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In the blink of an eye, the generations have flown by since Audrey and Solomon Niau met as teenagers 70 years ago in the same quaint Kaimuki neighborhood they live in today. Read more

In the blink of an eye, the generations have flown by since Audrey and Solomon Niau met as teenagers 70 years ago in the same quaint Kaimuki neighborhood they live in today.

My grandparents, 85 and 87, grew up in modest homes across the street from each other on 6th Avenue during simpler times, when the best things in life consisted of old-fashion ice cream sodas at the nearby malt shop and beach camp outs with the neighborhood kids.

Back then, the streets were frequented less by cars and more by children who’d play outside until sunset and were satisfied with simple pleasures, such as hand-made broomstick rifles and stilts created from empty Carnation cream cans.

“A lot of people didn’t have money. You’d make your own stuff and you’d play with that all the time. It was always something very simple,” my grandmother said. “It was a big treat to have roller skates. Then when that got old you took it apart and made it into a little scooter. In those days you lived with what you had. And we were content with that.”

Life has changed a lot since then. These days, kids troll the air-conditioned malls glued to their cell phones, gossiping about the latest internet memes between checking their social media accounts. Their idea of fun is online video games with friends in separate houses.

“You enjoyed each other more. Now you tend to be by yourself,” she said. “Nowadays it’s all about, ‘I got to have this. I got to have that.’ And parents break their necks to give it to them.”

Married in 1952, the couple initially lived in the tiny, one-bedroom basement of the property as they started their family, while renting the main house upstairs to make ends meet. They had three children, six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, many of whom still live in my grandmother’s childhood home since the 1930s.

Their favorite memories are of family gatherings — where despite financial circumstances — everyone was welcome and there was always plenty to eat.

“Living in a big family, you have to put up with a lot of noise and chaos,” she said. “There’s never a dull moment.”

That’s one thing that hasn’t changed.

My mother and I grew up in that same lively household — although in different eras — surrounded by an abundance of family and friends. At one point, we had nearly a dozen family members — including my parents, aunty, uncles and cousins — living together, not always harmoniously.

Today, my children are being raised in a similar environment. There are still weekly family gatherings in that constantly crowded Kaimuki house.

While the world around them has significantly changed, my grandparents have remained the same — steadfast in their faith in God and their love for their family.

As they age, they have said goodbye to parents, siblings, friends and even a son. They’ve been blessed to watch their grandchildren and great-grandchildren grow up playing in the yard of their beloved home.

“We’re used to big families. When they’re not around, you miss them,” my grandfather said. “Sometimes the kids get in my hair, but that’s the way it is. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”