Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 26, Number 11, 1 Nowemapa 2009 — Standing strong with aloha [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Standing strong with aloha

We are pressed on every side by troubles, but not crushed or broken. We are perplexed because we don't know why things happen as they do, but we don't give up and quit. We are knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. This is a paraphrase of 2nd Corinthians Chapter 4. It describes the difficulties we have faced for many years. The obstacles

have been many and varied but we have met them head on. This is not the time to point fingers, divide our people or make accusations. This is a time to unite! There is a time for everything and we are in the process of taking one step at a time to ensure we get it right. With our united

strength, we will dig our heels in and we will overcome all obstacles to reach our goal. What do we have to be thankful for? Mueh! We are blessed with history and culture that gives us the opportunity to work together to nurture our culture and traditions. We look forward to this Thanksgiving to be with our families, and we pray for a brighter and better future. We are thankful for the many blessings that we have received and we will work together to build our beloved Hawaiian Nation. E kūpa'a kākou i ke aloha. Let us stand strong with aloha. ■

Dūnald B. Cataluna TrustEE, Kaua'i and Ni'ihau