Journal

“Tell me a fact and I’ll learn.
Tell me a truth and I’ll believe.
But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.”
Proverb

We got the call at 3:45am Hawaii time on the morning of 9/11. Our son was on the phone and in a very controlled voice asked me to wake Mom up and turn on the television – before I could make any objections, he said, “Dad, our whole world has just changed.”

That call and the visual images of the fire and destruction that followed are burned into my memory.

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to interview someone who was actually in the twin towers on 9/11 – Michael Hingson, the blind man, and his Guide dog, Roselle. His story about how he and Roselle helped save so many lives leading them down 78 stories to safety is detailed in his book “Thunder Dog.”

These are the words he shared with me:
” As we were going down, the thought of all those brave people going up without hesitation is the most vivid memory I have of that day. We were told that while they went up to fight the fire, our job was to descend and get out. We did our job, and they died doing their job.”

Those are the words that are seared into my heart. That is the lesson we must never forget. Our first responders do their job everyday – no matter what! Let us honor the fallen and show gratitude to their families and loved ones.

A parent’s “worst nightmare.”
Receiving a call from your child’s school or even hearing the information on the news about an Active Shooter on campus.

Rigby Middle School in Idaho was the catalyst for lots of nighmares the past week.
A 6th grade female student injured two classmates and a staff member until courageous KRISTA GNEITING, the 8th grade math teacher convinced the girl to give up the weapon by cradling her in her arms until first responders arrived.

Plymouth Middle School in Minnesota was the site of more nightmares when a student opened fire in the hallway. KIM ROYSTON, the assistant principal, was the first on the scene. He talked the student into dropping the gun and controlled the scene without any injuries.

The overall consensus is that these were two prime examples of teachers saving lives.

April 23 was the dreaded day of my doctoral finals in history at the University of Minnesota. Instead it turned out to be an emotional roller coaster of joy, fear, worry and happiness – the birth of our youngest son. We had made arrangements with the University hospital to allow me to be in the birthing room – something not allowed back in those years – so we were confident I would not be kicked out of the delivery room like I was just a year and a half prior when our first son, Jimmy, was born. Surprisingly, I was not the only guest in the room – there were at least a half dozen medical students observing procedures… my uneasiness about so many strangers in the room quickly turned to joy as our son “Jon” made his grand entrance…the awe then turned to fear when the young doctor doing the delivery kept flicking Jonny’s foot with no results. Thankfully the supervisor in charge stepped in and gave baby a firm slap on the butt – finally, to our great relief, Jonny cried out his challenge loud and clear to the world. And he hasn’t stopped since. Here’s the best part of having children- we are blessed with grandchildren too – here is the son of our son – Cooper celebrating his special 5th.

Maybe young folks don’t approach the Father of the Bride anymore like we did back in the late sixties…to be honest, asking for the blessing of your future father-in-law can be stressful. Fortunately, whenever people have trouble communicating in Minnesota, the conversation turns to talk about the weather or sports. Being from Hawaii, I couldn’t understand how you could spend so much time on the weather but I love sports. So when Clayt, my girlfriend’s Dad, asked me which was my favorite basketball team ? That gave me an opening to talk about Jerry West and the L. A. Lakers. Immediately, a big smile spread across his face as he recounted the glory days of George Mikan leading the Minneapolis Lakers to five NBA championships. When he found out I knew all about how the “Lakers” were named after Minnesota ‘s 10,000 lakes before they moved to L.A. I knew I was ready for the next question- but that’s a different story. The point here is that I can only imagine how overwhelmed Clayt would be if he were with us today, to hear that his grandson, Robbie, just helped the Lakers as their GM, put together another amazing NBA championship team despite the challenges of 2020. Ditto for the pride Rob’s Dad must feel from his gym in the clouds. Maika’i, Rob!

The day before Veterans Day a fire broke out on the sixth floor of Naniwa Gardens!

Panic spread throughout the neighborhood as memories of the devastating fire at high rise Marco Polo In Honolulu a few years ago still haunt condo dwellers.

The 911 emergency call was recorded at 5:39 pm. The first responders were on the scene at 5:45 pm. HFD responded with 16 fire companies and over 60 fire fighters.
They had the fire under control at 6:18p.m. and extinguished by 6:45p.m.
The firemen went door to door of every unit to make sure everyone was safe or if anyone needed help. EMS paramedics were on hand to evaluate any injuries. HPD arrived to assist traffic control.

Thankfully no one was home at the time.
Reports indicate that the fire was so hot it burned everything so quickly – sadly it was impossible to save the two dogs inside.

We grieve for the owner who lost her
“Babies.” We saw her two little ones everyday on their walk so we will miss them. I am glad I was able to share a comforting tear with her and talk about the Rainbow bridge that our pets cross.

We have much to be thankful for – our families, our faith, our pets… don’t forget the ones who are always there for us in an emergency.
Have a Happy & Blessed Thanksgiving!

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