Standing on the Shoulders

Yesterday, I attended the memorial service of a loved one, albeit one that I felt I barely knew. My great aunt Jane, better known as J.J., passed away at the age of 85 on Wednesday. When I received the text from my dad informing me of the news, I found it hard to describe the emotion of the event, most likely because, as I said, it had been a few years since I had even seen Aunt Jane. I was definitely sad, but I hurt more for those that would be affected by her passing. I thought of my grandmother (Bet Bet, affectionately), and her loss of a sister. My mind went to my dad and his sisters at their loss of a beloved aunt. Finally, I went to my distant cousins, those I knew and had relationships with, but barely ever saw or communicated with, yet those that I hurt for at their loss of a mother and a grandmother.

These were all people I empathized with, relating to because the sting of losing my grandfather a year and a half ago is still fairly real. While I didn’t know Aunt Jane incredibly well, these people did, and I could almost feel their hurt. They were the most affected, having encountered this woman in a real way, knowing and loving her, being directly affected by her loss. What I didn’t realize going in, however, was all the people that my mind didn’t immediately go to when I learned of her death.

Rev. Joe Elmore, who officiated the memorial, spoke of looking through the archived history of J.J.’s church which bore the title “Standing on the Shoulders of Saints, Servants and Sinners.” I sat through the service hearing stories about my great aunt and her groundbreaking work in Tuscaloosa as an attorney, her service to her church, and her love for her family. Having these thoughts in my head, I decided to look up the article that was written in the Tuscaloosa News after her passing. This article chronicled her achievements all the way from being the first practicing female attorney in Tuscaloosa County to her work in starting a United Methodist Children’s Home for at-risk children, as well as her advocacy in Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

It was reading this article that got me to thinking. No, I didn’t know Aunt Jane that well. The hurt I felt for her loss extended more so to the people that I was closest to rather than her actual loss. But, I realize now that the influence we exert in our lives goes far beyond those we come in direct contact with. Aunt Jane’s passion for “unselfishly doing good for people” [my loose paraphrase], as my cousin Julia spoke of at the service reaches out beyond those clients she dealt with on a daily basis. Her heart for advocating for those who had no voice touches many more than those children that were provided a home at the Genesis House.

Aunt Jane’s influence reaches past two generations to touch even my life, as I see those values that were apparent to her family such as Bet Bet and later Pop, as well as to her nieces and nephew, my aunts and father. All these people that, unlike Aunt Jane, I am close to, have instilled in my life a passion to serve the poor, to do good at all costs and, as Jane used to say, to never give up when your cause is just.

All of this is evidence that we, as a people of faith, stand on the shoulders of those saints, servants, and sinners that go before us. The values and ideals of those that teach and lead us, whether in our lives directly or indirectly, guide and shape ultimately the disciples that we become. We go forward and learn more not because we are smarter, but because we stand on their shoulders, seeing further not in spite of, but rather because of. May we take those examples of women like Jane Dishuck and learn. May we recognize that because of women like her we move forward to accomplish that which has been set out for us. Doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly.

Thank you, J.J. May you rest in peace after a life well lived.