The Gracious Karen Keawehawaii
Dear Pamela,
Here at Malulani Hale senior citizen apartment complex, we were fortunate to have Hawaii’s greatest band, the Royal Hawaiian Band. The songs it played and the singers’ music brought many memories to all of us of the days of our youth.
We also had the pleasure to have one of Hawaii’s greatest female singers to entertain us, Karen Keawe-hawaii. When she sang her rendition of Japan singer Misori Hibari’s song Kawo Nage Yoni, I felt the chill that gave me chickenskin. It literally brought tears to my eyes, for I have always loved that song.
The real reason I am writing this letter, however, is to apologize to Ms. Keawe-hawaii for asking her if she was the hula dancer. I should shut my mouth sometimes. Please convey my message to her, and have a joyous holiday.
Philip K. Ho
Malulani Hale
Dear Philip,
“No big ting!” says Karen, who remembers you and your admiration of Misori Hibari’s recordings. “When you see the joy light up on their faces, it’s worth it! The one thing that bothers me about performing is having to put on all this makeup! When you get appreciation like that, it makes your day. Also, working with the
Royal Hawaiian Band is a gift. Many of the musicians are my friends; they played on my albums, so it’s like being with family. When we play at senior homes, many from the audience will come up and say, ‘God bless you.’ I feel he already has, because I get to perform to such wonderful people.”
Last month, M.K. of Kailua wrote this letter, prompting the response below.
Dear Pamela,
We were in a car accident on Keolu Drive. Our 3-year-old granddaughter was also in the vehicle.
Our granddaughter was very upset. A kind woman retrieved her treasured items from the vehicle, with the words, “These things are important.”
My husband and I were injured, and I was lying on the sidewalk. She carried our granddaughter until help could arrive. We are so very grateful to her. Hopefully she sees this letter. I am sure she will recognize herself.
M. K.
Dear Pamela,
I just saw the letter from M.K., Kailua, regarding her accident on Keolu Drive. I am the “kind woman” who stopped to help her, her husband and granddaughter.
It’s so cool you run this column to help people find each other.
I’m very glad to hear that both M.K. and her husband recovered fully. They were very nice people, and they stayed very calm. Their granddaughter was a sweet little girl, and it was my pleasure to retrieve her favorite items from their SUV. Please tell them I am a Kailua neighbor and nurse at Castle, and am so happy they are all well.
Corinne Risch
Kailua
If you know someone who deserves some Applause, send your letters to Pamela Young, MidWeek Applause, KITV, 801 S. King St., Honolulu, HI 96813, or email pyoung@kitv.com. Include your name, phone number and, if possible, the phone number of your “applaudee” so we can contact him or her.
