Hello Friends and Family,

Memories, Wonderful and Painful

Link to this year's index by clicking here.

Today is the anniversary of Kona's death some 22 years ago. How could it be that with the passage of time (more than a quarter of my entire life) the pain still endures so deeply? I cherish my every memory of our life together even though it was way too short.

As most of you recall, she was an avid golfer who also introduced me to the sport. In this photo from the Desert Botanical Garden, she is wearing a golf hat plus her Maui Jims. You can even see the photographer (me) in the reflections in those sunglasses.



Our wedding day in 1996 was such a special occasion for both us in many ways. First of all, it took place on the island of Maui — our favorite place and where we hoped to retire someday. We had family in attendance to share the joy of the event. Kona wore a beautiful white dress plus a head lei as you can see in the photo. My shirt had special significance because its theme was labels of coffee producers from the Big Island, most of whom used "Kona" (as in "Kailua-Kona") as part of their name — thus my shirt displayed my new wife's name over and over. We both loved it.

Our wedding dinner was at Swan Court In The Hyatt Regency at Ka‘anapali Beach which at that time was my favorite Maui restaurant — both the food and the setting were out of this world. After dinner, we all returned to our condo and enjoyed our wedding cake which was also very local — not just where it was baked but additionally, in its ingredients — it was a guava cake. Delicious, our family members loved it even though most of them had never tasted one before.

It was a day which one can never forget — I know I won't.



My parents were at the wedding — their second trip to Maui. I was so glad that they were able to be there. At that point in their lives, they had not traveled that much so it was quite a trip for them even for the second time. But it also opened them up to exploring a bit more including subsequent travel to Europe.

I took this photo at their home in Salisbury, Maryland — not far from where both of them were born, raised, met, fell in love, married, then returned to live in retirement. It was a special place for them and it warmed my heart that they were able to enjoy that place that was so dear to their hearts.

I miss them too — they were a big part of my life.


Life is good, albeit sometimes cruel. Remember to cherish your every moment with your loved ones, you never know how long your time together will last.

Aloha,
B. David

P. S., All photos and text © B. David Cathell Photography, Inc. — www.bdavidcathell.com