GOODBYE AUNT VERA
Aunt Vera's dead! That was the message I heard among the sobs and tremors of emotion that rolled out of the receiver. On the other end of the phone was my mom. Except for her twin sister, who died a few days after she was born, this is the first sibling my mom has lost. It's going to be hard on her, but I'm so thankful that out of the blue (yeah right!) Aunt Vera happened to call my mom twice this past Saturday-- just to talk.
If there were some way to choose one's passage from this life to the next, it seems to me that Aunt Vera's way is one of the best. Apparently, she was returning home from having tea with some friends and she dropped dead on the doorstep going into the house. She was eighty-six years of age and fit in mind, body and spirit. So, eighty-six years passed and then, without any lingering pain, or diminished capacity, she went from having tea with friends to having supper with the Saviour. Not a bad way to do things. Unfortunately, we don't usually have the luxury of choosing how we go, but that's ok because we DO have the freedom to choose where we go!
As in most lives, Vera had times of joy and pain. Vera lost her husband Ross, sometime in the early nineteen-seventies. She also lost one of her grown sons to suicide. I wouldn't wish such an experience on anyone. Still, I can't remember ever seeing her without a smile on her face and a sense of joy in her heart. She was the first Christian I ever met, and I remember thinking her rather odd when I was a teenager. I guess that doesn't say much really, since everyone is strange to a teenager. Still, Aunt Vera and her God talk was stranger than most from my perspective back then, but, that didn't stop me from politely thanking her for the Bible she gave me. Seven or eight years later, when I picked up the Bible for the first time, it was the special large print edition of the "Old Time Gospel Hour" Bible that Aunt Vera had given me when I was thirteen. It was through that bible, through the Living Word that jumped off the pages of that book, that I first met Jesus. So, in a very real way, it was because of my Aunt Vera's faith and generosity that I found Jesus. At least, that's the avenue that the Lord used to introduce himself to me!
But, even though she was a "born-again" nut and therefore, totally uncool from my perspective; she was still fun enough to intrigue my teenage spirit. One time when we were visiting, she was talking about one of her neighbours who just wouldn't keep their dogs, or their dogs' "deposits" off of her well-groomed Kentucky Blue Grass. This was, by no means, a minor infraction to my Aunt. You have to understand that in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Kentucky Blue Grass is both a rare and expensive pleasure. Aunt Vera spent a lot of time in her yard and garden, keeping vigil for the first sign of a weed. So, to have those labors undone by ill-mannered dogs was disappointing to say the least-to have unresponsive neighbors was even worse!
Whether it was the encouragement of my mother and I, or just our good fortune to be privy to participate in a bit of neighborly retribution, I don't know, but I will never forget the night she decided to take matters into her own hands. With our help, we took a few rolls of toilet paper and turned the neighbours' shrubs and trees into "toilet-trees". Perhaps not the most Christian, or neighbourly thing to do, but in my thirteen year old books, she got a gold star!-even if she did clean up the paper in the morning.
To me Aunt Vera will always have a foundational place in my life. In her quiet way she gave me the key to eternal life. We visited her a few years ago on our way through Ontario and she got to see our three boys and braved taking us out to supper. Imagine having one four-year-old and two two-year-olds locked up in a car traveling for hours and then have the bravery to treat them, and a couple of battle-weary parents to supper-- in a restaurant! I thought they did as well as could be expected, which basically means that they didn't do very well at all. But Aunt Vera thought they were the best. She just loved them and she was thoroughly tickled that we would stop in Ottawa for a visit. As we left, she slipped a hundred dollar bill in my hand and said, "Have a good holiday Grant, and do something nice with those dear boys." What a precious lady!
Aunt Vera, you lived good and you died good, and now you're with Jesus. Thanks for showing me Jesus in more ways than one! Here's a few things I learned from my Aunt:
- Just 'cause you're a Christian doesn't mean you can't have fun. Hey, if we can't have fun, who can?
- Keep active, keep going, enjoy the gift of life. It is both precious and fleeting.
- Don't be afraid to share your faith, even in the difficult mission field of family and friends.
- We plant the seeds; God makes them grow.
- Be generous with your life, your faith and your love.
- Always keep a few rolls of "T" paper handy.
If you have any thoughts, or stories to share, I'd love to hear from you. You can reach me by clicking on my name at the bottom of this page.
