“Could we have a day?” That was my mom asking my sister and me if we could spend a full day touring Maui together on our last family vacation. We were completely taken aback that she even felt the need to ask. Of course we “could have a day,” there was nothing we were looking forward to more. She had been wanting to visit The Aloha State for years and it was finally going to be a reality. And we were thrilled to explore and share a place we love with a woman we adore.
We began our day with ambitious goals: to pretty much see ever corner of the island (except the “Road to Hana,” we’re not crazy, or The Flash). We left the Ka’anapali area and drove along the seaside cliffs of West Maui, looking out at humpback blowholes spouting off in the ocean, before ascending an extremely curvy road up 11,000 feet to the Haleakala Crater.
After getting so high (heh), we were ready to go low, so we flew down that curvy road to the artistic town of Makawao, stopping at Hot Island Glass to each get our own little bit of island art to remember the day by.
Then it was down even further to the north shore, Ho’okipa Beach Park to watch the waves roll and all the surfers in their glory. We then moved a short distance up the road to Paia to nosh on the best organic salad ever (and best pizza) at Flatbread Company.
After lunching, we cruised from the north shore to the south. Spending short moments in Kihei, Wailea, Makena and the lava fields before settling down to watch an amazing sunset at Secret Cove.
On our way back to Lahaina, we talked excitedly about our day before stopping under the magnificent trees on the Honoapi’ilani Highway to pick up dinner at Leoda’s Kitchen and Pie Shop.
What a day! We wanted my mom to have an adventure she would never forget. We laughed, told stories, did a lot of “remember that time…,” laughed more, took selfies, gazed in wonder at everything from surfers to craters to sunsets. It was a day for the record books.
Heartbreakingly, it ended up being our last adventure together, as a couple months later, my mom passed away suddenly, shockingly. We thought we had so many more moments and trips with her to come, but the universe had other ideas. Her passing left a big hole in our world and our hearts. She filled our lives with love and comfort, kindness and care. My sister and I will miss her like crazy.
My mom gifted me with a lifetime of adventures. From singing “show me the way to go home,” as she rode her bike, with me on the back, along the old rickety lanes of Winnipeg Beach, to barrelling down U.S. interstates in a Ford Focus to get to a family reunion, to hootin’ and hollerin’ at an NFL game. She was with me for every step and misstep of my life. And while she’s gone in the physical sense, it still feels like she’s with me every day, in my corner, laughing at my bad jokes, pushing me to stretch my limits, loving me unconditionally. And all those grand, and not so grand, moments we shared together built a legacy of memories I will cherish forever.
Life is short, sometimes agonizingly so. You’ll never get to experience all the things you want to with the people you love, so we have to try and make the most of our time together while we have it. Don’t leave any cards on the table. So, if you’re lucky to have your mom in your life, do things with her.
