My Friend Charlie...

(3 a.m. Charlie)

Everyone ought to have a friend like Charlie. He's one of my favorite guys yet we've never met in person. Even if we lived in the same town though we'd run in different circles and the chances of us crossing paths is close to nil. Charlie is sixty something. He lives up in the mountains in California. He's a tattooed, ex-Harley rider (a real one - not just the weekend variety). I'm a Utah mother of eleven children. Our lives are opposite in just about every way.

We are both family history buffs and our families connect up back in New York in the early 1800's. We began emailing information back and forth a few years ago. We both have ancestors who joined with the Mormons in New York and migrated to Nauvoo, Illinois and so forth. I'm LDS and Charlie isn't. Since those first contacts we've discussed religion, politics, family etc. Though he isn't Mormon he's been interested in learning about it and is a defender of the faith when he runs into misinformation or prejudice. I appreciate that. I've answered questions for him and he has helped me navigate new territory with some of my extended family members who are stomping around in his neck of the woods. I send him wedding announcement for my children's marriages and he threatens to drive up on his Harley sporting black leather. We've exchange church dvd's and smoked trout. I referred him to the Mormon missionaries and he surprised them by knowing more about church history than they did. When I got into a pickle trying to refinish my kitchen table he told me how to get out of it. He's an expert woodworker and sends me re-modling tips when I need them. He also sends his condolences to my husband who has to put up with yet one more "project." Charlie is up by 3:00 a.m. and in bed by 6:30 p.m. which explains the caption below the picture.

I've learned a great deal from Charlie. I tell him he's got a big, soft heart - a lamb in wolves clothing so to speak. (It's the beard and hair!) He's going in for heart surgery next week and I'm saying prayers for him. Good luck Charlie. Thanks for being my friend. May Heavenly Father bless you and may your recovery be quick!