He’s a year younger than I am and we all went to school together. Kawika and my sister, Mary, dated when he was a freshman and she was a senior in high school. They broke up but reunited when he was a senior. They wed a few years later and were married for 15 years. It’s hard for me to recall a time when he wasn’t a part of my family.
Although I never really got to tell him, Kawika was a person that I looked up to, respected and admired. I often boasted about him and his many talents. Not only was he a firefighter (a heroic occupation in itself) but the man could cook, bake and was quite the artist. It was hard to believe that this soft-spoken local boy from Honokai Hale was so multi-faceted!
Kawika was also one of the hardest working people I knew. It was his dream to become a firefighter and he pushed himself relentlessly to reach that goal until it became a reality. He served his community proudly and many individuals benefited from that service. From the number of fire department personnel that were present at the funeral, it was clear that he was without a doubt a valued member of that organization.
Kawika leaves behind a legacy of 6 children (5 of them with my sister.) After his passing, I promised myself that I would help to raise them as if they were my own. It pains me to see them sad or crying because their father is no longer here but all I can do is hold them and tell them that everything will be okay as I fight back my own tears. Sometimes it can be really difficult to put up the strong façade and I’m not afraid to admit it. But when I feel the sadness creeping up, I try to focus on the happy memories; there sure are a lot of them.
Wherever he is, I hope Kawika realizes how much he is loved and missed by many. In my opinion, he made pretty good use of the 34+ years he spent here. His accomplishments, whether publicized or not, are a testament to that fact. While the pain of losing a dear friend at such a young age may fade over time, his memory will not. My family and I will continue to live our lives as best we can while keeping him in our thoughts. With all of us here to assist, his children will develop into individuals that he can be proud of, I’m sure.
It’s way too easy to think about death and sadness at a time like this. To disregard those feelings isn’t human, I think. But to push through the pain and sorrow by concentrating on the fond memories and good times to come takes inner strength that I struggle to muster up every day. I’m sure that my sister, my family and Kawika’s family feel the same way. I, for one, plan to use this experience to make myself stronger.
Like fire tempers steel, adversity does the same to our resolve. With that strength we can honor Kawika’s memory…and celebrate his life.
July13, 1974 - October 23, 2008
Friday, June 13, 2008
[IMPACT] Ministries: The first week
I really don't think I could have said it any better...
http://jennifer-andtheansweris.blogspot.com/search/label/Impact
Check out the link above for a glimpse into our launch of summer youth ministry. Thanks Jenn!
http://jennifer-andtheansweris.blogspot.com/search/label/Impact
Check out the link above for a glimpse into our launch of summer youth ministry. Thanks Jenn!
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Dutch Tape
I think my brother is making fun of my kid...check out his post : "They're All Irish" on 06/03/2008...
http://smeagolisfree.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html
http://smeagolisfree.blogspot.com/2008_06_01_archive.html
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
2008-Starting the Summer
Wow! It's been a whole semester since I blogged. A lot has gone on with work, school, and family, but I think it also has to do with the discovery of Facebook (thanks John). It's much easier to upload photos there into albums, so if you get a chance, check out my page with the photo albums.
Work with Kokua `Ohana finally finished last month. The same week, the semester also ended. I have a two week break from both school and work, so I have devoted much of my spare time to working on a youth ministry project for the summer that will start next week. Jeff's done a lot with working on the graphics for us, but we still have a lot more to go. As with anything, it seems so overwhelming and huge, but we know that God purposely does that to keep us turned to Him. Keep praying as James, Kendal, and I continue to fine tune the details. It's our prayer that this summer is a launching point for many churches and students to catch the vision of simple evangelism and outreach.
Our kids are also finishing up their school year. We have three now. One will be in summer fun, one in summer school, and the other has been challenged to come up with a summer project that will contribute to his growth. In the midst of all this, summer school will start for me on June 16th, the same day that I start Summer Institute with Na Pua No`eau as Daytime Coordinator at UH Manoa, and continue training nights and weekends with Catholic Charities. The two weeks off has a price to pay in the long run. I'm looking forward to all that is happening!
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