FAMILY MATTERS
Kahalu'u kupuna knows true meaning of modern words

By Ka'ohua Lucas

"Excuse me, Auntie Lois," I said, standing near the stainless steel sink. "May I wash my hands?"

"No need ask," she cackled. "Just bump me over with your 'okole, den I'll get out of your way."

"Nah, Auntie. Bumbye I do that, you going flyin' to the other side of the kitchen."

"Eh, no act!" she laughed, scooting over.

Auntie Lois is one of many kupuna, or elders, who attend St. John's By-the-Sea on the peninsula of Wailau in Kahalu'u.

The church was built in 1931 to minister to Hawaiian fishermen and their families. Many of those descendants are still active members of the church. Auntie Lois is one of them.

Recently, the Sunday-school children were given an assignment.

They were to each choose a kupuna, interview him or her and make a presentation to the congregation.

My 13- and 10-year-old children decided to pair up and chose Auntie Lois "because she likes to talk a lot, so interviewing her will be easy."

The boys had asked her to bring along some old photos of herself and her 'ohana.

As Auntie Lois rooted through her lauhala purse, she produced a fistful of pictures.

"You see this?" she said, pointing to one of the photographs. "This is me when I was skinny."

"And here I am again," she said, flipping to another photo. "Skinny. See? Skinny, skinny, skinny."

Auntie Lois is the unofficial church greeter — Miss Aloha. She welcomes everyone who is a visitor, making them feel right at home. She has been attending St. John's, in her own words, "foa eva."

She has a distinct laugh and a kolohe, or mischievous, personality.

As a member of the choir, Auntie Lois' voice can be heard resonating against the walls. She insists that at one time she used to be a shy person. But nobody believes her.

Auntie Lois remembers a period when attendance had dwindled. In an effort to help with the upkeep, members from another church volunteered their time. Auntie Lois was frustrated with her fellow parishioners.

She asked the visiting kahu, or priest, "What do you do when people sign up for something and don't show up?"

He stopped the lawn mower and mopped his brow. The kahu smiled at Auntie Lois and said, "Just do it."

To this day, Auntie Lois remembers the kahu's words and lives by them.

And the shoe people at Nike thought they had coined the phrase.

Reach Ka'ohua Lucas at Family Matters, 'Ohana section, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; fax 525-8055; or at ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com.