If I could give a dollar for every time my precious Aunt saved me from a spanking, I may have acquired lots of cash. Many individuals can relate to being protected by one of their grandparents. Well for me, as an only child, it was my next-door neighbor who became my superhero. Aunt Lee lived to be ninety-seven years old but for me it was not long enough. From my earliest memories, Aunt Lee was a woman with many special talents, and she loved sharing them with all that she encountered. She was a master of many things but for me it was her culinary abilities from pancakes to chocolate pies and of course, her famous teacakes. I still have the recipe for them, but I have not been able to bring myself to transforming the ingredients from the paper to my oven. You see for me, it is hard to experience the journey without acknowledging the pain. Her gifts of love extended far beyond a few birthday cards or saving me from the occasional disciplinary actions of my parents. She was a woman who shared the words of Jesus with passion, she demonstrated how to pray and displayed faith in ways beyond visual images. When my parents got married, they lived with her as their home was being constructed. It was her green pastures that became my racetrack, or my getaway. You see she granted my father, her nephew an acre of land on the more than 30 acres that she resided on to build our home. The generosity of her passion for people resonated with all that knew her. She was a beautiful soul and a divine woman of grace. Even now, I recall the hours spent at her home, talking, eating and sleeping. Her home was a place everyone wanted to visit and those far away often sought to gather. I can remember the scent of her home and the sounds of her laughter. I can visualize her drawing water from her well, placing milk into pails, gathering eggs from her chickens, picking figs from her tree, swinging on her porch and singing “love lifted me”.
I attended a funeral this week, something that is a frequent occurrence with me, a true desire to show respect and extend a compassionate touch. The service was inspiring by defining an individual’s legacy of excellence. While this is a part of my profession, it was also a personal opportunity to reminisce. I can recall holding the hand of my dear Aunt Lee as a child and as an adult, listening to her wisdom fill my heart on ways to overcome sadness. She was always a woman of strength and beauty. During the service as with most, the songs extended words that yield our steps and remind us of our promise. I scribe this piece as a reflection but, in reality, as an open door of protection. We will never get all the time we need to love, laugh or live with the ones we hold closest to our hearts. However, if we embrace the challenge and take charge of our time with sheer protection, then we will capture ever moment with the ones that matter most. Our Sunday School message recapped the rhythm of rest and work, ironic how we can hear similar sounds but not collaborate together. Life is love and to love is to live, yet why is it so difficult. Here is a secret, we make it difficult, because if we all wanted to take a moment to hug longer, laugh more intentionally and fill our cups, then, will we be able to protect your time. I make this charge, as a command to all who can, look into the eyes of your loved ones daily. We often hear, if I had more time, well the time is now, protect your time with the ones you love and know that technology makes it feasible. Own the rights to your time and place all the other matters on hold for just a moment, as death is the only matter guaranteed. We will run out of time and then the voicemail will collect all the unwanted messages. I took time to reminisce on the many years, days, hours and seconds I had to share with my superhero, and I have no regrets, as she will always be my Valentine.
Much love to all the “Time Protectors”
The H Word 