twenty

Where did the years go?

On March 4, twenty years ago, at 3 pm, Ryan came into the world and into the center of our lives, changing our lives forever.

Lately, for some reason, he asks whether we regretted having him (especially when he causes us stress!), because we would have more money, would have freedom to do different things, like travel, and not have to worry about him.  But I can't imagine our lives without him.  Having our "son-shine" has brightened our lives and enriched it in so many ways. 

Because we didn't know whether he would be working, we didn't plan our usual family dinner for his birthday.  The three of us just went to Outback Steakhouse for a quick dinner.

The Friday before his birthday, we had dinner too and took him shopping for his birthday gifts.  In addition to new shoes and clothes for school (since he was going to be starting his dining room service class soon, we picked up black slacks and long-sleeved white dress shirts for his uniform), he asked for cooking equipment so he could practice at home.  I was going to get him a new phone, but he asked for the pots and pans instead!  Also got him a spice rack filled with bottles of different spices.

Snuck and took a quick picture while he was napping with his head on my lap recently.  I got to rub his head like when he was little.  It was so nice to have him home again, even for just a little while.  He's a man already, learning to be a grown-up and find his way in life.  But he'll always be my baby.

Blogging while watching the Kamehameha Song Contest 2013.  This year's theme is “He Lei Poina ‘Ole Ke Keiki: A Beloved Child is a Lei Never Forgotten.” This is the explanation of the theme from www.ksbe.edu:  "The words lei (garland) and pua (flower), can poetically refer to children. Although Pauahi did not have keiki of her own, her aloha and concern for her people moved her to create the Kamehameha Schools for the children of the Lāhui Hawai‘i, her Native Hawaiian people. Tonight, as we look to the future, as Pauahi did over 125 years ago, we focus on the youth.

The songs that will be heard this evening reflect the deep aloha that mākua and kūpuna -- parent and grandparent generations -- have for their pua. Just as a child clings to its mother, so too does a beloved lei adorn the wearer. Each of this year’s song contest mele was composed as a loving makana for a child. Some are well known while others are making their debut. Like Pauahi’s never ending aloha for her people, these beautiful mele continue to express the composer’s love, hopes and dreams for a precious child. Please enjoy the 93rd annual Kamehameha Schools Song Contest, featuring the theme He Lei Poina ‘Ole Ke Keiki – A beloved child is a lei never forgotten."
I saw another explanation of the theme by Ken Conklin on Diane Ako's blog, which reminded me of the picture of Ryan and me from when he was around 3:  "the word 'lei' all by itself is sometimes used to mean 'child' because of the fact that a child will hold on to a parent with arms around the parent's neck, thus resembling a lei. Also, many leis are made with flowers, and the word for 'flower' is 'pua' which is also used sometimes to mean 'child' because a child is the flower that blossoms from the love between the parents."