There’s something deeply spiritual about Maui, especially Lahaina. It’s a super tightknit surf and skateboarding community. All of the families, aunties, uncles and neighbors look out for one another. If you ever need anything, people drop what they’re doing and help. We have one another’s backs. The community is focused on family; the kids are outside without tablets, and they’re learning about the water, the ocean and how to be one with nature. That’s what Lahaina is all about.
As a mom, I tried to stay super calm. I had my son with me and the two other boys, and we didn’t know if their parents were OK because they were at the shelter, which was also on fire. My husband and my daughter were in another car, and I tried to reassure the boys that everyone was going to be OK even though we could see the fire coming down the highway in our direction. I just kept saying, “We’re safe. We’re safe. We’re going to make it out.” And we did.
Our homes and the homes of our community are gone. When I walked the ashes, what devasted me was seeing my children’s bedrooms burned to the ground because that’s where they slept. I imagined what would’ve happened if we didn’t make it out. What if this happened at night? Stuff is just stuff. None of that matters. What does matter is life, people, community, rebuilding, supporting each other. This is an entire community that has been wiped out.