Emails from readers are usually of the vein, “great story, we’re going to try to take that trip to (fill in the blank) next summer.” Other people write to tell me of their horror stories. Then there are the folks who took a trip that was pure bliss. Here’s a letter I received recently, in its entirety:

Dear Mr. Jermanok,

A friend recommended that I write to you, she reads a lot of travel things (saw you in National Geographic Traveler maybe?) and said I should write to you and tell you about an experience I had in Hawaii. I am not what you would call an "avid traveler" myself, in fact I can rarely afford it and had never been to Hawaii before. But my son, who had cystic fibrosis for thirty years, passed away recently and it turned my world upside down. I desperately needed to do something to turn it right side up again, if there was ever a time to splurge this was it.

I wanted to take some of his ashes someplace special, I knew it was Hawaii and all I knew is I didn't want something "touristy" if that's a word. I found this place on line called Wellness With Aloha (.com) and something just clicked when I talked to them. It turns out the guy on the phone was the owner, this totally amazing guy named David, but I didn't know that then. So they were on the Big Island, I had never been to any of them before and it seemed fine to me, there was a flight from Seattle near where I live to Kona. It's all black lava and really dry, right away I felt drawn to the other side of the island. I really don't know if these details matter to you, I don't know why I'm writing them! Somehow it matters to me, though. Anyway it turned out that the place I was staying was sort of over that way, near a place called Waipi'o Valley.

So I go to the rental and it's in the side of the cliff! I've never seen anything like it, looking down on the ocean and the valley and the black sand beach. And the energy of Waipi'o Valley is amazing, I just sort of cried when I sat there with it. It turns out that this is an apartment in a house on private property, not even advertised as a rental, all hooked up by this guy David. I never saw the owner, it was totally private. I don't know what Hawaii is supposed to be like, but I felt like I was already in it. It's all so beautiful and green and so alive and so quiet all at the same time.

For the week David had set me up appointments with some energy and massage healers and even with some kahuna. The next day he gave me directions to a park by the ocean and I met one of the kahuna, Keahi. We moved to a private area and he started to chant. I felt like it reached right down into my bones! I started crying again, I don't know why, it felt good! When the chant was done, he stood behind me and put his hands on my head and gave me a blessing. It felt like light was coming into my soul. He told me so many things about myself. I've had a few psychics do readings and this is way beyond that, I don't know how to put it into words exactly. I just felt loved. The feeling never went away, even today.

The next day I had another appointment with more kahuna, but this time right at the caldera of a volcano. This is the one I was really looking forward to, I wanted to put my son's ashes in the volcano, I'm not sure why. Anyway I don't know how David does this or knows all these people because he isn't Hawaiian, but he set up this time TWO kahuna, Nohoku and Kalei, to meet me at Volcanoes National Park and channel Pele. Really! They do. The first thing they told me from Pele was how happy my son was to be free of his body now, and they didn't even know about his cystic fibrosis! I felt so much joy and peace with them and with my son. (and they actually told me to spread his ashes at the ocean, so I did and it was wonderful, I have video of it)

I spent five more days there connecting with the island, I had a wonderful massage and more, but I think this letter is already too long. I just wanted to say that all of these amazing feelings are still with me. If there ever was such a thing as Hawaiian Healing, I think this is it because I got some! People offer some free Hula shows and lei-making in a few places around the island and I went to one or two of those too but after what I had experienced it just couldn't compare.

But most of all it's what people like my sister said to me after I got back, how I looked like I had found peace. I think I found something authentic on a different level in Hawaii and it helped heal my heart. Perhaps it could do the same for other people as well, for me it was priceless.

Aloha!

Becky Lane,
Port Orchard, WA