pono: do what's right

an excerpt from maui news, an invitation to do what's right: PONO.

On June 22, 2004, their 3-year-old son, Pono Viela, died from injuries sustained when the all-terrain vehicle he was riding with his father flipped over.

In death, the pono campaign was born. Since then, the couple and their daughter, Jrae, and son, Jai, have adopted the “Pono Do What’s Right” motto and performed good deeds throughout the community, such as adopting a portion of the highway near their home for cleanup, staging a golf tournament that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for local nonprofit organizations, running sports programs, accepting invitations to tell their story in the hopes of helping and inspiring others to do good.

why am i writing about this? well, it is a tragic story but a lot of good has come of the Pono movement. and i'm so proud to say that my cousin dana and friend jen has been heavily involved with pono.

In printing the T-shirts, Paracuelles went to the same company, Spread Pono Co., that designs and prints T-shirts for the Vielas. In addition, owners Jennifer Tengan and Dana Kagawa print shirts using environmentally friendly water-based ink.

The reef T-shirts, which are $18 for adults and $16 for children, will be sold at the event and are available at Working Mommies.

During Reef Night, the Vielas will hold a “Pono Fashion Show” at 7:50 p.m. to unveil their new T-shirt designs. In handing over the Pono T-shirt lines to Tengan and Kagawa recently, Maile Viela said she was hoping to use the talents of the young graphic artists to design shirts attractive to the younger set.

The Pono T-shirts are $18 for adults and $16 for children. They can be obtained at the Reef Night, at Working Mommies in Wailuku and from the Web site www.spreadpono.com.

i'm sporting my pono t-shirt today, but i try to live pono every day. i wish i made the trip out to maui today, because for some reason i feel like i need to learn more about Pono Viela, his family, and more about the pono movement.

forgiveness is a wonderful pay it forward

submitted by kristie

One way to pay it forward to someone else and also receive a gift to yourself is to forgive, to start over. I experienced the release and the relief of "starting over" and "forgiving" someone. This person never apologized, never asked for forgiveness, and never admitted fault... but was willing to start over. I could have tried to make this person admit fault and forced an apology but that would have only caused more strife and false words. Sometimes to do the right thing is to let things go and give up the expectation of others doing what we think is right. Things are much more amicable between that someone and myself. Forgiveness and starting over in difficult times is paying it forward to the situation and also is the gift you give yourself in the process.

My co-worker told me a story of how she rear ended someone and the lady she banged gave her a hug. Remembering this story ... a young girl hit my parked car last week. Everyone was safe and no one was hurt. The poor girl was upset and shook up. Remembering when I rear ended someone and the story my co-worker told me ... i payed the hug forward and gave her a hug and told her that I have banged another car before and I was shook up and crying too. I told her it was okay. So my bumper is damaged ... that can be easily fixed. Getting upset and cursing someone out for an accident can't be easily fixed.