We devote today’s column to expressions of gratitude, and add our own: Mahalo to the readers who are a continuous source of inquiry, inspiration and encouragement. Happy Thanksgiving!
Mahalo
>> Mahalo nui loa to all the clergy. They are on call 24/7, especially during the pandemic. I’d also like to say mahalo for being alive. We should all be thankful for that, and not take anything for granted, and not complain or get mad over silly things. We should live to the fullest, as we never know what tomorrow will bring. Amen. — Andrew O.
>> A big mahalo to the man and woman who sweep the sidewalk of Punahou Street every morning. It is a busy sidewalk with people walking for exercise, taking their dogs out and children walking to school. This aunty and uncle walk each morning and sweep debris off the sidewalk. Mahalo to them for their kindness and dedication to the community! — J.H.
>> Earlier this month, I accidentally left my walking cane in the Tripler hospital parking lot. I would like to thank the kind person who found it and took it to the lost and found office, instead of just ignoring it and somebody else’s carelessness. I do not function well without that third leg of mine, but my life is back to normal because of your thoughtfulness. Mahalo! — Grateful senior
>> During my first outing with classmates at Kailua Beach, I accidentally dropped my learner’s permit! Sadly, darkness came upon us and we had to give up looking. Several days later, someone found it and mailed it to me! Many thanks to this honest and admirable person. May you have good health, happiness and longevity! — Blessings, K.N.
>> On Nov. 16 at about 12:30 p.m., a woman in line by us at Costco Hawaii Kai had one item in her cart, while our cart was piled high. We told her to go ahead of us, to save her time checking out. When it was our turn to pay, the cashier told us the woman had given him money toward our bill because we let her “cut” in front of us! My husband and I were stunned and couldn’t thank her because she was long gone. We want to say mahalo for gracing us with her generosity and kindness. Besides doing our own shopping, we’d also bought a few things for an elderly neighbor, who was ready to pay us when we delivered her groceries. We explained what had happened and that we wanted to share the beautiful gesture we had experienced. She didn’t need to pay me because her bill was taken care of by the kind woman! — Appreciative couple
>> After months of not being able to greet and meet each other, members of the Korean War Veterans Association, Hawaii Chapter 1, held a general membership breakfast meeting at Pagoda Floating Restaurant, enjoying the camaraderie and remembering those they’d lost in the past two years. Imagine their great surprise after the meeting to discover that someone else at the restaurant that morning had anonymously paid the group’s entire breakfast bill! Persuading the wait staff to help identify the benefactors, a few chapter leaders were able to thank Mr. and Mrs. Randy and Joey Harris for their kindness and generosity. What a wonderful gesture to honor these aging warriors! Mahalo! — Walter Ozawa
>> Many, many mahalos to the honest angel who found my wallet in the Safeway Hawaii Kai parking lot and turned it in to customer service. Thank you also to the customer service staff, who kept it safe until I could pick it up. You saved me many hours of worry and frustration! May you and your family be blessed as I was by your honesty and humanity. — Grateful senior
>> This is a mahalo long overdue! About 20 years ago when we bought our home in Leeward Oahu, we also purchased an old secondhand car. Excited about being here, we decided to drive to the end of the road at Kaena Point. As we parked the car and got out to take in the view we saw the place was almost completely deserted except for some surfers far down the beach. When we got in the car to leave, it would not start. It would not even turn over. The battery was completely dead. I had a cellphone, but at that time there was no service that far out. We were truly stuck. As we were mulling over the situation, a black van rolled up and the driver asked if we needed help. While his wife and grandkids waited in the van, he spent at least an hour figuring out how to start our car, since a simple jump would not work, finally deciding to take the battery out of his car, hook it to ours, get us started, then switch batteries back with the car running. The family was so patient the whole time. He refused our offer to pay him, warned us not to stop until we got home and sent us on our way, following us for a while to be sure we were OK. What a wonderful role model he was to those children. We have never forgotten this act of aloha. It was one of our first introductions to the aloha spirit, which welcomed us and which we still see daily. Mahalo nui loa. — J.A.
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
