Remembering Aunt Dianne

Just before Christmas, I was in Toronto with some members of the family to remember my Aunt Dianne.  My mother was able to fly to Toronto as well.  Several people said a few words as we gathered at the funeral home near the house where my Aunt had lived for about 50 years.  I was asked to say something to close.  I won’t reproduce what I said here word for word, but what follows is the basic idea.

Aunt Dianne was actually the only sibling between both my parents.  Yes, small family.  My Uncle Dave died about 28 years ago.

We loved Aunt Dianne and there are a lot of great things I could say about her.  But one thing that always struck me about her was her concern for her community.

This came out in things that other people said when we gathered to remember her.  In fact, the gathering itself – with more people than expected – was a testimony to her love of community.

Of course she cared about her neighbours and her immediate community.  But she also cared about her city, and the country and world beyond.  She was always interested politics, and in customs and culture in other provinces and in other countries, like Mexico.  We sometimes tried to send her things that would give her a glimpse into the community in which we lived.

Sisters – Dianne and Beth

She also cared for her family.  Again, not just her immediate family – such as her children Jim and Trish – and Trish’s husband Rob and their son Aaron.  But also her more extended family – like her nephew (me), and my wife and children.

So even though my family has lived far away over the past few years, we will miss Aunt Dianne very much.

It’s worth saying that Aunt Dianne’s concern for family and community has inspired me in my own life.  And here I am, serving in a new community in Mexico, where we help in a community centre.  Yes, her influence goes far beyond one street in Toronto.

The family suggested that I close the time with the Lord’s prayer.  The Lord’s Prayer is the prayer that Jesus gave to His disciples to pray.  Really, it’s an “every-day” prayer – a template for our regular prayers to God.  It deals with such common things as asking for forgiveness, and asking that God would provide for our everyday needs.

But as I thought about Aunt Dianne, one thing from the prayer stood out.  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Anyone who has been watching the news will know that there’s a lot wrong with the world.  Just before we gathered in Toronto, the world was rocked with the news of the shooting at an elementary school in Newtown, USA.

What would the world be like if more people took the time to care about their communities – instead of caring only about themselves, or maybe not caring about anyone at all?

I think if Aunt Dianne could say anything to us today, it would be “Take the time to care about your community”.  That, and “Don’t miss Heaven”.

Some of Dianne’s family:  Aaron (grandson), Jim (nephew), Trish (daughter), Beth (sister), Jim (son), Rob (son-in-law)

* This last part of the prayer is often left out of modern translations.  The textual evidence suggests that it may have been added by later scribes to make the prayer useful for public worship.  Either way, the last part reflects truths clearly found elsewhere in the Bible.