Ten Years

I love music. I love everything from country to Motown, pop, Christian, rap (gasp) and yes even hip hop. There’s a special place in my heart for Lupe Fiasco’s The Show Goes On, I know I’m not alone in this. I was texting (seated indoors) with a friend the other day about American Idol. I know texting and about American Idol, it’s like I’m a 13 year old. Anyway, we talked about one of the contestants and how when they sing it’s so emotional. The contestant is a Christian, has been very open about it and leads worship in his church. So, it’s not surprising that when he sings a song that could be interpreted as a Christian song, Christians would feel emotional about it. I know many of us have songs that remind us of school dances, a first love and even winning national championships (“The ball is tipped…”). I was driving back from an Easter visit home last Monday with my iPod on shuffle. A song came on that is one of my favorites but I can hardly get through it yet when it pops up usually play it on repeat.

Holy Roar by Christy Nockels reminds me of someone we said goodbye to ten years ago. After months of fighting cancer my aunt lost her battle and went home to meet her Creator. Aunt Nita was very independent. Her husband died when their daughter was in her teens and she’d raised her, made her mortgage, paid all her bills and retired. Before retiring she challenged an unethical proposal by the Mayor of Atlanta and won. Aunt Nita was a strong Southern woman. She looked for opportunities to help other people, often without wanting any acknowledgement in return…simply doing what was right or meeting a need because she could and it was the right thing to do.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Southern women, when you walk into their home they offer you a glass of tea, something to eat and invite you to make yourself at home. They invite you to dinner and slave for hours over the meals so no one, except themselves, has to lift a finger to get anything and can just enjoy the evening. Southern women also typically pretend making a meal for eight guests was no big deal, they just, “threw a few things together.” These women love to host and consider it an insult when their hospitality is rejected or it is implied or outright stated that they need to allow someone else to help. It’s in our blood, we can’t help it and you all know you wouldn’t want it any other way.

My mom’s family is filled with these women (and blessed to have some men as well), who have the natural response to serve and give. So, when Aunt Nita was diagnosed with cancer, they took action. There were schedules for making sure she was accompanied at the doctor’s visits, cutting her grass, making her meals, doing her laundry and caring for my grandmother who also lived with her. But, as I mentioned Aunt Nita was a true Southern woman. She was the one who wanted to serve and wasn’t interested in being served.

Shortly after she was diagnosed with cancer and the schedule was in full swing, I had a call with my aunt that I’ll never forget. I knew she didn’t like all the help she was getting, but we both knew she was getting it either way. We talked about all the people I knew of who she’d helped. We prayed and I told her she was an Aaron. In Exodus 17 there’s the story of the Israelites fighting Amalek. Joshua is leading the battle and Moses is on a hill overseeing the fight. When Moses’ arms are raised Joshua is winning, but when they’re down, Joshua is losing. As the battle goes on Moses gets tired and can’t hold his arms up anymore. Aaron and Hur get on each side of him and each man holds one of Moses’ arms. Joshua and the Israelites won the battle. My aunt held a lot of arms.

Over the next several months our family had the honor of holding her arms in her fight against cancer. While we didn’t see her win that fight here, I am confident we will see her again.

Ten years ago I wasn’t interested in children. I knew they were necessary for humanity to continue, but I didn’t really want to be around them, was definitely not interested in having them and thought it was best that other people involve themselves in parenting. I was 19. However, two months to the day after my aunt died, I was blessed with a niece. While I don’t love every child who pops up in my newsfeed or shares a flight with me and I’m not interested in knowing the ratio of your unborn child to items in the produce aisle, I couldn’t love my three nieces (Tatiana, Makenzie and Perla) and brave nephew (Jimmy) more. There is rarely a day that goes by that I don’t think of Aunt Nita and hope I’m even half as great to them as my she was to me and so many others. She along with my parents and many in our family during those really difficult months taught me what it means to be an Aaron and I pray that God continues to show me how to be one.

Holy Roar by Christy & Nathan Nockels

Trees of life are blooming
Your word plants the seed and we feel it growing
Your kindness leading to repentance
We see traces
Of deliverance
Lord, thank you for mercy

Oh, can you hear it?
It’s the song of the redeemed
The pursuit of passion for the one who set us free

Oh, can you hear it?
We’re crying out for more
Listen to our song
It’s turning into a holy roar

Rivers of renewal
Spirit whisper a revival
And send us rushing
Open hears with hopes of unity
Servants to love in lost humanity
Lord, send us reaching

Oh, we come rejoicing and singing and crying out to you, Lord
Can you hear the Holy Roar