Ms. Charlie Part I and Part II

 

Ms. Charlie

Part I

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

A little girl with a curl and a braid or two Ms. Charlie did have. Refined as Thine singing sweet music into the souls of many she would become. Now, may her story be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.

“It’s not what you’re called, but what you answer to.” This from the man Charlie admired most, her father. Carpentry was his trade, but wisdom was his trademark as he built and equipped saints for generations to come. And, Charlie would be among those saints.

One of five daughters, she learned well from her daddy. He not only lived large in her eyes but gave her a blue-print from which she could launch with stability.

She recalls an episode clarifying his quiet strength. “One day while I was in Jr. High, one of my teachers asked me a question. The teacher called me Charmaine, and I did not respond. To the principal’s office I was sent. My name is Charlie, so I didn’t respond! Once in the office, the principal called my father in to have a little meeting of the minds.”

“He could not afford to leave work, but in he came! I just said, ‘Daddy, my name isn’t Charmaine, it’s Charlie.’” (And why wouldn’t a girl want to take on the name of her father whom she admired greatly? How could anyone argue not only the logic but the heart from whence it came?)

Upon hearing her side of the story, “Daddy told me to go on back to class. To this day I know not what he said, but from then on, every one of my teachers called me Charlie!”

Back-tracking further, Charlie recalls that all seemed well until it wasn’t. This man, her father whom she loved, decided to join “The Black Steel Worker’s Union” in Burmington, AL where they lived. The knocking upon the front door pounded in sync with the beat of her heart the night the Ku Klux Klan decided to make one more great divide in a nation marked by their remarks. “You have twenty-four hours to get your black ass out of town.”

“Daddy’s response to us came quickly, ‘A dead father is no father at all,’ and soon he was not only packed but on his way out…leaving us all behind.”

In the mind of a little girl, the back story matters and piecing it together throughout the years has been a journey. After he’d been gone a short while, Charlie remembers what happened next.

“With tags pinned to the clothing of five little people, and tickets reading Trenton, NJ, we soon arrived at our destination by train.” Never mind they were going away from one by the name of mama, all would soon be in the arms of the man Charlie missed most, her daddy and every mile traveled to get there would be worth it.

Joy is an odd word to use for such a time as this. Who would think that something so tumultuous as the uprooting of a family could bring about such a thing? But it did. Generations to come would know joy even though the deposit of faith went only as far as dropping them off at church for Sunday School. Even that would be enough to plant a seed or two. Faith as big as a mustard seed would begin to not only sprout but grow.

Charlie’s life offers not only insight but hope which can and does bridge divides. She offers forgiveness to those who have offended and trespassed as demonstrated through authenticated actions of a life well-rooted in the love of Christ Jesus.

Charlie recalls, “Mama was not on that train, which meant all five little girls would eventually be in the hands of a stepmom who had no emotional ties to any of us.” And, it showed.

“Placing us by day in a cellar so as not to be a bother was one way she demonstrated her lack of interest in us.”

However, what is it Charlie remembers? “I never had an empty stomach. I was never thirsty, and although I didn’t have the best clothes, I never went without food. For that I am grateful!”

However, there were times of testing.

I suppose a yanking is better than a spanking but when it’s done by the root of braided hair, it was felt. “There had to have been a knock or two around because there were bruises a time or two along the way. If memory serves, a voice came from down deep and I announced definitively one day, that it would stop or else! And for some reason, to my surprise, I was never touched again.”

Tenacity and bravery describes the actions taken that day which would equip Charlie for all that was yet to come. Nothing goes to waste with the equipping of saints upon this earth. Courage and fortitude were lessons learned…often in not such preferable ways.

Strength has a way of lying in wait for such a time as this and truth-be-told, it was the strength of her daddy that seemed to bubble up just in the nick of time this time! Or was it her Heavenly Father who’d planted faith in Sunday School? Perhaps the latter was beginning to grow…perhaps the latter.

“If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:6).  Amen. (To be continued…)

Ms. Charlie

Part 2 of 2

Theology in the Trenches

by Kathleen Kjolhaug

 

A little girl with a curl and a braid or two Ms. Charlie did have. Refined as Thine singing sweet music into the souls of many she would become. Now, may her story be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.

Just a squirt she was when she first heard the word spoken. Actually, that would not be true. Spoken would be soft. This came like hurricane-force meant to hurt and hurt it did!

“Nigger!”

This “friend” whipped it at her like gale winds forcing Charlie in find shelter under the canopy of her father once again. It was to him she ran. Not only had she never heard the word before, but truly had no clue what it meant.

Ahhh…the wisdom of a father empowering with just the right words for such a time as this. Her daddy was straightforward, clear, and never will Charlie forget what she was taught that day.

“1. She is no longer your friend.”

“2. Dump her now!”

And just like that, Charlie became obedient to the heart she trusted most and took him at his word. Not only would she heed them at the moment, but it was sheer permission given to have them become part of who she was created to be forever and ever. Ms. Charlie never forgot, and would live by fortitude which commands self-respect for those who observe it well. From little pieces is a puzzle made up before the big picture is to be seen. And so it was, piece by piece truthful integrity was gifted her many a time by her daddy.

Youngest she was by birth but by any stretch of the imagination, she had wisdom far beyond her years. Helter-skelter was life lived round her as one by one the others left the house. Making their way in life was expected, and as she watched, she knew it would be no different for her.

Shortly after graduating from High School, there would be marriage and children. However, this time, the man she chose to be in her life was not faithful. Nor did he encourage her to walk in the strength she’d been taught. No, this particular man took. He took with him whatever it was that was good for him, and that was that.

However, not to be undone, Charlie stood strong even when she felt weak. She stood by her kiddos…she finished her degree…and she purchased her own home offering stability to her children. Her daddy had taught her to be a giver, and thus she strove and drove deep into the virtue of faithfulness from the seeds planted years back. That mustard seed was growing, and it was bearing fruit. And, “in our weakness He is strong” (2 Corin. 12:9). You see, deep down, Charlie was faithful only because He was faithful and she knew it.

After time passed, she met Jerry, her second husband. He, like Charlie, was a giver. Together they raised her kiddos. Together they came to know and grow in the Lord, and although this white Italian man fell in love with his new family, his birth family wouldn’t be quite as accepting.

The journey in life is long, it is tenuous, and it is hard. The ups and downs within families uniting under the banner of marriage runs deep and the presuppositions of many go deeper. Was it the faith this newly married couple expressed that was different than the tradition in which he grew up? Was it the color of Charlie’s skin? Was it because she had children? What was needed to simply love another came at a price Jerry was willing to pay. Walking away from his family who sought strife over love was difficult, to say the least, but even in the midst of these trials…there was a silver lining.

It’s a beautiful lining which helps soften the fabric of life when living it with a contrite heart. Eventually, amends were made and love would be gifted as Charlie encouraged reuniting every step of the way. With a kind gesture on her part to suggest he perhaps needed to call and merely say “hello.” Walls of separation were toppled that day and love unleashed.

The years went by and not so long ago, she buried her Jerry. Charlie has buried her father. And, the memories of her mama and step-mama are buried somewhere, too, because those are not so good.

Psalm 91 remains round her as He has ordered her footsteps throughout the years. “I will say of to the Lord my refuge, my God in whom I trust. Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare. He will cover you…and under His wings, you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield. One need not fear the terror of the night nor the arrows that fly by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.”

Why? Why is Psalm 91 such an incredible lifeline? Because it is in Him alone she puts her trust.

And, He promises to each, “He will show us His salvation” (Psalm 91).  

And so it went with Charlie. How goes it for you? Where are you placing your trust? May you find refuge in Him alone.  Amen