Yesterday, September 9, in the early morning, Lolita my 98 year old friend became my angel. Yes, she is most definitely shining throughout the Cosmos, spreading her amazing fun-filled, loving Spirit to all the Universe. I can feel her giggles. I sent a picture of her to one of my friends, and she said of her eyes, “Those eyes are stars in the heavens right now.” I definitely feel that.

Lolita came into our life shortly after we moved to Kaua`i in 2013. She was 90 and vibrant. We rented her house. She was very cautious about her house and I would say didn’t totally trust us at first. However, because of another dear friend of hers who we’d previously rented from vouched for us, she rented to us. We were in that beautiful house for two years before she put it up for sale. We treasured every moment.

During that time, Lolita, Patrick and I became good friends. We shared Thanksgivings together and frequented restaurants for breakfast and lunch. She loved to go out to eat. She liked her coffee “black and hot.” She ate slowly, not because she was older, but because she relished our time together. She’d always say, “I know how busy you are,” and then ask us “how do you do it all?”

Lolita became a member of our CSL community almost immediately. She was a founding member and she never missed a Sunday in those early days. She also brought people with her. She loved CSL Kaua`i and one of the last things she said to me was “I miss my CSL.” This was after she could no longer leave her house due to her declining health. However, in the first six years of our Center, she rarely missed a Sunday.

What can I say about this angel? She gave so much joy to all of us. She loved to play games. This was her passion. She was a bridge champion and often competed. She had a special group of players called the “giggle bridge” group. She loved to laugh and have fun. I know that just a year ago, she was studying for her real estate license renewal. She was sharp and interested in life until she took her last breath.

During our early days at CSL Kaua`i, we didn’t have a location to hold our classes. We held one of our first SOM100 classes in Lolita’s small condo with 12 people in attendance. The class was sixteen weeks and she stuck it out, reading the Science of Mind text and contributing to the conversations we had. When I asked her if she wanted to go on in her studies, she said, she’d gotten about as much as she wanted from book study. Like I said, she was into fun and games and people and I’m sure she decided she’d spend the rest of her life doing that. She came to CSL because she said it made her feel good.

The last lunch we had with Lolita was at Dukes. We laughed, ate and she drank her coffee black and hot. The last time I saw Lolita, less than 2 weeks from her passing, she was still alert. She was slow, but her humor was definitely in tact. She gave us a big hug and told us what she always told us upon parting “Have fun!” I think she said several times.

Aloha, Lolita. You are my shining star, my angel, my inspiration. You are one of my earthly moms, and I will always treasure every moment we shared. I know there could have been more, if we were having as much fun as you wanted us to, but I do not feel bad about that. I know you understood everything about me. I saw myself in you and you saw yourself in me. That’s what Spirit does. We reflect each other’s grace and love. Thank you for your love, your grace, your encouragement, your support in all ways. I love you so much. A hui hou! I know we will meet again. For now, I keep you in my heart.

Love and Aloha,

Rita, Your daughter in Spirit