HAPPY ENDING: HAWAIIAN CRUISE DELIVERS ME HOME ON CHRISTMAS DAY

DATE CONFUSED? Today is Dec. 28. I had stopped blogging from the cruise ship and waited til I got home on Dec. 25 to finish these last posts. So the date on a post is the date of the posting, not the day on the ship I was writing about. The cruise started on Dec. 18 and ended Dec. 25. My blogging finished up on the 26th and today. So no, I did not spend Christmas morning, as it may have appeared, on the Big Island. I got home Christmas morning as you will see to celebrate with friends and family in Honolulu.

A MAUI LITTLE CHRISTMAS

Kahului Harbor, Maui. Friday, 23. 8am

MAUI.

NOT MAUI, HAWAII.

JUST MAUI.

Those were the first lines I wrote in 1987 when I wrote a story about Maui for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. It was my way of saying that one day, everyone would know Maui as Maui. Period. Just Maui. And so this has come to pass. I was the Maui Bureau Chief then, writing about everything and anything that concerned the tri-county area of Maui, Lanai and Molokai. This three-year stint allowed me to get to know these three islands very well. And to make some wonderful friends there.

As we pulled into the harbor, it appeared the haze from the Big Island had followed us. Still a stunning beauty, Maui is the island most tourists love best. It probably has the most local haoles (caucasians) living in Hawaii; if you go to Kihei and Wailea on the south shore, you might think you are in California or Canada, and if you go to Lahaina, on the northwest shore, you might think you are in Newport Beach, CA.

Where are the locals, the Hawaiians, you might be asking. Well, the Filipinos who came to Maui to work the pineapple fields are congregated in the central part of Maui, in Kahalui. The Portuguese, who came to Maui to be luna, or bosses, for the pineapple growers settled upcountry on the east Maui slopes of Haleakala volcano in the cowboy town of Makawao. The windsurfers are in Paia town. The veggie farmers and growers of protea and other flowers are in Kula, upcountry on the Haleakala slopes. The U.S. mainland and Canadian retirees congregate mostly in Wailea, Kihei and the Kaanapali coast. And the Hawaiians??? They are mostly in Hana (where Oprah has a home and property, as does Kris Kristoferson and Jim Nabors) and Keanae where Hawaian taro growers flourish; some Hawaiians are also on West Maui's northeastern-most coast. The winegrowers are up on Haleakala at the slopes of Ulupalakaua. Kahalui and Wailuku towns

The mayor sits in Wailuku, near the center of Maui, along with the city government. Let's not forget our visiting whales, who come in the winter to the warm waters off Lahaina.

Maui is the most diverse island, population-wise, and in tourist attractions that keep the tourists very busy. It was also the first island to give away public beaches to developers in Hawaii, which started a trend. Now every builder of luxury hotels in Hawaii insists on beach front property and will fight for it, whatever....whatever... it takes. I covered this beat and can tell you, it's true! I will leave it at that!

MY BREAKFAST NOOK

The aft, the back of the boat, my favorite breakfast nook. Every port I took time away from my early morning writing schedule and had a continental breakfast of Raisan Bran, coffee, a tiny croissant, and sometimes some eggs and bacon for protein. It was always peaceful as the boat gently rocked and most of the tourist headed out for their shore excursions.

Since my cabin is an inside birth with no windows, the fresh air, the bright sun, and the sight of a beautiful island shore added to my relaxed mornings. My "womb" served well for sleeping soundly and for writing quietly, so I am not complaining. Just mixing metaphors -- womb with nook. Get it?

A MAUI VISIT AND A CHRISTMAS STORY WORTH TELLING

Scott and Marita, two of my very favorite people in the whole world, have a Christmas tale worth repeating -- it seems every time I am able to visit, it gets retold. It's one of those fairy tales that you don't mind hearing over and over, kinda like The Night Before Christmas.

Here's the very short version. Ten years ago, and just a few days before Christmas, Scott, a postal worker in Kula, was supposed to pick up Marita for their second date. Scott was a divorcee taking care of two young daughters; Marita had just broken off a relationship, and her daughter Katie was far, far away. Her friend Stephanie (that's me), tho, was nearby, and had offered her a plane ticket to Honolulu so Marita wouldn't have to spend Christmas alone. She refused, saying she was fine and looking forward to her date with Scott. The night of the date, Scott's truck was broadsided by thieves speeding away from a convenience story. He cracked his head against his window and was air-vacked to Honolulu for surgery. Marita was called by Scott's older daughter Cory who explained that her dad had not stood her up but was in the hospital, etc. With little thought about it, Marita called me and asked for that plane ticket. Her Christmas and New Years was spent at Scott's side, working her healing magic. In miraculous time, he was well enough to leave to ......my place! Where they stayed for another week of Scott's healing and Marita's loving care.

It's one of those Christmas memories that will never grow old. It's a story that bonds us, and a love that deepens with years. It still brings tears. A Christmas dinner with Scott and Marita and family added to the holiday spirit of my Christmas Cruise. Marita's duck stew and festive sugary walnut salad and homemade rolls completed my truly lovely Christmas dinner with this blended family, which this year included two wonderful guys who will soon be joining the family.


CHRISTMAS EVE ABOARD THE PRIDE OF ALOHA

When I booked this trip, I wondered what they would plan for Christmas eve, our last night before docking back in Honolulu. I wanted it to feel festive and special. And so it did. They had decorated the ship to look like a Christmas Cruise indeed!

And while the crew and staff led us in Christmas carols, we all waited for Santa to show up.

We heard the jingles of bells, and then found Santa and the elves starting to take photos of families and couples in the atrium.

Did I dare to do it alone??? Why not, I said. And so I got in line. When my turn came, I was 8 years old and giddy inside. Wow! I can't remember the last time I sat on Santa's lap. If ever. I'm sure we did as kids, but I don't have one family photo to prove it.

So this might be the only photo that exists in all the world's archives of me on Santa's lap. Try it sometime, you oldies but goodies. It really is trippy! Something we have lost perhaps that should be a revised tradition for the kid in us all??

There was a small, interdenominal church service that afternoon, and about 30 people gathered to bring in Christmas with a local pastor and his wife, a hula dancer and minister. The loveliest part, besides her hula dances to the Lord, was the sharing of stories by some of those attending. The most touching was the story of chaplains, soldiers and families at Fort Sam Houston in Texas using their own money to build schools and orphanages in Iraq. Christmas, after all, is about love and sharing and the Christ child who came into the world to bring Good News to all, especially the poor and destitute, the sick and needy, and the captives who need freeing. And the angels said, Amen, Hallelujah!

THE LAST SUPPER
With this my last night, I had dreams of enjoying a fine dining restaurant with my new friends that I met the first day we set sail. Thanks to Erika and her sister Gretchen and husband Lee , I had dinner with them at Crossings, one of the six speciality restaurants onboard. Erika presented me with a white ribbon lei that she made herself; Lee and Gretchen received red ribbon leis from Erika to match their Christmassy red outfits. We conversed about my work and their lives in Phoenix. Lee and Gretchen are travellers and experienced cruisers. Erika too; she lost her husband last year and is finding a new balance in life with great joy and peace.

That night, after a wonderful turkey dinner, I
packed my bags and prepared a small gift bag with a tip for my cabin steward Paul. Always gracious and helpful, Paul is a Filipino from Guam, where his wife and children reside. He took care of 15 rooms; he's in his third month of a five month stint as a cabin steward on the Pride (his pay is not great, though he works hard to send money home; tips help for sure). The service onboard was always courteous and done with a smile. I was glad to have Paul to be a constant and familiar face who cared for my room daily.

CHRISTMAS DAY ARRIVAL IN HONOLULU

They really make disembarking to easy. Just leave your packed luggage outside your stateroom the night before the ship docks back in Honolulu and keep what you need for the overnight ride back to home port. Departures are planned by floors and timed to go smoothly, even allowing time for breakfast before leaving the ship.

I must say, I felt sooo relaxed when I disembarked. It was so easy and the trip was so relaxing that it came as a big surprise to me that I felt unhassled, no strain, and no taxing of my patience, as so often happens when I travel to the Mainland by plane and have to deal with airports.

Would I recommend cruising? ABSOLUTELY!!! It's a wonderful way to be pampered while traveling. I look forward to other cruises in other places one of these many other days ahead of me.

I was met at Aloha Tower by Richard and Wanda, two friends from my church. We dropped my bags at home and headed for Christmas day services with my church family. It was wonderful being back and among old friends again.

The highlight at the service at First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, led by pastor Dan Chun, was when Dan passed the mike among the congregation asking for Christmas stories. I was tempted to share my Christmas cruise story, but I had a better story that I was able to share. The joy and sweetness of my Mom's healing from bitter feelings, guilt, and regrets that she has been carrying for decades. A miracle had happened to our family this past Thanksgiving and I wanted to share it. As I talked about how this came about, I could feel I was speaking into someone else's life and that this story would have relevance. And sure enough, two church members came up to me afterward and expressed their reaction: "There's hope for our mom." "At Christmas, there is always hope!", I told them. I ended my story with these words: "This is the most meaningful Christmas ever. The coming of the Christ is so clear to me this year, that He came to set the captives free!"

ADIEU TO YOU

Many thanks for tagging along on my Christmas Cruise. I hope you found it fun, informative and a foolish time well spent. :-)

It's back to work for me, me who is sooo rested and ready to head back to another project that I am working on. Besides working on STRANGE LAND, the short film about my mom's war bride experience, I am working full-time with Hawaiian filmmaker and artist Meleanna Aluli Meyer. I am her co-writer and co-producer on her film KU'U AINA ALOHA: MY BELOVED COUNTRY.

This 85-minute documentary for theatrical release will tell the story of the overthrow and annexation of the Hawaiian Kingdom by the United States in the 1890s.... from the Native Hawaiian's point-of-view.

When the U.S. colonized Hawaii in the 1900's, the Hawaiian language disappeared from the life of Hawaiians. Only now, some 100 years later has the language returned to play a significant part in the life of Hawaiians. Today there are Hawaiian scholars who can read and write Hawaiian, and are thus able to comb the archives for documents written in Hawaiian that tell us what Hawaiians went through during the days of overthrow and annexation. Using the writings and words and songs and newspapers of Hawaiians of that day, this film will bring forth the voices of the Hawaiians who lived this history. Their voices will complete the truth about this history, so far mostly told by Western historians who only used English-language sources. With these first-person, primary Hawaiian sources telling their side of the story, this film will be a moving testament to the Hawaiian love of land, country and Queen. We expect to finish the film in the late fall of 2006 if not before. Stay tuned.

Adieu, adieu. Wishing you a New Year that is full of surprises, divine moments and sacred heavens here on Earth that bring Peace and Joy. Come 2006. Come and bless us!

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