Always with Aloha, always with gratitude

Many of us are facing difficult times lately. We wonder if our house is worth what we paid, if our 401k's will hold up, if the new administration will make a difference.

I live every day of my life with Aloha. This is something II learned from my grandmother who learned it from generations of my Hawaiian ancestors - a life philosophy based on an ancient belief system called Ho‘omanamana.

Part of living this life, this Aloha Life, is the realization mana (energy) goes where you guide it. I found myself watching various cable news stations earlier today and realized that I was putting a lot of energy into conjecture as to what the future holds. I decided to take some time to think about what I am grateful for -- and what better time to do it!

I write quite a bit on the meaning of the Hawaiian word aloha. With this special day of thanks upon us, I thought maybe I would examine more closely the other word that is so prevalent in the Hawaiian language -- mahalo.

While we use mahalo to say thanks and express gratitude, the word has a deeper meaning used to acknowledge the divine in everyone. Mahalo can be divided into three other Hawaiian words:


Ma - by means of

Ha - sacred breath

Alo - in the presence of

To say mahalo to someone is to wish them always in the presence of the Divine breath. To say mahalo is more than to just express gratitude, it is to wish upon the recipient the Divine Blessing.

I hope that all of you here in the U.S. have a Happy Thanksgiving and to my loved ones - those I know in person and those I have only met through this online community - Ke aloha wale, ka mahalo wale - Always with aloha, Always with mahalo.

Alika