By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Nana's two grandchildren were hoping to get her name in the paper today, it being Mother's Day and all.

Of course, everybody thinks their Nana is special. How do you pick just one to write about on Mother's Day?

But the stories that they shared about Nana, who just turned 84, were pretty convincing, particularly one that happened on Mother's Day several years ago.

But that one is the kind to save for last.

Nana's grandson Sean included stories of his grandmother in the personal statement he sent along with his graduate school application.

"Nana once told me, 'Life is just that. You do what needs to be done and you die,' " Sean wrote. Not exactly words of inspiration to a kid. In fact, when you think about it, kind of depressing. But as Sean got older, he saw that Nana was saying that the purpose of life was service and the joy of life is in giving.

"In the last years of a good friend's life," Sean wrote, "Nana made the daily drive to care for her friend. Nana cooked, cleaned, and brought love into her friend's life. It amazed me that she did the job that a whole family is supposed to do; she did this on her own with no questions asked or no complaints about the task taking too much of her time or effort. It was as if she felt it was her duty to do this for her friend. I guess, to her, it was her duty. Just like it's her duty to jump up and start cooking a five-course meal at the hint of someone coming over. Sheesh."

When Nana saw a story on the news about a nursing home facing allegations of abuse and neglect, she decided that what needed to be done was to find a nursing home where she could volunteer. "While I'm still able, I've got to keep an eye out for those patients," she told her family.

At home, Nana's "what needs to be done" includes daily tasks as well as long-range planning.

"Ours is a family full of love but not without cracks," Sean wrote. "All of the grandchildren have experienced the breakup of our parents. At one point or another in each of our lives, we have all leaned on Nana."

When Sean came back from a two-year teaching assignment in Japan, he had a hard time landing a job in the postiSept. 11 economy. That's when Nana handed him a little blue book.

"She said, 'Here, take this, hurry up!' Then she walked out.

I looked at this book and realized it was a Territorial Savings Bank book. I peered inside to take a closer look and saw that the account had been put in my name. There were monthly deposits that had been made in the amount of $200 dating between 1995 and 1999. This was the same period of time I had lived with Nana while I was attending the University of Hawai'i. ... The total came to a little over $4,000. I jumped out of bed and yelled to her, 'This is for you! I'm not taking this.'"

But Nana thought it was something that needed to be done.

And finally, the Mother's Day story, courtesy of granddaughter Keala, who starts off by saying: "My grandmother's a tough old lady."

Almost 10 years ago, when Nana was in her 70s, she worked part-time at Liberty House in the lingerie section. "You know, the old lady that would count your bras before you went into the dressing room," Keala says to clarify.

One Mother's Day when Nana was pau hana and walking to her car, she was ambushed by two men who drove by and tried to snatch her purse.

"She held on to that bag and the men dragged her a few hundred feet by her purse," Keala says. "She finally let go of it and suffered some bruises, but, man, she had held on for all she was worth. I didn't know this had happened and only read about it in the Police Beat later.

I remember reading it and thinking what a crazy old lady and how it sounded like something my own grandmother would do!ÊLater, my auntie told me what had happened. The guys got busted, and Nana was sore for a few weeks, but she never made a big deal about it. That's exactly my Nana."

Doing what needed to be done.

So to Nana Dora Woo, and all the moms and grandmothers doing what needs to be done, happy Mother's Day.

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.