Maui resident Christine Sabado’s new book, The Essence of Time: Pule Oʻo, is a journey to Molokai as it was some 55 years ago. The book, published in the fall of 2024 and the first in a trilogy, is an intimate memoir featuring all things Molokai, with a special focus on her relationship with her husband, Molokai-born artist Philip Sabado, and his Filipino family. The themes of the book will be familiar to all Hawaiʻi residents: the importance of family, cultural belonging, and aloha. 

Sabado shares her highly personal voyage as she falls in love with the ways of her adopted Molokai life. “As a Southern California transplant, I learned and embraced the fused cultural norms of East and West, and the ‘das how’ to live one’s life. I learned to appreciate the respectful approach to oneness and pono (harmony) with the island, and the warmth of the people with whom I share the aloha spirit.” 

Speaking on what she would like the community to take away from her books, Sabado said, “After 75 years on this planet, and 55 years married to Philip, this incredible Molokai man, as well as 35 years in Hawaiʻi Nei, my dialect has changed. I have infused ‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi…into my thoughts and actions. In this writing, through my pule, I have wrapped and bound every word.” 

Readers follow along as Sabado chronicles her introduction to Molokai as it was decades ago – its language, people, myths, and land – a personal history that details adversity, tragedy, and hope. In addition, she describes the artistic work of her husband and, most notably, how he came to paint a now famous portrait of St. Damien de Veuster of Kalaupapa.  

Sabado concluded, “This is a story I love telling! My hope is to share my journey through our island paradise. The book is available on Amazon and at the new Sabado Museum and Gallery in Wailuku.”