Going Above & Beyond

Pa always attended the annual King Kamehameha Day ceremony in Washington, D.C. He loved the hula, the mele and sharing time with friends and extended Ohana, sharing his thoughts and hopes on Hawaii. He always went “above and beyond” for these events and one year he literally did. I was there with him and a staffer Noe. As we watched him help take the lei to drape on the statue of King Kamehameha, we got anxious when he began climbing the ladder that volunteers used to drape leis on the statue. Before we could get to the ladder he had already climbed to the top and placed the lei. Sure we didn’t want him to get hurt, but we really didn’t want to have to explain to my grandmother what happened if he did.

- David M. (Grandson)