{"id":492,"date":"2014-09-29T19:45:28","date_gmt":"2014-09-30T00:45:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=492"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:51:35","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:51:35","slug":"god-is-good-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2014\/09\/29\/god-is-good-people\/","title":{"rendered":"Good people"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Aunt<\/a>by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

Andrew and I went to visit my Aunt Sis this week. \u00a0She is 92 years old. She still has an impish grin and twinkle in her eye, though her health and mental faculties have declined a bit. She calls me \u201cdarlin\u2019\u201d though she doesn’t remember exactly who I am.\u00a0 That doesn’t matter, because I definitely remember who she is. \u00a0My Aunt Sis is an incredible human being.<\/p>\n

A human exclamation point<\/strong><\/h2>\n

My cousin Sam, her youngest son, fondly calls her a \u201chuman exclamation point.\u201c \u00a0In her healthier days, she was full of vigor, a true southern lady.\u00a0 She was one of those folks who never met a stranger. \u00a0She always remembered everyone’s name, and what was going on in their life and their family, and even how they like their iced tea: sweet or unsweet.\u00a0 She could make any awkward newcomer feel like a part of things within five minutes of entering her house. \u00a0In fact when she greeted anyone at the door, friend or stranger, she would throw open her arms and say “come on in this house!”<\/p>\n

Aunt Sis was a gracious hostess.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Aunt Sis was a gracious hostess.\u00a0 She welcomed stray family members like me:\u00a0 many a weekend in college I came \u201chome\u201d to her house, \u201cmy\u201d bedroom all ready for me (my folks lived too far away for weekend visits). \u00a0One year I even spent the whole summer there \u00a0when my job kept me in Georgia.\u00a0 Several foreign exchange students also enjoyed Aunt Sis and Uncle Jake’s \u00a0hospitality over the years. Those students didn’t realize until later that part of that hospitality included a lifetime “adoption” into the Hodges clan.<\/p>\n

Aunt Sis was the ultimate entertainer. When our family visited in the summers, she would stock the freezer with ice cream treats and the walk-in with cases of bottled cokes.\u00a0 And boy could she throw a party.\u00a0 It might be a paper plate barbecue down at the carriage house, or Christmas dinner for the extended family complete with linens, silver and china.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0She was every bit as comfortable hosting a coffee for the Sunday school ladies as she was serving a steak dinner to the Georgia Tech basketball team.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s about people<\/strong><\/h2>\n

It was never about \u201cshow\u201d with Aunt Sis.\u00a0 It was always about people.\u00a0 People weren’t merely a part of Aunt Sis\u2019s life. People were \u2013 and are \u2013 her life.\u00a0 The highest compliment Aunt Sis could say about someone was to say that they were \u201cgood people.” Many times after she introduced someone to me, \u00a0she would put her hand on their arm, turn to me, \u00a0look me straight in the eye and say<\/p>\n

“Now Lydia, Darlin\u2019, these folks are \u2018good people.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

I would nod and smile. She didn’t elaborate. She didn’t have to. I knew exactly what she meant.<\/p>\n

Good people<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cGood people\u201d were Godly people.\u00a0 \u201cGood people\u201d were honest, kind and gracious.\u00a0 They were people of integrity, generous, and compassionate.\u00a0 They cared deeply about others, and did a lot for others no one ever knew about.\u00a0 In short, \u201cgood people\u201d were like Aunt Sis.<\/p>\n

God is good people.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/h2>\n

God is good.<\/a>\u00a0 God is \u201cgood people.\u201d\u00a0 He has a good heart. He is honest and integritable, welcoming and warm.\u00a0 He has common sense and practical advice, and a strong sense of right and wrong.\u00a0 He is generous and wise and loving.\u00a0 He does what\u2019s right, even if he is misunderstood for it.\u00a0 God cares deeply about others–more than people realize\u2014and is always working in this world to take care of those He loves.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s great about good people<\/strong><\/h2>\n

You know what’s great about \u201cgood people\u201d? The more you’re around them the more they rub off on you. Aunt Sis may be nearing the end of her life on this earth, but she hasn’t quit rubbing off on me.\u00a0 Her habits\u2013 “good people” skills \u2013 echo through my life, encouraging me to<\/p>\n