Aunt Freddie and Uncle D.C.

So.

This is my Aunt Freddie and Uncle DC, and they are two of my most favorite people to have ever walked this planet.

Aunt Freddie is my Daddy’s sister.  She was a few years older than my daddy; eight or nine years, maybe.  She was quite the lady.  And by that I mean, you didn’t just know my Aunt Freddie, you experienced her.  She was almost flamboyant, yet subtle.  She was extravagant, yet sensible .  She was gaudy, yet refined.  She was larger than life, yet down to earth.  Capable, able, talented, all-out, all-in, loyal, family, love, Jesus follower, southern, truthful, amazing.  She could play the piano and the organ, sing, cook like nobody’s business, and raised three great sons.  And speaking of said sons, she could swing a mean fly-swatter.  Oh, and she loved wrought iron. Loved.

She always had “big-hair,” and I’m fairly convinced she’s the one who passed that genetic marker on to me.

 Drawn-on eyebrows, jewelry, and hairspray that glistened in the sun; she was great fun, and great fun to make fun of.

And she knew it.  And it didn’t change her one iota.

She’s standing in the back, on the far right in the picture above.  (c.1972)  See her?  See that coif?   Her Daddy’s name was Fred.  I’ve always assumed she was named after her Daddy; “Freddie”.  Standing beside her is her Mother’s sister, Aunt Annie Jean.  Thus, Aunt Freddie’s middle name: Jean.  So, let me see if I can make this clear as mud:  Annie Jean’s niece was Freddie Jean.  Freddie Jean’s niece is Laura Jean, my sister.  The middle name “Jean” has been passed from Aunt to Niece in our family.  I think it’s really cool.  I just wish I had a daughter to give the middle name to.  But, anyhoo…..

Those three boys in the foreground of the picture are Aunt Freddie and Uncle DC’s sons; Dennis, Brian, and Phillip.  The recipients of many a fly-swatter swats.  The culprits in many a broken knickknack. The best cousins, and partners in crime.

She had the best Southern Accent, and I will never forget the way she said my name.  She and my Uncle DC were the only two people I know to pronounce my name the way they did.  It was the most awesome thing ever.  And I’m not going to tell you how they said it.  It’s mine.  And I want to keep it that way.

She and my Uncle DC gave my family TONS of great memories over the years.  When I was a toddler they lived on Bristol Drive.  I don’t remember the house, but I remember the concept, and the dirt bike they’d ride me up and down the street on.  I do remember the house on Lake Sinclair, where the water was pumped in from the lake.  (yes, that’s what you took a bath in, but it was great fun there.)  Then they moved into their giant house in the woods in Gray.  It was awesome and huge and unique and VERY 70’s.  Multi-colored shag carpet, giant stone fireplace, walls of dark paneling, heavy wood and lots of wrought iron.  Lots.   Big bathrooms, staircases, a walkout basement and an upstairs.  A gazillion places to hide for a serious game of hide and seek, a two-story entrance arcade which was great for water hose fights.  Usually a garden that my Uncle DC would tend, sometimes bees to be kept, dogs, cats and kittens running around; always something going on.  Sometimes, when my sister and I were young, we’d go with our Granny to visit all of them.  We’d stay for days-on-end and probably drive Aunt Freddie completely crazy, but she never complained to us, she just kept feeding us, entertaining us, and giving us plenty to laugh at and about.  I can still hear her feet shuffling into the kitchen in the morning, see her sitting in the chair sound asleep “watching t.v.”, rolling hand-made dumplings out on the kitchen counter, and fussing at someone, anyone, who needed to be fussed at.  And Uncle DC?  He’d go to work.  Smart man.  He’d come home singing – probably from the happiness of not being home all day with a house full of kids.  We were a constant-moving mess. I have far too many memories to write here.   And those were some of the best memories ever made. Ever.

But, outside of all the shenanigans, from both the kids and the adults, the most important thing, the lasting legacy they leave behind, is their love of Christ and their passion to see others come to know the salvation of God.  I don’t know that I’ve ever met two people so bold in their faith.  So outwardly expressive of their convictions.  So verbal with their beliefs.  Always active in their church, always supporting Christian t.v., always discussing the things of the Lord.  Always encouraging us in our walk, always speaking scripture, always singing.  One of my favorite memories is taking walks in the woods with Uncle DC and listening to him sing to God.  It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever heard.

About fifteen or so years ago, Aunt Freddie died here on earth.  Her body no longer able to fight the cancer.  But her soul, Oh Her Soul, moved on to the Heavens to be with our Savior.  What a homecoming that must have been!  I can only finitely imagine how that must have been. A woman who lived her faith here on earth, meeting her Savior face to face! The glory would be unspeakable.

In the years since she died, I have dreamt of her many, many times. It is a recurring theme, but always different scenery.  I don’t know why I dream this, but it’s always the same.  I am always looking for her, almost chasing after her.  And I can see her, but not really.  She’s always either a step ahead of me, and I can’t catch up to her, or she’s a silhouette, behind sheer drapes or upstairs in the shadows.  It’s always in a house, big and lots of rooms and pathways and bathrooms, and very ornate and colorful and larger than life.  And one time, there was even still steam in the bathroom, but she had just left.  I know it’s her, even though I never get to see her.  Sometime Uncle DC is there, sometimes no one is there.  Always in vivid colors, textures, lights, materials.  I suppose I miss her more than I know.

So, my Uncle D.C. stayed in that big ol’ house, and after some time married a sweet woman who has walked the last chapter of his life with him. They had a lovely time together, and built some wonderful relationships at their church.  But, last month, my Uncle D.C. finished that last chapter here on earth; his earthly body breathed it’s last, walking in the woods he loved so dearly.  Finally, his homecoming.  To stand in the presence of his Lord.  To worship at the feet of his Savior, to dance in His presence, to sing. Oh, to sing in the courts of his Lord.  And, to see his beloved Freddie Jean.  Imagine the reunion.  Imagine the smiles.  Imagine the joy.

So while we are so saddened here on this plane, we know that we, too, will rejoice with them in Heaven one day.  We miss them terribly here, but we have a solid assurance that they are with our Savior.  They both have left such a lasting legacy; such an example.  They touched generations.

While I can only hope to leave a legacy like theirs, and I can only hope to be the Christian witness they were, I am ever appreciative to them for everything they taught me, everything they showed me.  And, because of that, I would be totally remiss if I did not say this to you:  If you do not know where you’ll spend Eternity, If you do not have a relationship with Christ as your Savior, If you’ve never accepted His free gift of Salvation, please contact me.  Let me introduce you to Jesus Christ and the Salvation he gives.  You will never be the same.

Aunt Freddie, Uncle D.C., I will always miss you both, but I look so forward to seeing you again in Eternity.  Oh, what a glorious reunion that will be!