My Hero

(Originally posted February 9, 2013)

Two years ago today my fantastic, larger than life father left this world. He was and always will be far and away the greatest man I ever knew and quite possibly ever will know. He was from a different era. He was old school. I honestly never confused him with being my friend. He was my father, my daddy. Did I ever question his love for me? No, but we didn’t joke around much like daddies and kids do today. He was the law of the land. What he said went. You didn’t talk back. You didn’t ask questions. You just did it, when he said it, how he said it, simply because he said to do it.

He was a man with presence. He came to visit me at college one time, any my sorority sisters who had never met him before told me when he left, “Regina, we felt like we were supposed to stand up when he walked in the room.” I loved that about him. I love that everyone who knew him was in their best behavior when they were around him because they respected him and his opinion of them. I love that I have never met a single person who has ever had anything bad or negative to say about him.

I love that back in the summer a new friend of mine told a young fox hunter that he knew me and he couldn’t believe the young man’s reaction. He told me, “Regina, this kid acted like your daddy was famous. He said, ‘You knew Mr. Charlie? What was he like?’” I told him I didn’t know him, but I knew you, and he said, “We’ll, Mr.Charlie is a legend!” Hearing that is such a good feeling.

I love that he was and always will be my daddy. I love that when I just think about him tears come to my eyes, not tears of sadness, but just tears because I am so overwhelmed with love and respect and tenderness for this man that will always be my hero.

There is one of this quote thingies I and a lot of other people like to post that says something about, “I’m still single because my daddy set a high standard to live up to.” This is so true. My daddy, while not forthcoming with emotions or praise, was talking to some men at the fox pen one day. They were complaining about their wives, and daddy responded, “Well, I don’t know what I did right, but God blessed me with not one but two of the greatest women on this earth, and I know I am lucky.”

That, ladies and gentlemen, is a man. That is how a MAN talks about his wife on front of his friends, and until I find one who loves and respects me that way, I will be content being just me. Jackie taught me not to settle, but it was Charlie who SHOWED me what it was I should hold out for.

I told my friend, Gillian, tonight that when they were both still alive I was too young to realize just how much Jackie and Charlie loved each other, but now as a grown woman, I see that their love was overflowing and evident. It was there in the way they took care of each other. It was there in how their favorite thing to do was just rise somewhere in the truck together. It was there in the way they showed me and my sister to love everyone despite our differences with everything we had.

Anyway, I know tonight that I am blessed. Sometimes when I think about that I have lost all three of my parents it breaks my heart. Last Saturday night I had a post about missing my mama, and Lord knows I do, but I know I am and always will be blessed because I was raised by three of the best, kindest, most loving, God fearing, leading by example and not just sermon people God has ever put on this earth, and for that I will always be thankful

I hope tonight they are having a big two year anniversary party in daddy’s little corner of heaven because I know he, Jackie, and Jessie Mae are making those streets shine even brighter.