It’s late Tuesday evening, and I’m going to write a brief note before signing off and going to bed. These next two weeks are going to be very hectic – we not only have a bunch of performances scheduled, but also have recording deadlines to meet. And with Christmas right around the corner ….    I’ll continue this tomorrow – I’m tired.
Good morning! It’s Wednesday and the start of another busy day … got meetings this morning, and we’re going to FINALLY get our Christmas tree! We usually get it right after Thanksgiving, but with all the craziness that’s going on, Christmas isn’t even on our radar yet! Alex has been in the studio recording some of the core tracks for our upcoming CD, and also has final exams for his U.H. classes starting next week. Nick is trying to put together our ManoaDNA – Discover Aloha! radio show which makes its Japan debut in a few weeks, and Carla has to undergo surgery within the next week or two! Oh yeah, and somewhere in between we have to try and celebrate Christmas! Thank God, Linda (aka Fifi) is here to help out and keep the puppies from tearing apart the house! As you’ve probably guessed by now, chaos reigns here in the Kawakami household!
On a nicer note, we’re performing for a benefit at the Willow’s tonight for the Holy Family home which is located in Osaka, Japan. The Holy Family home was adopted by the U.S. Army’s Wolfhounds out of Schofield Barracks, and their history goes back to the end of WWII. It all started when a Sgt. Hugh O’Reilly, who was stationed in Japan right after the war, happened upon a group of orphaned children living amongst the war ruins. He and his fellow soldiers started bringing food and whatever supplies they could get to help these children. Over the years their relationship continued to grow, and eventually the home was “adopted” by the Wolfhounds. Alan Okami, the president of our sponsor KoAloha Ukulele, is on the board of the non-profit Peace Foundation which works with the Wolfhounds and the Holy Family home. He told me their story while we were having lunch one day and asked if ManoaDNA could help by performing for a fundraiser which they were planning. This was a no-brainer for us, and the boys and I immediately wanted in!
It seems like more charities are asking for help this season, which I feel is a reflection of the difficult times we’re all experiencing. We performed at the Lokahi fundraiser last week, which the boys and I enjoy helping out whenever we can. When Aloha Airlines went out of business a couple of years ago, organizations like Lokahi were there to give support to the people who lost their jobs, including many of our close friends. You don’t realize how important these organizations are until it hits close to home, believe me!
Aloha, “D”