Happy Birthday, Mommy!
≡ Category: Bonklets, Semi-daily thoughts | ≅ 4 Comments
We miss you and will be holding you close with love and laughter, food and friends.
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Joannie’s Bay Area Memorial, August 28th
≡ Category: Semi-daily thoughts | ≅ 11 Comments
Thanks to our amazing Bay Area peoples, Joannie’s memorial will take place at the Kaiser Rooftop Garden on August 28th from 3-5pm. The garden is located at:300 Lakeside Drive, Oakland, CA 94620. I hope you can join us in celebrating Joannie’s life.
So many of you have reached out to me, Yuuki and Ayumi. I am so grateful for the love and care that has sustained us. Yuuki and Ayumi are showing their appreciation by gaining weight at a healthy pace. Yuuki gained a pound in one week and is well over 6lbs. Ayumi is inching towards heavy weight status as she nears 8lbs.
Hope to see you next week.
Thank you
≡ Category: Semi-daily thoughts | ≅ 7 Comments
Joannie’s Brooklyn memorial was a perfect remembrance–a warm summer cocoon of creativity, music, humor, efficiency and deliciousness. Like many gentle readers of Lunamania, it’s a good day if I can get out of bed and brush my teeth so there’s no way I could have done anything for the memorial. Team Chang-Yasui was in full effect and created spreadsheets, time lines, found the space, designed programs, catered, greeted guests, video taped, photographed, and performed beautiful music. The program Rachel and Catherine designed is beautiful and I thought I’d share it here*.Wayne, Chris, Judy, Tommy, Elaine and Christina shared memories that captured the rich life Joannie lived and the many ways in which they loved her. And Bobert reminded us all of Joannie’s persistence and desire to have children. He also rendered the video unwatchable for those under 18–Joannie would have approved.
Around the same time as the Brooklyn event, Joannie’s friends from the Kauai Paradise Ride held a pre-ride dinner in honor of Joannie. Joannie loved the ride and how it brought people together. In rough times, we remembered the shave ice, oxtail soup from Kapiolani Coffee shop, ribs from Helena’s, the beach and her extended family in Hawai’i. In that spirit, Angela sang the Big IZ rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, a song we listened to driving to the beach from Honolulu and in Oakland when we wanted to conjure aloha spirits.
On the press side, thanks to Bob, Suyin, Elaine, Judy, Donna and Bob Egelko, The SF Chronicle, usually good for Bad Reporter and not much else, ran a tribute a tribute to Joannie. The link is here.
The Chinese language press has also published articles–Daily Journal and Sing Tao. Portia Li of the World Journal–Joannie and my favorite Chinese language reporter, is planning a longer piece about our work together in the Bay Area.
So many of you have commented on this blog, shared memories, cards, photos and funnies. I apologize I have not yet responded and thanked each of you individually. But every memory big and small is special and will be shared with Apple and Bacon.
The wonder crew is spearheading plans for a Bay Area memorial at the end of August. Stay tuned for details.
*Many people commented on the great picture of Joannie, Jack and Stinks. Photo credits go to our friend Bob Hsiang.
