Saturday, July 19, 2008
Our culture is fascinated with what I will call â??real menâ??: sports heroes, movie stars, and military heroes. These â??real menâ?? perform spectacular feats that entertain and impress us.
But there is another kind of â??real manâ?? who is much more impressive to me, and the backbone of our great country. Let me tell you about one...
A real man has the courage to ask the â??apple of his eyeâ?? to marry him, and the strength of character to say â??I doâ?? at his wedding, and mean it...especially the part about â??until death do us part.â??
A real man demonstrates commitment by keeping his promise and remaining happily married to the woman he loves for sixty-one years.
A real man provides stability to his family by being the sole provider for those sixty-one years, allowing his wife to be a full-time mother throughout their marriage.
A real man shows true love by making his children the central focus of his life, and he shows that same love to his grandchildren. For reasons that are not important as I write this, my children never knew my parents. Vern was their only â??Grandpaâ??, and he shouldered that additional responsibility with pride, humility, and without complaint. For that he has my profound thanks and eternal gratitude.
A real man leaves a legacy, and Mr. Brownâ??s legacy can be seen in the character of his children. He raised three kind and gentle souls: Karen, a loving mother and wife; Randy, whom we lost earlier this year, is remembered by all of us as one of the kindest, nicest men anyone could ever know; and Judy, my wife, a sweet, wonderful woman that my friends renamed â??St. Judy.â?? They, and their children, are Reuben V. Brownâ??s legacy.
Vernâ??s friends and extended family are also an important part of his legacy. All of you who attended his memorial service or sent notes of remembrance did so because he touched your lives in a positive way. Thank you for remembering him.
I am writing this open letter to tell anyone who reads it that Reuben V. Brown was a â??real manâ?? of the very best kind, and a good man...a very good man. I am writing to say thank you for all he has meant to me and my family throughout the nearly forty years that I have known him.
Lastly, I am writing to ask God to open his arms and welcome him into his kingdom, for in so many ways, he was the kind of man that God wanted all of us to be.
We will miss you, Vern, and we love you.
God bless you,
Ron Garland
