Since my last post, the Maui fires destroyed the present and past of Lahaina and the news broke of Alaska Airlines buying 94-year-old independent Hawaiian Airlines.
For those of us at the counters of the airline that deliver aloha, our ohana of coworkers and regular flyers have inspired us to continue doing what we do, perhaps with even more compassion and sense of community than before.
In the words of Lahaina native Aunty Puanani Felicilda, "Imua!" Move forward with strength.
Both the fires and the buy-out caused shock and sadness and we became eachothers sounding boards and shoulders to cry on. And, as always, humor has been a vehicle of healing for us too.
This post is short but sweet. Because in the midst of endings there are beginnings. One of our SFO team will be bringing a new keiki into the Hawaiian Airlines ohana in the month to come.
As Carl Sandburg said, "A baby is God's opinion that life should go on." You don't have to be religious to celebrate new life, new chapters, new horizons.
Note: Maui, and Lahaina specifically, still need our support. I follow PAELE_KULANI on Instagram, an activist and organizer on the ground. I am sure there are others, but something about him and his posts have drawn me in with their authenticity and power.