My Kumu Hula (hula teacher)

My kumu hula, Auntie Gordine, otherwise known as my teacher of hula, is a wonderful instructor and dear friend. She is a person who teaches me so much about the history and traditions of hula and the importance of understanding the unwritten language which is important to know if one is to be enriched by the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands as well as the Hawaiian culture - to be enraptured by the Hawaiiana.

There are so many beautiful songs of hula that entice people to learn to sing and dance. Some of my favorites singers and musicians are Kealii Reichel, Makaha Sons of Ni'ihau, Barry Flanagan, and Iz, who is known for his rhythmic telling of stories. While he was alive, Iz weighed about 650 pounds. He still is looked upon as being one of Hawaii's most loved and cherished songwriters.

I get to go to hula class every week and this is something I really look forward to. I highly recommend that everyone has an activity where they look forward to each day with so much joy and enthusiasm!

The day that I had a stroke and my life changed forever

On this day, I couldn't believe that my life could possibly be changed so utterly and completely. I had a life that was so filled with joy and fun and making money and laughter, only to be thrashed and taken to a different place that I did not recognize. I was in a coma for more than two weeks and did not know where I was or if I was even alive. This was hell. No one even wanted to accept me in a stroke hospital - they treated me as if I was already gone. 

To say the least, this story is a very difficult story to write. Up until now, there are not many people I chose to have listen to this story. In fact, what I have found is that I have lost 9/10 of my very good friends as it seems that no one really knows how to deal with their very good friend who completely lost their life and is now so different. My life was so much fun and was filled with joy and laughter and love and kindness and God and love of life only to be radically thrown in the trash. It feels like my life has become so very sad and I am loathe to share with the world what my life is now.

I came very close to ending my life and my husband came very close to ending it for me. I try to hide my deepest feelings for the sake of my beautiful daughter who does not deserve to know any of this. I only want her to know the Tara that existed prior to the stroke that ripped apart my life at the seams.

And now, two and a half years later, the page is turning. I made the decision to change the way I am dealing with my life and how I'm moving away from the sadness and into the light. The light is where I will find myself and I intend to travel, find the laughter, find the joy, find the peace and find the Lord who gives me my life in such a wonderful way again. I am a WINNER and I am now walking again, I am swimming, I am hoping to be driving soon and have every intention of turning my life into roses without the thorns. I am joy and I am hope and I am love. In all of these things I can hardly wait to see the Arc d' triumph, the statue of David in Firenze and to see the colors that exist in the Greek Islands again. In fact, in the next few weeks, I intend to go free-diving in the ocean off Maui.

smile

This blogs for you

In a world of many things to share information about, I thought that I would share some information about the importance of cleansing your teeth as well as flossing your teeth for at least 10 minutes a day. While this may not seem so important to some of you, it is to me because I like to show my teeth off to members of the opposite sex as often as possible. Trust me, it works!!  

My Birthday!

Saturday was my birthday and I went to one of my favorite restaurants which is Five Palms in Wailea. It's a very lovely restaurant with beautiful food and elegant yet casual atmosphere. There are palm trees that sway and lovely pu-pus (appetizers) and a menu that nearly beats all. I went out with my daughter Malia and Andrew, my husband. They have a lilikoi créme brulée for dessert that is to die for! (or to live for!)

Before dinner at Five Palms, we went to the Maui Ocean Center Aquarium.  They have both indoor and outdoor aquariums with sharks, lovely long-tentacled jellyfish and clean toilets!

It was a very lovely day to share with my family, albeit one member of my family was missing, my beautiful son Matthew who was missed by all.