Petroglyphs in hand, we headed down to visit our dear friends in the Meadow. It has been almost six weeks since we last saw the Meadow, and the children wondered how it would look on this day. Sophia thought it had been so long since we last saw it that it would have grown bigger by now, perhaps thinking that when she doesn’t see a loved one for awhile, they always mention how much bigger she is. !The teachers too wondered what the Meadow would look like. For with each visit the only thing we could count on for sure was that the evidence of nature and all its variables would make-over our Meadow with a palette of life’s ever-changing cycles.

As we walked down the trail, the anticipation was mounting as the children gently caressed the living along the way - Laua’e fern, Sleeping grass, flowers, and mud. Each gesture their way of reconnecting with the Ola (life) all around them as the conversations between nature and child began, calling to the children “Welcome, back.” -Jason This is some of what the children heard the living say… Journey- “Goodbye, have a good day!” Lila- “Go down to the river.” Xander- “Have a good sleep.”

Saying Goodbye- Together…

In their groups, they had an important job to take care of first- finding a safe place for the petroglyphs that would tell their memory stories. For much like the people of ancient times, the spirit of the land had reached out to these children- heart, body, mind and soul… !Attuned to the voices of this space, the children listened, and their petroglyphs would not only serve as a way of passing on the memories and encounters with the protagonists of this kindred place, but would also become an opportunity for children to experience the richness of reciprocity. A gift in its own right- as it is pono and how empowering it is to be able to give back in this life. We are never too young to start giving back. !Each committee convened and met to discuss where the best spot would be. Using the map in their mind’s eye of where their memory stories took place, they thoughtfully found the best residence for each of these gifts. Collaboration was key. Together they worked on the readability of each symbol, and together they debated the fate of these timeless pieces.

Etched in Stone

“Thank you, we’re gonna miss all of you!”- Emma P.

“Put yellow leaves so people can see it and won’t step on it.” -Mady K.

“I want it to stay here forever.” - Emmy

M E S S A G E S !

S P E A K

If giving back were a language in the “hundred languages” of life, one of the first ways children learn this is from you. Through the messages you gift to them daily- a note in their snack bag, a card just because, a message becomes a way to show their love. Look and listen closely as their messages of love spoken from the heart, echo sonnets of their deep affection, empathy, and longing to return.

“The clouds are dancing to the river.” - Sawyer

“The clouds and the trees are dancing.” - Dane

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“I hope I come back and we come back again and we hope we have fun and you can play on the weekend.” - Xander

“I keep back my memory.” - Luke

“Cave and the bugs. Love. Peaceful life.” - Jack

“The mountains help the meadow. The meadow helps the cave. So when the mountains help the meadow, the meadow gives to the mountains a flower.” - Ellie

“I hope you enjoy all the things.” Tira

“I love you flower, you’re so special. You’re very yellow. I hope I come back with my mom and dad. They will need a map so I can come back and see all the presents my friends left you.” - Sophia

“I love you meadow, I hope we come back. I know you are sad. Now you know, we will come back. Love you, meadow.” I put my name on it so they know it’s from me - Kalei

In the honesty of the children’s words, voices of deep empathy and relationships with this space ring true. Bearing witness to this moment under the Kukui nut tree, their message tree. These revelations were a way of bringing a sense of validation and closure to our journey of creating a shared memory together. !The children have said they will come back… But somehow, the children know that it will not be the same without each other. !

The Kahawai - River At just the right time, we all gathered by the riverside for we could not leave without one last customary romp in the Kahawai…The River… !Something about the Kahawai has left a lasting impression on the children as they reflect upon the memories of the Meadow. Based on the children’s theories from last year as to what makes something fantastical, the river has all the elements — rushing, glistening, gestures, humming. There is one more element of both the fantastical and memory that we must now add to the list — Togetherness! It is in this togetherness that they have mapped all these elements in the memories of their bodies, an eternal anchor of their first encounters with a stream.

He Ola, He Ola Ho’i- The Hula

“It is our gift to the Meadow.” Emma

Our final parting gift to the space is a metaphor in itself of the reciprocity found when we take the time to connect with the living all around us. This place was chosen not as a blank canvas for the children to bring stories and the Meadow to life, but because the richness of the stories in this place cannot be denied for it is so full of life. Being able to befriend the Meadow over the past seven months is a gift that we will carry with us in our memories for the rest of our lives. We, as a community, as an ‘ohana, have been transformed because of it. !We listened closely to what the protagonists of the Meadow were saying to them, in what Emma P. called, “the language of the Meadow.” The children’s impressions and metaphors told the story of this special place. And from their words, Kumu Lanakila composed a Mele as a gift to the children- a gift of Hula, a language that transcends time and space and continues to be the voice of our islands, culture, and people. !This gift is now theirs to perpetuate and give through each dance. It was a gift to the school and their parents when they performed He Ola, He Ola Ho’i for May Day. It was a gift to all the families who attended the performance in Hawai’i Theatre on May 3, and on Children’s Day, May 5, 2015, the hula was the children’s final gift to thank the Meadow for all the gifts that we have received…

“There is life, there is life indeed…”

“The river lives in the sound of the rustling water. There is life, there is life indeed.”

“The clouds live dancing joyously to the sea. There is life, there is life indeed.”

“The wind lives in the fluttering of the flowers. There is life, there is life indeed.”

“The mountains live in peace. There is life, there is life indeed.”

“The Pueo lives in the nest of safety and nurturing. There is life, there is life indeed.”

The children will perpetuate in righteousness the life of the land…

Mahalo, Kumu Lanakila and Ms. Kekuna for gifting us the languages of hula and mele…

As the children began chanting and dancing their hula mele for the Meadow, the voice of the Ko’olau winds began to roar, and the Sun parted the Clouds, shining down on them like spotlights on a stage. This was the ultimate stage. Our “pono” or human spirit to do what is right, to live the right way by giving back, by being a voice for those who do not have one, by living in peace and togetherness — these are the seeds that have been planted here in this Meadow, and this garden named Ho’omaluhia, a garden of peace and tranquility.