Category: Tutu’s Corner

  • ‘Ohana Also Means Extended Family

    When we say “‘ohana” in Hawai‘i, we are talking about our parents, siblings, children, grandchildren and our extended family of friends, colleagues, team members, etc. My family has a “tennis ‘ohana” that goes as far back as 40-plus years. Yes, we met playing tennis in Kalihi, then on Sub-Base, and now in ‘Aiea. The oldest member is78 years old, with the youngest at 2 months old.

    This special ‘ohana has been together through weddings, births and deaths, being very supportive through it all. I recently counted that our 12 families have 22 adults, 35 young adults and those young adults produced 22 more tennis ‘ohana members. That totals 79 individuals which became 80 when one of our ‘ohana got married this October. So many memories are in the making by so many people!

    I found a picture of the tennis ‘ohana women to share with you in this article. It was taken at the wedding reception of one of our young adults last July. When the women were together for the bridal shower, one of them thought it would be nice for us to take out our previously worn mother-of-the-bride-or-groom outfits and wear them to this wedding. What a good idea, since I had three gowns that were worn only once.

    What does your ‘ohana look like? I hope you continue to make happy memories with them.

    If you have a story to share, contact Sherry Goya at 808-722-8487 or email sgoyallc@aol.com.

    When we say “‘ohana” in Hawai‘i, we are talking about our parents, siblings, children, grandchildren and our extended family of friends, colleagues, team members, etc. My family has a “tennis ‘ohana” that goes as far back as 40-plus years. Yes, we met playing tennis in Kalihi, then on Sub-Base, and now in ‘Aiea. The oldest…

  • Senior Discounts Are Da Bomb!

    Senior Discounts Are Da Bomb!

    When I turned 55, my daughter asked me to go to Ross Dress for Less to do some clothes shopping. I told her that I didn’t need clothes and didn’t want to shop. Well, the truth came out. “But mom, you can get their 10% discount when you buy my birthday present.” That was the first time I really knew about “senior discounts” and from then on, I didn’t mind stores or restaurants asking me if I would like a senior discount.

    I’m sure many of you like discounts, too, and may make a choice on where to shop or eat because they offer a senior discount or senior menu. I know that Big City Diner has a senior menu that is delicious and also a Senior Citizen Tuesday discount with 10% off dine-in food for customers 60 years or older. And on Thursday, take a grandchild 10 years or younger to get their “Kids Eat Free” meal.

    Some stores and restaurants have special menus or have a notice on the window about their senior discounts. The minimum age also varies from company to company. I think 55 is the youngest; however, some make you wait until you’re 60. No matter the age, we will all get to the point where a senior discount is appreciated.

    Generations Magazine will have a list of senior discounts in its November/December 2024 issue. If you know of companies that offer a senior discounts, call me at 808-722-8487 and I will contact that company to confirm the discount before we print it for our bargain-seeking readers.

    If you have a story you’d like to share or know of someone celebrating their centenarian year, contact Sherry Goya at 808-722-8487 or email sgoyallc@aol.com.

    When I turned 55, my daughter asked me to go to Ross Dress for Less to do some clothes shopping. I told her that I didn’t need clothes and didn’t want to shop. Well, the truth came out. “But mom, you can get their 10% discount when you buy my birthday present.” That was the…

  • It’s Never Too Early to Plan Ahead

    A smart person is one who plans for the future. I truly believe that being prepared NOW can never be too late, unless time passes you by.

    Here are a couple personal examples that I would like to share with you… one being that my husband and I installed a walk-in shower when we were only 67 years old because we wanted to upgrade our 36-year-old tub. Why wait until we need one, right?

    I know that thinking ahead about a funeral plan will make it less stressful for your family. This “thinking ahead” has helped my family twice and will be helpful to my cousin and my children in the future. The idea of a funeral plan started when I began caregiving for my oldest cousin who never married and had no children.

    With my help, she got a plan she wanted and I wrote down all her important information in the funeral guidebook.

    That same year, my husband and I purchased our own funeral plans.

    A couple years later, my parents decided to get their funeral plans when I said, “Valley of the Temples can live-stream a funeral” as we drove past it from their house.

    In 2022 and 2023, I found out how having a funeral plan made the mourning for my mother, then father, bearable and allowed us to just focus entirely on their memory.

    If you have a story you’d like to share or know of someone celebrating their centenarian year, contact Sherry Goya at 808-722-8487 or email sgoyallc@aol.com.

    A smart person is one who plans for the future. I truly believe that being prepared NOW can never be too late, unless time passes you by. Here are a couple personal examples that I would like to share with you… one being that my husband and I installed a walk-in shower when we were…

  • Mahalo for the Memories!

    My mother and father lived to 92 and 94, respectively, and as the years passed, it was sometimes difficult to choose gifts for them, so I had to be creative. For Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I want to share some special gift ideas for seniors like my parents.

    Our smart phones are capable of storing thousands of photos, but scrolling through the memories brings us only fleeting satisfaction. How about a printed photo of the grandchildren in a special frame, on a mug, a key chain or even a blanket? Handmade cards with pictures could be placed on a table, shelf or dresser; many of mine  are in my home office and I look at them often.

    I have heard that digital photo frames are also a great way to share multiple photos and videos, which can be loaded and updated remotely. This is a perfect gift for parents who are far away.

    Some of the best gifts I have received are professionally bounded books of photos of our family vacations, given to me by my daughter. Everyone in our family enjoys reminiscing about the good times we had as they pore over these books filled with photos, funny captions, stories and very precious memories.

    If you have a story you’d like to share or know of someone celebrating their centenarian year, contact Sherry Goya at 808-722-8487 or email sgoyallc@aol.com.

    My mother and father lived to 92 and 94, respectively, and as the years passed, it was sometimes difficult to choose gifts for them, so I had to be creative. For Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, I want to share some special gift ideas for seniors like my parents.

  • Savings Accounts for the Grandchildren

    Sherry & Cliff with grandchildren Alexis (12) and Tanner (3)
    Sherry & Cliff with grandchildren Alexis (12) and Tanner (3)

    I’m not a financial planner, banker or even good with my own finances, but I know that this simple gesture for our grandchildren will be our legacy. Like many Generations readers, I am a tutu and so fortunate to have a beautiful granddaughter and handsome grandson. I can remember each time that our two daughters announced their pregnancies to my husband Cliff and me. We were so happy that our first grandchild was to be a girl in 2011 and we were excited to be told that we would have a grandson in 2021.

    The first thing that I did after being told I was going to be a tutu was to go down to my bank to open a savings account and automatically have $100 deposited for our granddaughter. Our grandson’s savings account was also opened right after Cliff was gifted a baby teether on Father’s Day.

    It’s not a lot of money to leave for them, but since we’re not “real gamblers,” we know they will get 100% of our monies with a small amount of interest.

    Opening a savings account is something that I could never have done when I was younger. Who had money to put aside in a savings account when you have a mortgage and three children in private school? Not Cliff and me, for sure; however, in his retirement years (I’m not retiring soon), we have made it a point to put money aside for our grandchildren.

    If you have a story you’d like to share or know of someone celebrating their centenarian year, contact Sherry Goya at 808-722-8487 or email sgoyallc@aol.com.

    I’m not a financial planner, banker or even good with my own finances, but I know that this simple gesture for our grandchildren will be our legacy.