After a few very, very, busy weeks subsequent to our return from Hawaii I am finally making another post. There is one more story from Hawaii I’d like to share.
One day Scott and I were laying naked in the sun at Kehena Beach 
and an old friend named David stopped by to say hello. We hadn’t seen David since the last time we were in Hawaii in December 2005. We didn’t know he was on the Big Island, he didn’t know that we were. Needless to say were were surprised and delighted! In 2005 we met David and his partner John Henry at Kehena and hit it off right away. We spent many hours together at the beach, going for hikes, enjoying sunset picnic dinners and cosmopolitans on the lava flow at Kalapana.
We had heard that David and John Henry had split not long after that. What we didn’t know was that John Henry had died accidently in a fall in New York City. We were understandably shocked and saddened. Later that day we got together with David and Barcus and Kimo for drinks. Barcus and Kimo live on the grounds at Kalani where Barcus is the Grounds Keeper and Kimo, a native Hawaiian, is the Hula master.
Barcus and Kimo also knew John Henry. At one point in the evening Kimo said “We will do a Hawaiian ceremony for John Henry and make an offering” 
The next day we met outside the gate at Kalani where on the other side of the red road there is a point on top of the lava cliff that juts out above the azure surf. The water boils and jumps up the side of the cliff here. Barcus warned a woman who happened to be there to step back from the edge because a rougue wave could sweep her away, or the cliff might even collapse at the edge because of the incessant pounding of the surf.
Kimo had made us all leis made of palm fronds. It was a beautiful blue sky morning. We put on the leis and Kimo showed us the offering he had made, a pyramid shaped package made of palm leaves containing mysterious offerings. We looked out at the sea and Kimo began to chant in Hawaiian. The Hawaiian language was almost lost but in recent years there has been a resurgence, where there are children’s school where only Hawaiian is spoken. Not all that long ago speaking Hawaiian was discouraged if not explicitly outlawed.
As Kimo chanted in his beautiful, powerful and masculine voice we all gazed out to sea and thought of John Henry with his fiery red hair, ready smile and boyish exuberance. I remembered in 2005 his playing for hours in the surf at Kehena as if he were a nine year old. Kimo chanted for 10 minutes or so and then tossed the offering into the sea where the current began to carry it directly away from shore. A few seconds later Kimo shouted “Honu! Honu!” We looked into the water and two sea turtles were close to the offering with their heads out of the water. Honu, or Hawaiian green sea turtles are featured in Hawaiian mythology and petroglyphs as aumakua (personal family gods). Surely this was a sign that John Henrys spirit was there with us. We left feeling sad yet revitalized, honored to have been present at such an authentic Hawaiian moment.
Stay tuned for tales of Frog Meadow Work Camp, Naked Yoga and more!
Posted on June 18th, 2009 by Dave
Filed under: Uncategorized
Scott and Dave:
I just received an email from my dear friend David that you posted this lovely story about the memorial for John Henry. John Henry was my best friend and most trusted confidant for many years. He always spoke of his time in Hawaii in 2005 with great affection. I am repeatedly amazed by the far-reaching impact he had and that still, almost 2 years after his departure, I meet new people touched and affected by his brilliant personality.
I do believe that he was with you there that day smiling at you through those sea turtles! On behalf of his family and friends around the world, thank you so much for sharing this truly moving account of the memorial held at Kalani, and may you, Kimo and Barcus be blessed with many Random Acts of Orange!
Sincerely,
Erin