IN MEMORY OF . . . MARK D. LUNDGREN

This is a tough post for me to write today. It is the 6 year anniversary of my husbands death. So today, it is about him.

And can you believe I don’t have every single picture I have ever taken of him scanned and neatly organized in one digitally archived file? This should have been done immediately, but sometimes life has a way of changing things at the least expected moment. Below is one of the few images I actually have digitally scanned . . .

I remember that day like it was yesterday – it changed my life forever! Even through the shock and horror of it all and the following weeks of unbelief and uncertainty, July 23, 2003 will always remain vivid in my memory. They say time heals things – it does, slowly. They say things get better as more time goes by – it does, agonizingly slowly. But one thing time can’t do – it can’t change it all.

So, we move on. We pick ourselves up by the boot straps and plow forward. Thank goodness for friends! I could not have come through this time without the support and push of the many dear, dear friends both Mark and I had grown over the course of our life on Kauai. I say push because one such friend threatened to come over to my house everyday and yank me out of bed, throw me in the shower, and kick me out of the house if I thought I was going to simply curl up and die inside. That would not have been a pretty sight – for either of us! But it would have been soooo very easy.

There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think about Mark and the influence he has had in my life.

He was a romantic at heart and the most incredible husband one could ever ask for. How often do you get the opportunity to say, or hear someone say, we loved each other more the day he died, than the day we were married! An amazing 23 years we were married and I am a most fortunate woman – Mark shared with me a love so unconditional that sometimes I am amazed at how little I understood this or recognized it when he was alive. But that love continues to light my path daily. He believed in doing all things together as a reflection of our incredible marriage – like holding hands in the car while we were driving – even to the grocery store! Or taking me to the beach when he hated the sand, or taking me to photograph parts of the island because he knew how much I loved photography! We would often drive to the North Shore of Kauai to photograph the Hanalei Taro Fields or to hike along the Ke’e Beach Trail.

On the west side of the island, it would be Salt Pond Beach Park, Major’s Bay or Waimea Canyon and Kalalau Lookout. He was often touted as the ‘last boy scout’ because of his relentless drive for truth and integrity. I remember his famous last words in any argument with our 3 boys: “is it right? or is it wrong?” or “just because so-and-so does it, does that make it right?” And he was like that no matter who you were: family, friend or business colleague. And while we were both fairly headstrong individuals (those who knew us may say this is an understatement!), fairness and integrity ruled our beliefs and lives.

There is so much I could say in this post about Mark. So many stories, so many accomplishments, but I think the biggest thing I could share with you is his contentment – he was very happy: with who he was, where he was, and what he was doing in his life. How many people get to say that about their life? How many people have it figured out? How many people keep looking and never ever find what it is that makes them truly happy?

Mark knew and lived it. To him is was about family and flying. And he loved to fly! And he loved to share the island with visitors to Kauai: places you can’t get to by car, places you can only see by air. Places like the Napali Coast, Manowaiopuna Falls, Kahili Falls and Waimea Canyon.

And the legacy he wanted to pass on to those visitors was one that was passed to him from a Kauai legend, Jack Harter ~ leave the island and its pristine beauty as you found it, so our children and our childrens’ children will be able to enjoy it’s wilderness and unsurpassed grandeur.

I believe he succeeded. I believe that he continues to pass on that legacy through his three children – in their mannerisms, humor (I gotta admit, Mark’s was really dry!), environmental respect, and propensity for integrity.

Mark will always be my inspiration. It is in the little things I see each day that I am so fondly reminded of him and how important it is to spend time with those we love.

Before I close this post, I would like to add a sincere “Thank You” to all of those who helped me through those days and weeks following Mark’s death . . . I would not have made it through any of it without them:

To Jack and Bev Harter, Casey and Cyndi Riemer, Jack Harter Helicopters, and all of the Jack Harter ohana – I am forever in your debt. Your support and strength gave me the fortitude to move forward.

To the Kauai Hospice and the Red Cross of Kauai, as well as the numerous helicopters companies who helped with the search and rescue efforts – WOW! you were all amazing and supportive throughout all of the operations.

To my good friends Susan Irie of Kilohana Lighting and Dave and Jean Camp (these are the ones that threatened to drag me out of bed!), I am were I am today because of you – and that’s a good thing!

Mahalo Nui Loa ~