Hawkeye Pierce, Dr. Kildare, & Wally Cleaver

For some reason, God did not bless me with brothers or sisters...non who survived infancy, anyway. But he did give me 10 first cousins and most of them were close to my age, within just a few years. I have a lot of wonderful memories of them.

But over the years I've lost touch with most of them. There's one whole family of 5 who can't even get along with each other, much less offer time to a cousin; in fact, one of them passed away about a year ago. Another 3 seem to be on their own roller coaster.

That leaves my 2 cousins on my mom's side: Chuck and Mary. Our mothers were twins, and possibly because of that special bond between twins we spent a lot of time together growing up. Mary is just a few months younger than me, and Chuck was 4 1/2 years older.

Chuck passed away today and I want to write my reflections:

To say I looked up to Chuck is like saying 'the sky is blue.' How could I not?? He was smart, funny, quirky and wise in a 1950's childhood sort of way. He grew up to be a physician and was the pride of our family.

He probably never realized it, but he had a huge affect on me. I know I was under his radar most of the time, usually occupying the 'annoying younger cousin' status. But he always loomed very large in my eyes. I was thrilled when I got to dance a foxtrot with him when I was 12. And when he actually commented positively about something I’d said, I saw it as a real affirmation. He was my ideal for a guy in so many ways. I think he’s the reason I always liked ‘smart’ boys!

And I remember his many childhood accidents…often involving knives and forbidden games of ‘mumblee-peg’ or plate glass windows intersecting with the line of his cartwheels. He loved showing off his scars and I thought he was about the coolest guy around.

I was still in college when he was in Viet Nam. He sent me a note, thanking me for a little care package I had sent. The main thing I remember is that all he wanted was to go home to his wife. And 40 years later he was still in love with the same woman.

I'm grateful to say in adulthood we developed a real friendship. Chuck, Marsha, and Kim came to see us in Texas a few times over the years, and we visited them in Illinois on several occasions.
Chuck's last visit to our home was when he came to Texas for medical meetings. During this visit Chuck and I had a lot of time to just talk. We did a little sight-seeing in Dallas and watched a movie. Each afternoon he handed me two mini chocolate bars, saying they were 'good' for me because they were dark chocolate. It's important to note our mothers were rabid over chocolate. Both of them hid Fannie May's in their houses, doling them out once in awhile. I guess we both inherited their 'chocolate' gene.

When he drove away, I never dreamt it would be the last time I would see him. I was just thankful to be loved and accepted by this guy I’ve loved all my life. He is the big brother I always wished was mine. To me he’ll always be the perfect blend of Hawkeye Pierce, Dr. Kildare, and Wally Cleaver.

Chuck was a scientist. He knew the human body was only worth about $50 for the minerals and so forth in it. But he also knew a person is more than the sum of his or her parts. We’re all created in God’s image, and we’ve all suffered from the sin in this world. In the hustle bustle of life, we all need to take a moment and do what Psalms 46:10 says: Be still and know that God is God. When it seems there’s no rhyme or reason for what has happened from our human perspective, we can trust in our hope for the future. A future where we’ll see Chuck again through the promises of Christ.

In the book, Heaven, by Randy Alcorn we’re told there will be lots of activity in heaven. So, if something needs to be built or overhauled, photographed or researched, Chuck will be able to handle it. Rest in peace, dear one.