It Takes Mana to Make 95

Bettelu turns 95

O Kalapana kai leo nui
Ua Lono ka uka o Holei
He ua la Kalapana e
Kuli wale, kuli wale y ka leo
He leo no ke kai e

It is Kalapana the great-voiced sea
the uplands of Holei listened
Roaring is Kalapana
Deafened, deafened indeed by the voice
it is the voice of the sea
                                 -- O Holei, translated by Pueo Pata, originally recorded by Hui Ohana


I heard this traditional Hawaiian song on the radio this morning driving home from Hanalei Bay amid the island's splendor. They say that every Hawaiian mele has a secret meaning.

I get chicken skin whenever I hear this rarely played mele sung in Hawaiian. The pace is slow. It reminds me of a religious hymn I may have sung in church when I was young. It imparts spirituality. The Hawaiians call it mana, an energy of spiritual power.

Coincidentally, today is my mother-in-law Bettelu's 95th birthday. One must possess a strong spirit, great mana, to complete 95 years on the planet. She's got it.

She is my favorite mother-in-law, and I remind her that I am her favorite son-in-law. Neither of us has another one.

We've had some great times together, playing ukulele, singing, laughing and drinking martinis. I'm usually the butt of our jokes. She can hardly say my name without laughing.

I should add that she laughs often. I think it's part of her secret to longevity.

When I was employed by a company based in Los Angeles and required to visit headquarters, she allowed me to stay at her place in Manhattan Beach. She's a chocaholic, so I usually brought chocolate for her.

She likes to stay up late and watch mysteries on TV. In the morning, every morsel of left-over chocolate, regardless of quantity, would be gone. If asked about that mystery, she replied without guilt or guile: "I ate it."

Sometimes we'd go see a movie together. Or watch a game on TV. She's a huge UCLA fan. Don't mess with her when the Bruins are playing.

She has an answer for everything. She's a talented painter and a world traveler.

Her daughter Barbara tells me about the trip to Egypt that she and her girlfriend took with Bettelu and  the girlfriend's mother, who was a rocket scientist. They had an agenda that left no historical artifact unseen or exotic food uneaten.

"They left us in the dust," says Barbara, who was in her early twenties at the time. They were galloping on camels and soaking up delights of the Sahara while the twenty-somethings were catching their breath.

Last year, at 94,  Bettelu flew to Kauai to visit her granddaughter and great grandkids.

No doubt she is enjoying a shelter-party today with her family in Southern California. (See photo above.)

Happy birthday, Bettelu! I will mix a martini in your honor. I will play a Hawaiian mele just for you.