I ka wā ma mua
I kēia wā
I ka wā ma hope

Leimomi was my first assistant, historian, supporter, promoter, and documentarian. She witnessed so much of my path, kept a scrap book of notes and photos, and had a gift for writing. Most importantly, she was intimately tuned in to the spirit of it, the meaning behind it all.

One day out of the blue she says to me, “Roddy. The past, the present, the future. That should be your tagline, your slogan.” I didnʻt know I needed such a thing but it felt right. I called my cousin, my Hawaiian language authority, who translated it as such and why it had to be translated that particular way. The continuation, flow, everything connected, the succession of kuleana from one generation to the next. It conjured to my mind the image of the moʻo, winding down from ancient times through this moment now, on into the future.

Leimomi shared with me a particular vision of that future, of bringing Moanalua out into the open one day. She did so much without my direction, the spirits guiding her, in the flow, serving the cause. She foresaw the obstacles that lay ahead waiting for me, and prepared me for it. She told me, “start with the Valley, cousin, and work your way forward.” She was with me on the path for fourteen years… and then she was gone.