As I drove my son to the airport this evening, I began to reflect on the impact air travel has had on me and our Ohana. It is such an integral piece of our lives, making it possible to cross distance barriers our ancestors only dreamed of. As I recall, I was in high school when I first discovered the magic of flight. My Mother pulled out the stops and took me to New York City for a weekend trip, complete with a room at a fancy hotel, a Broadway play and exploring the local cuisine.
Long conversations with myDarlin’ Robert Kenui Pope made it evident that he began earning his sky miles much earlier than I had, as flying ran deep in his Ohana. His Father was a pilot for Hawaiian airlines, his sister built Mokulele Flight Services (island hopping airline) from the ground up, and his brother was an airline attendant. Flying meant connecting with family on the Big Island during holidays and summers, as he attended Kamehaha Schools on Oahu, traveling to Europe with his high school jazz quartet, to college on the mainland, to inter-island games for his girls, to New Orleans in 1999, to Aruba in 2002 as a reward for Manager of the Year and then back again to Hawaii last year.
Over the past eleven years, myDarlin’ and I have taken many flights ourselves, as well as making happy trips to the airport to pick up our loved ones and then to drop them back off again. Each trip represents a memory, not necessarily about the miracle of flight, but about the experiences that happen between them.
Years ago, as we arrived in Hawaii, we were greeted by our Ohana who placed leis around our necks. Today, I am filled with gratitude knowing that as myDarlin’ arrived in heaven he was greeted by Angels who not only placed a lei around his neck, but gave him his very own set of wings.
#FlyHighmyDarlin #KeepLookingUp
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