I called Carlos one super sunny day to see if he wanted to go flying he said absolutly so we met at the hanger in  Honolulu and blasted off to Molokai . It had been raining and he was flying from the back seat i had a hard time to get him to fly closer to the mountains but he managed to get us prety close close enough to get mist from the waterfalls all over the plane ( we desided it might not be such a good idea to tell Tekla we were so close but it was so beutifu there must have been a hundred waterfalls. We went around the south end of Molokai and i said  lets go dive down to the shiprecks on the north east side of Lanai So again i am having to kinda puch forwodrd on the controles so he would lose altitude so we could fly right by them. We got prety close and i got a good look at them but Carlos was already climbing so i  figured he had enough. I let him fly all the way back to Honolulu until I had to land I believe Carlos liked flying my plane and  i all wase liked his company. He was a reallly smart guy and he treated me as his friend. I will allwase have fond memories of him. I think of him every time i climb into that plane.   Aloha my brother till we see eachother again.

Father would want this in purple, I'm sure. So...how does it go when your best friend and family lose their Papa? Well, they haven't lost him, as he made a majorly significant impact on their hearts and minds, never to be really lost or forgotten. It helps us try to remember the swiftness that our loved ones can be taken away to a different place and to try our best to be grateful that they are in our lives each day - as we never know. It isn't always easy to be loving and kind (sadly, at times most especially to those we love the most!). Of course we can't always strive for perfection in ourselves and definitely shouldn't expect it in others - but why is it when we lose someone, we suddenly see all that we might have missed while they are alive?

Anyway - I'm getting off the point. The point is that Carlos was a special man and I remember his kindness, his soft voice, his humor (he could barely contain how silly he thought we were - and he was sooo right!), his wisdom, but most especially the love he had for Tekla, Simone, and Evan. SImone once told me that she hoped to one day marry a man like Carlos - the highest compliment a daughter can have for her dad. This was before Carlos passed away.

I watched Evan after his dad had passed and I saw so many of the traits that Carlos would have wanted (and did) instill in his son. Evan was beyond mature - he showed a quiet thoughtfulness, kindness to others, even a bit of humor - despite the very difficult and emotional time - especially for a 19 year old. Tekla and Simone also blew me away at the time with their ability to go forward and open the hearts to others. I guess the humor that they all shared most of the time together, as a family unit, is what is so very special about their union. Sponge Bob, Halloween festivities, all of the silly, fun things - you'd think it was all Tekla, that maybe Carlos was too serious, but Carlos was a major contributor!  I believe this humor has allowed Simone and Evan to adopt this attitude toward life. To see the laughter in even the darkest of times can save us from the deepest sadness - not that we aren't sad, but we can see a glimmer of life and hope in the humor. This was the song I chose for the rehearsal dinner - I guess it still fits! (too stupid to add it below cause I don't think I'm a Premium Member - ha - Don't Worry, Be Happy! 

I didn't write anything about Charlie aka Carlos when I first heard of his passing, but reading remembrances of him in the B-CC High School alumnae newsletter put him back in my mind. 

Charlie was brilliant, kind, funny, shy, polite, and - even though few of us operated in the mental stratosphere he occupied - he was never condescending. He had great respect for people. 

He admired and practiced stoicism and, of course, had read Marcus Aurelius - probably in the original Latin. The legends of his intellectual capacity are all true. I visited him in Cambridge where he was studying Chinese. Berlitz had approached him to study how he learned language because his command of Chinese was off the charts for someone who had studied it for such a short time. But most of all, Charlie was a deeply feeling person and I felt fortunate to have crossed his path. 

From the little I know of his life in Hawaii, I think he was very happy there. Probably the happiest he had ever been. I'm willing to bet he was an exceptional dad and partner as well. Mahalo, Carlos.