A Perfect 24

On July 12, in the mid-80s, Husband and I tied the knot. Got hitched. We were lucky to be able to have the ceremony in the most beautiful place in the world, Kalua'aha, Molokai, in a tiny church built by Fr. Damien - now St. Damien - in 1874.

Ten years before the wedding, on my very first visit to Molokai with my friend Louise, we drove by the church on our way to the East End. I knew at that moment, that that's where I wanted to get married.

Several years later, I moved to Molokai to manage the library in Kaunakakai. I attended Mass at Our Lady of Sorrows many times. And even after leaving Molokai, I maintained a P.O, box there so I could travel back monthly and hike with my library and educator friends. So when the time came, everything was in place.

Fast-forward 24 years, two adult kids, and many adventures. We're still together, and Fr. Damien is now a saint. He worked for it! The photo, taken this year, shows the church still there, and looking exactly as it did 24 years ago. It's a very analog little church, with a rope to ring the bell in the steeple, windows that open for ventilation, and big trees for shady picnics. It's so tiny and intimate, it might hold 40 people if some of them were children. The perfect place to start a life together.

jshyun's photos of the church used with permission