I
don’t remember a time in my life pre-Charlotte.
It’s as if she has always been.
My very earliest memories of her center around my fascination with her
earrings. I was astounded at the size
and color of her earrings as a small child, and sometimes I was worried they
were going to pull straight through her earlobes the way they weighed them
down. This memory may seem insignificant
at first, but it reminded me of how Charlotte was colorful and not afraid to
express her style. I appreciate that
about her.
But
how can I begin to think about her earrings without thinking about the
wonderful face they adorned? I honestly
do not have a memory of Charlotte when she was not smiling that megawatt smile
that made her eyes crinkle up - unless she was yelling at a ref, but I’ll get
to that later. Her bright smile and warm
hugs were a constant.
Of
course I won’t forget her presence in the choir. Her voice was loud and sincere. The thought of her singing straight to Jesus
now makes me so happy.
When
I was in grade school, Charlotte brought sacks and sacks and sacks of her daughter's hand-me-down clothes multiple times. I had never seen
so many clothes in one place, and they were all so nice. How thoughtful of her to share them.
Several
kids were fortunate to pass hot summer afternoons in the Walter pool, and I was
always happy to be one of those. I spent
many happy hours in her pool with friends.
When
I was in high school, I approached Charlotte in Sunday school one morning. I flipped her the bird and asked her what it
meant because I wasn’t totally sure but wanted to know. I don’t remember why I asked her of all
people, but I guess I thought she’d shoot straight with me. I remember her reply as if it were
yesterday. She said, “It means that you
are mad at someone.” It wasn’t until college that someone told me what it really meant. I have thought about that exchange so many
times since then, and while I’ll never guess why she answered the way she did,
it always makes me chuckle.
I
attended the senior prom with a large group of friends. I don’t even know how or why this happened,
but Charlotte offered to host us for a steak dinner before prom. She and others set a fancy spread and fed us
some great food. It was so kind.
If I
went to the football field or the old high school gym today, I could walk right
to the spot were Charlotte sat for all the home games. I remember going to my
first basketball game at the new gym; I
didn’t pay too much attention to the actual game because I was looking around
to see where all the regulars had taken up residence in the new place. I was not surprised at all to see Charlotte
there intently watching the game and letting everyone know how they were
doing. It has never escaped my notice
that while she was not too shy to let the refs know when they could do a little
better, she was nothing but positive towards the kids playing. She was also a faithful stander-upper for the
fight song and other cheers. She was a
great fan.
Charlotte
opened her home to my friend Matthew when he served as a youth
intern at the church. She was so kind to him,
and he loved her.
What
I remember most about Charlotte is how much she loved her family. She was so very proud of her kids and then
her grandkids. Her love and pride was
evident to anyone within a mile.
I
bumped into Charlotte twice when I was home in the last couple of years, and
both times, she shot me that bright smile and wrapped me in a hug. I look forward to the day when we can do that
again.
