Hina

Dear Dais, Cale, and Sekhmet,

I know it's been a few months since you came to the Big Island of Hawai'i, but considering that you three were here during the 7 Days, I wanted to write this letter to tell you that after what you three went through, you should not be ashamed of the tears you cried.

When I lost my son Peni to Leukemia, I was well aware of the 7 Days Myth. You see, my family comes from a long line of Ancient Hawaiian orators; so, the studying and retelling of this myth comes naturally to my family and me. After my first 7 Days, I could not stop crying for a week. It was the only emotion I felt after my son went back to the Great Spirits.

However, I was lucky; I've seen many people who weren't as strong as you three and I are. When a High School friend, Leilani, experienced her first 7 Days after her brother died, she couldn't stand the thought of her brother leaving her again. Therefore, four days after the 7 Days, she hung herself in her bedroom. Unfortunately, she was one of the many people who couldn't stand the thought of living without a loved one.

I know you might think this sounds crazy, but at that mountain ledge, what you three did back there was natural. You should not be ashamed of the tears you cried for your best friend, in fact, it might have helped you realize that you three aren't emotionless killing machines, but human beings. Moreover, from what I gathered from your five friends, this was a wake up call to find your humanity.

But your tears were a reminder of the pain I felt. If this letter has any meaning, it is probably this: all life is precious as well as fragile. Sometimes, we don't know what we've got until we lose it all.

Hina Kaha'i