Aloha e na makamaka!

The word makamaka translates as intimate friend with whom one is on terms of receiving and giving freely, pal or buddy.

We all have good friends in our lives. Some stick around for a long time and some are with you just for a season. I am blessed to have a few makamaka, good friends who are like family to me, whom I can trust to care for my own children if the need ever arose.

Although we are not related by blood, there is a strong connection and bond. We enrich, and are enriched, by our shared laughter, happiness, pain and sorrow. We have a mutual respect for one another, and share our talents and gifts freely.

It is in the spirit of makamaka that I share my knowledge, experiences and resources of this magnificent island called Maui. This is the place of my birth, the place of my ancestors, where my family and friends call home and, god willing, where I will spend the rest of my life.

Maui no ka oi? You bet!