Aloha Makes Us Healthy
By Virginia Beck The crew of the double-hulled Hawaiian sailing canoe Nāmāhoe is seen here during the canoe’s unveiling in Kalapaki Sept. 11, 2016. Hawai‘i is the story of human courage, endurance,...
View ArticleKaua‘i Strong
By Virginia Beck Three hula dancers hold hands in Ken Shutt's sculpture in front of Kauaʻi Community College Performing Arts Center. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” So begins “A...
View ArticleFeeling the Web of Our Connections
Kaua‘i's Schiedea lychnoides. Photo by Ken Wood/NTBG By Virginia Beck The shocking realities of our island has altered. The world, our social relations are turned upside down. We all shelter in place,...
View ArticleResilience, Resourcefulness, Relationships
By Virginia Beck Kaua‘i has been hit hard and roughly in the past. Hurricane ‘Iniki in 1992 overran the entire island. No one was left untouched. It was a tough recovery. Everyone, including the...
View ArticleThe Future Starts Now
By Virginia Beck A sunset at Kalalau Beach. Every future begins now, right here, with everything just like this. Really. Not what we expected, but here it is. Turned upside down by the catastrophe of...
View ArticleFreedom Isn’t Free
By Virginia Beck Photo by Barbara Bennett Freedom is not an easy thing to learn. It is like the air, a privilege we take for granted until some medical issue, allergies, infections or a long history of...
View ArticleKe ‘Olu‘olu — Please, Pleasant, Pleasurable
By Virginia Beck December approaches, and with it, the time for feasting and celebrating our families and the holidays. Friends want to visit and eat traditional foods and share gifts and parties. This...
View ArticleThe Gift of Another Year
By Virginia Beck Virginia Beck A new year is a gift all on its own. The year 2020 was a flaming roller-coaster ride on Kaua‘i as well as the rest of the world. It hit our community harder than most,...
View ArticleAloha Always Loves
By Virginia Beck Miloli‘i sunset. Photo by Léo Azambuja Nothing in 2020 was expected. The whole planet shifted under the weight of sorrow. A tsunami of changes with no warning and no way to prepare....
View ArticleFreedom
By Virginia Beck The lotus blossom at Lawa‘i International Center’s Hall of Compassion will soon make room for a calligraphy sign with the following words: ALOHA — Akahai, kindness, as expressed with...
View ArticleClose to the Heart
By Virginia Beck Kaeo Bradford’s hula halau was one of few halau that honored King Kaumuali‘i during the unveiling of the king’s statue in Waimea last March. Photo by Léo Azambuja Hawai‘i is a place of...
View ArticleBeating the Summer Heat
By Virginia Beck Miloli‘i sunset. Photo by Léo Azambuja Wow, everyone is turning out for summer! The heat is rising everywhere. Climate change is real. Our islands are both unique and fragile. Around...
View ArticleWasting Time Is Vacation
By Virginia Beck. Kalalau Beach, part of Na Pali Coast State Park. The Ways I love to spend my time, instead of writing. Each morning, I climb out of sleep and up the stairs to the one great room that...
View ArticleNew Choices, New World
By Virginia Beck The Water Planet. Image Credit: NASA Truth is always stranger than fiction. Look at Kaua‘i and look at our world. No one could have predicted any of this. History and wisdom from the...
View Article‘Ohana Stands Together
By Virginia Beck Wow! What a long strange trip this has been! I can no longer tell what news, entertainment or real life is. I have been watching and “old” series on Netflix, Madam Secretary. Last...
View ArticleUsing Aloha to Deal with Changes
By Virginia Beck Aloha at Hanalei Bay Our tiny Kaua‘i is actually a starship, travelling through the universe at amazing speeds. We never dream of that while watching the slow pulse of the surf or...
View ArticleKaua‘i Creating Miracle Holidays
By Virginia Beck Mark Cooper of Kaua‘i Skate Ohana is seen here coaching children at the Kapa‘a Skate Park. Photo by Léo Azambuja Kaua‘i has always been the space of miracles. One can only imagine the...
View ArticleA Brand New World
By Virginia Beck Marie Françoise enjoying some wine at sunset at Kalalau Beach in the summer of 2020. Photo by Léo Azambuja Today, we wake up to a brand new world. It is the greatest show on Earth,...
View ArticleLove Means Masks
By Virginia Beck Virginia Beck February is always a special time. The Waimea Town Celebration, Valentine’s Day and my Ku‘uipo’s birthday (smooches, artist Marty Wessler), — these are all reasons to...
View ArticlePrincess Ruth Ke‘elikolani
By Virginia Beck In 2014, Eileen Conaty, picture here, and Virginia Beck were able to try Princess Ruth Ke‘elikolani’s bed. The princess was reportedly taller than 6 feet and weighed more than 400...
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