Growing up, I was familiar with the ’80s hit song “Special Memory” because everyone knew my mom, Iwi Laurel, for it. And I would constantly run into people who would ask me, “So, you are Iwi’s daughter? Can you sing her song?”
I grew up around that beautiful melody, but it was only as I got older that I realized how much more “Special Memory” meant to me than just a song my mother once sang.
It was the last song she recorded before completely changing her life to raise me. I saw how tough things were for mom when I was growing up, how she worked tirelessly making ends meet, how she made countless sacrifices to ensure I had a better life.
I relished every home-cooke…
Keep on reading: Singing Mom’s song