This picture is my mom (on the left) and my aunt Avis. I can just imagine my mom and Avis sitting around, right now in heaven, having a cup of coffee with some kind of wonderful baked sweet roll, and they are laughing. Because that is how I remember my mom and Avis together. They had a very special bond since they were the only "in-laws" in my dad's family (Avis was my dad's brothers wife). There were four sisters so this was a "special club" so to speak. And our family and Avis' family were similar ages. Avis had four children, my cousins John (who was similar in age to my brother Jerry), Marvin (who is similar in age to my sister Julie), Corrine (who is the same age as my brother Greg) and Thoralee (who is just 2 years older than me). Let me tell you a bit about this favorite aunt of mine.
Avis was a teacher in the one room school not far from our lake home in northern Minnesota. She met and married my uncle Walfred and they had a home that included a house for my grandparents. And I believe at one point, they also had Avis' parents living with them. Walfred was not well physically, and after he could no longer farm, they rented out the land. By the time I was old enough to remember, Walfred was very sickly and spent most of his time on the couch. He died when I was 7 or 8 years old. Avis and the children continued to live in the house that had at one time, been my grandparents home. It was small and not modern. And by this I mean....no running water, no indoor plumbing, and a WOOD cookstove! Some of my very best memories are spending time with my aunt Avis. When my dad would want to go on a run to acquire wood for some project, I would beg to spend time with Avis. And she was always willing for me to come and stay with her for a few hours. She would take me out to the garden and I would help her pick vegetables. For this "city" girl, I couldn't believe how wonderful it was to eat peas right out of the garden! I can still almost taste them. And then we would pick berries (I'm not exactly sure what kind of berries but they were delicious). She had one of those old phones that you would "ring up" the operator to make a call. And her "ring" was two longs, a short and a long (I think!) And it was a party line where you might hear someone's conversation when you picked up the ear piece! And Avis was an extraordinary baker. Yes, on the wood cookstove. I remember her looking for exactly the right piece of wood to put in the stove for the bread and rolls to bake just right. I remember her punching down the dough to make rolls - something I had never seen done. These were the years that my mom worked full time and the only bread I knew was "Wonder Bread" that came in a wrapper! And she also sewed (you might remember my blog about the Barbie clothes that my cousin made and sent to me). And I remember that she loved to read and she loved music. As the years went by, there were improvements made to the house. They added running water and a bathroom. And sadly, the wood stove was also replaced. Just before my uncle died, they had added a bedroom on the front of the house so he wouldn't have to walk up the stairs. That room had a view of the church, just across the road. I remember well, the day that I asked Avis if it bothered her to look out the window and see the church graveyard where so many of our family were buried, including my uncle Walfred. She took my hands and said, "Lynnie, (She always called me Lynnie - even after my kids were born!) those are just remember places. The people are not there! They are up in heaven with Jesus! Don't be afraid of cemeteries and graveyards. Because we know that our loved ones are not here anymore." And then she told me how important that church was to her. That it represented so much to her and how comforting it was for her to see it there, just across the road.
This was the only time I ever remember having a conversation with Avis about church, Jesus or anything spiritual. But there was so much about Avis' life that spoke volumes about her character. She loved her family and cared for them before herself. Her parents and her in-laws were her concern. She had two sisters that never married and she watched out for them in their later years. She really had a heart of gold. My mom was very sad when Avis began to lose her memory and become confused. Eventually, she went to live in a senior residence. Mom always visited her on her trips to the lake. But here's the thing, mom said that Avis always knew who she was was and they would have great conversations about things from years and years ago. She was always glad to see her and had a big smile on her face. After Avis died, mom always said that she knew she would see her again in heaven.
Sometimes the footprints we follow from our childhood are not obviously deep spiritual footprints. At least not on the surface. When I was thinking about people who had a profound impact on my walk with Jesus, I thought of Avis. I remembered that conversation about death and the faith and trust I saw in her. So while I never heard her quote a Bible verse, or really talk much about Jesus, I know that she had a deep faith. And it is those footprints of deep faith, that I am walking in today.
Maybe this will cause you to take a closer look at the people in you life. At first glance you might not think of the spiritual implications from someones life, or the impact on your own spiritual walk. But there are lots of diamonds in the rough out there. People with deep faith and convictions that might not be very "out there" with their spiritual walk. Let the Holy Spirit lead you to uncover your own hidden footprints and the amazing people who made them.
Jesus, thank you for reminding me of these hidden footprints. Thank you for causing me to dig deep into my past to uncover this amazing part of my path in following you. Thank you for family and the memories that encourage and grow our faith. Holy Spirit, help us all to see the gems in our family tree. Amen
