Ginger, More Than Just a Hostess

Ginger, the hostess who always remembered me. Ginger was born and raised on the Big Island and has worked at the hotel for the last twenty-one years. She is the hostess at the breakfast buffet whom I learned so much more about as the years went on. She not only gives the best hugs and is the sweetest person but there is so much more to her than that.

When I first met Ginger, I was four years old. I was with my grandparents and my brother and she was so friendly and sat us down at the table with the best view. Four-year-old me was loving life and she continued to come back and check on us, making sure we had everything we needed. She has truly watched me grow up. Every morning that I would show up to breakfast since I was four years old to the most recent time just a few months ago, she has seen me transform from a toddler to a grown adult. As a kid, the only thing I knew about Ginger was that she was the "nice lady" at the hostess stand who would sit us down at the table, but I soon learned there was so much more to her than just that. My mind was blown to find out that she played softball every Tuesday night. I thought to myself, the lady that sits us at the table also plays softball. That was the first talent that I came across in the many conversations that I got to have with her. The second one I would not realize until my brother graduated from college. Just a few days before we were about to leave for Michigan for my brother's college graduation. A package showed up on our front door from Hawaii. My mom opened it to find a handmade lei that Ginger had specifically made for Tanner and his graduation. This showed that Ginger is so much more than just the sweet hostess at the breakfast buffet, she cared about Tanner and my whole family so much more than we could have ever imagined. Someone who was 2,519 miles away took time out of her busy day to hand-make lei and ship it to California.

Ginger is so much more than who I thought she was. The way she intentionally cares for people and makes sure they feel special does not go unnoticed. I think I got her gift-giving love language. As someone who loves making people feel special and giving gifts to others, I see how impactful it is on the receiving end of it and she is someone who I want to model my life after.