TILINI'S LIFE IN A NUTSHELL...

This is a long read but,I felt I could not let this day go by without telling you all about my hero! My mom is the best!!! I am sure you all feel the same about yours!!! HAPPY MOTHERS DAY MOM!! OFA LAHI ATU!


My mom hails from the tiny Kingdom of Tonga, an island in the South Pacific. She was one of thirteen children born to a humble farmer and his strong-willed wife. My mom met and married our father and together they had six daughters. I am the youngest and still at 41, I am her baby.

My mother is an amazing, strong, faithful God-fearing person who immigrated to the states with the help of her brothers in 1968. She helped my father to build a very successful construction business in Hawaii and helped dad in many aspects of his business. She did all of this while taking care of 5 daughters and expecting her last child, which happened to be me! After the painful discovery of my fathers infidelity she did something so unheard of, she spoke to her local church leaders and together they helped her to secure airline tickets off the island to the mainland, she sold everything in our home in one day as dad was off on a weekend with his girlfriend. She sold all the furniture, several TV’s, all his clothes, a vehicle and even a piano! What she could not sell, she gave away. Later that weekend, my dad returned to an empty house! Nothing was in it but the walls holding the house up!

We relocated to California then to Utah and eventually traveled extensively across the US because of the business we were in. My mother was the booking agent for us, we were Polynesian dancers/performers and we have performed from Disney Land to many restaurants across the states, to London for the crowned heads of England. All the while, our mother stood in the background making sure we were safe and taken cared of. She was a savvy, smart business woman who spoke very little English and had no formal education however she dealt with the best of the best business men/women, (nightclub/rest owners, talent agents/scouts, CEO's etc...)After many failed attempts at trying to pull a fast one on mom, they knew they could not fool her; she was a tough cookie always assuring the best contracts for us and was given the nickname, "Sitting Bull", because she was hard to sway once she made her mind up.

Before show business my mom worked 3-4 jobs a day to take care of us, she worked in the local hospital in the laundry dept. from there she would go to a hotel and clean rooms and then at the dinner hour she was the chef at a local Mexican rest. However, she always found time to take care of our home, which was always spotless; she was a short order cook at home, whatever we wanted, she cooked for us. If I wanted, chicken and my sister wanted a burger and another wanted soup she would make all three dishes. She never complained either, she was always (or so it seemed) happy to do this for us.

My mother not only raised her six daughters but she raised our father’s kids who came into the picture many times throughout our lives. She loved my half brothers/sisters and today they love her just as I do! When a big family occasion was to take place my father would come to visit and she would give her room to him and his (then) wife, dad was married 5 times (maybe more, not sure). She was always so kind and gracious to his wives and they always loved mom and considered her a great friend.

My mother has raised several of her grandchildren as well, teaching them to be faithful and hard working, amazing people. I think one of the most wonderful things she did was taking care of my dad. He came back into our lives permanently in the late 80's and he had many health issues. They never remarried but in 1998, my dad had a stroke that rendered him paralyzed for the rest of his life. Even then, with six daughters we could not care for dad the way we should have. Our mother once again stepped in, keep in mind this is the woman who had been divorced from him for over 30 years! But,she fed him daily, talked to him, kept him company and was kind to him, even in his final and sometimes cruel stages of dementia! This lasted over 2 years and mom hung in there the entire time.

Mom has been the driving force in not only six daughter’s lives but also our six husbands who all love her unconditionally! She is the queen and matriarch to us and our over 30 kids, 12 great g-kids and the many other relatives who call her blessed forever. She has stayed faithful in our church, teaching us about the gospel that she loves and knows to be true. She sat by the bedside of my sister last November and December, who was just inches from death, mom prayed and fasted for days, as she held her hand, and nursed her back to life.

She has buried a son (of dad's) and wept openly as if she had given birth to him herself! Mom also raised him! She stood by my husband and other bro-in-laws sides as they buried their own parents and has shown an overwhelming amount of love to them and their families in that dark time in their life. My mom has undergone three open-heart surgeries; she had a heart attack in front of me at the age of eight and fought hard to live! Mom has come from a foreign country, has cut through the language barrier, divorced her husband in the late 60’s, raised all 6 of her children (and then some) alone, never remarried, dealt with major life changing health issues and has worked hard for many years. She is now raising yet again, another generation of children, which she does lovingly, and always on a volunteer basis. She has left an indelible mark on not only my life the lives of so many! When life is just too hard for me sometimes, I stop, take a deep breath and say to myself, "Mom did harder things"! That is what truly helps me get through that trial! She has indeed left a great legacy of faith for all of us! I love my mom so much and I really want everyone to know how very proud I am to be "One of Tilini's"!