It’s a world of laughter
A world of tears
It’s a world of hopes
And a world of fears
There’s so much that we share
That it’s time we’re aware
It’s a small town after all.

(Sorry, I altered the words slightly for this post!)

I always tell people that the city of Honolulu is really a small town, even though there are nearly a million people in the greater Honolulu metropolitan area.

It seems that you can’t go anywhere in this town without running into someone you know, whether it be at the shopping center, the grocery store or the gas station.

Case in point, I just came back from the Apple Store because the battery on my computer was dying after only a few hours of being fully charged. I found out from the Apple Genius that my computer was still under AppleCare protection and so I would get a new battery without charge.

Then he suggested that I buy a new computer since my AppleCare would only last 22 more days, but with the new battery, he could only guarantee it for 90 more days.

I told him I had just bought a new iPad Pro for reading music, and when he asked what instrument I play, and I answered, “The organ” he asked what church I play in.

I had to explain that I now play in two churches because of the organist shortage, and we talked a bit about the difference between organs and pianos. He said that they only had a keyboard at his church, and when I asked him what church he goes to, he answered “Resurrection in Waipahu” I got really excited and said that my friend, Father William Kunisch, used to be at that church but now he’s at St. Anthony of Padua in Kailua!

What a small world! Father William started his life in Hawaii decades ago as the intern at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu where we knew him as Bill Kunisch. Eventually he was ordained in the Roman Catholic Church and after my husband Carl retired as Cantor from LCH, he started attending St. Theresa’s where Father William was presiding. When Carl lay dying in Straub Hospital, he asked Father William to receive him into the Catholic Church. And it was Father William who conducted Carl’s Requiem Mass.

Just a few days ago, Father William called me to find an organist for St. Anthony!

So all this goes to show that you never know who you’re going to run into in this town, even if it’s the Apple Store!

Last weekend Debbie and Hal Behnke were in town for an Air Force reunion. Debbie was one of the star sopranos in the Lutheran Church of Honolulu in the seven years between 1977-1984, and she invited me to brunch with them and Jimmy and Olivia Castro.

Even though it’s been DECADES since the Behnkes moved away, we have kept in touch every Christmas and we’ve met up on the few occasions they have visited Hawaii. Our shared musical experiences created an unbreakable bond — it was so great to be able to visit and catch up on all the news.

Here are some other pictures that were taken this week where I have shared musical experiences: