See this and more inside the March/April issue of Military Spouse Magazine!
“A Hui Hou, Until We Meet Again.” This is the title of a children’s book that three Gold Star siblings, Isabel, 6, Hudson, 4, and Adeline Bugge, 2, penned with the help of their mother, award-winning memoirist Ashley Bugge, to help other children face the reality of losing a parent. “A Hui Hou,” which in Hawaiian means “until we meet again,” is intended to facilitate a hard conversation that most adults don’t know how to initiate when explaining the concept of death to young listeners.
“After my husband died,” Ashley Bugge said, “I looked for a book that could help my children understand death. However, I found it almost impossible to find a children’s book that didn’t add a religious or psychological layer to the narrative.”
That’s where the idea of writing a children’s book came from. The book, which is told from the siblings’ point of view, tells the story of how on a sunny spring day in Hawaii—where the Bugge family had been stationed for less than a year—their dad, Navy officer Brian Bugge, died after a tragic scuba diving accident.
Readers see first-born Isabel—who gives her audience permission to call her Izzy—and her brother and sister wonder why Dadda isn’t coming home for dinner as he always did. They are happy to see that so many people come to visit them and bring them gifts, but are confused by why they are all crying, including their mother. After learning that their dad drank too much water and will be diving forever, Izzy, Hudson, and Addy cope with their grief by looking at photos of their dad, telling each other stories of the favorite memories they shared together, and talking about their emotions with their mom. The book concludes with a trip to the beach, where the siblings place a lei on the water and whisper “A hui hou” to their dad.
“I hope that our book helps people who are missing someone they love,” said Izzy with a smile. “Typing it was hard work, but I like that it gives me memories of dadda.”
“I like that, too,” added Hudson.
“A Hui Hou, Until We Meet Again” was published in October 2020 by Brown Books Publishing Group and illustrated by Dawn Davidson. It is available in bookstores across the country. Contact Ashley Bugge directly for autographed copies at www.ashleybugge.com or Facebook.com/ashleybuggexo.
