Faith, family and country. Saying you hold them dear or posting anonymously online when you're fired up - that's fine. But Charlie Kirk took it to the next level. He didn't just talk. He acted. He had the guts, drive and focus to go out there day after day, night after night and fight for what he believed. The threats to his personal safety were well known, but he wouldn't stop.
Being in public, in settings large and small - especially on college campuses - was essential to Charlie's power and reach. He chatted up conservatives and debated liberals. When Charlie was involved, conservatism felt fun and exciting again.
On Wednesday, an assassin's bullet robbed us of his voice and robbed his family of a father and husband. The only solace in this gut-wrenching moment is that he died doing what he loved and what God put him on this Earth to do. Among the millions of young people he inspired, we hope in time there will be new voices who will take up his mantle. Charlie would have wanted that.
CHARLIE KIRK DIED AS HE LIVED: BOLD, UNASHAMED AND ANCHORED IN FAITH
Because of his traditional views and his growing following online and on campus, the hard left despised him. Charlie was a direct threat to progressives' stranglehold on young minds. Charlie was traditional and pragmatic, but he was also eternally optimistic about America.
Charlie's enthusiasm for the future was infectious. If you started watching his video debates, appearances on Fox or listening to his podcast, you were hooked whether you agreed with him or not. You got why he connected.
No one other than President Donald Trump himself in recent memory has had a more profound effect on the political thinking of young Americans than he did.
A few months ago, my 15-year-old son was watching something on his computer while we were on a flight - he was supposed to be reading. I was annoyed. But then I saw that it was a Charlie Kirk video, and I was relieved. "Mom, shush! I'm watching him take on this liberal!"
I took a photo of Niko and texted it to Charlie. Of course, he loved it.
And when my daughter Maria heard Charlie was bringing his college tour to Texas A&M last spring, she was over the moon. Charlie brought her friends backstage. He recorded a video of all of them and sent it to me. "She's doing well! Not getting into any trouble, so don't worry!"
Those same smiling girls are now devastated. It feels like a member of their family has been murdered because they grew up with him. His presence was ubiquitous. Seeing the prayer vigils held in his honor and the church services being held coast to coast in his memory would have made Charlie very happy. I can almost hear his voice: "Another powerful sign, Laura! We're winning!"
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Watching him mature from a lanky teenager to a man and then to a political and cultural icon was itself a gift. But the personal side of Charlie was even better.
Five years ago in Jackson, Wyoming, Charlie introduced me to Ericka Lane Frantzve, the woman who would become his wife. He and I had both been featured speakers at an event earlier in the day, and he was a guest that night on "The Angle." We went to a local joint for a late dinner.
Always teasing him, I asked what a gorgeous girl like her saw in a geeky right-winger like him. We laughed a lot that night. They were both beaming and in love. Their values lined up on all the big issues - wise beyond their years.
This agony we are all feeling must not dissipate into a stubborn apathy or morph into violent rage. That would be a gross insult to Charlie's memory. Don't give the left-wing haters celebrating his death that gift. Instead, let's honor this beautiful young man by continuing to engage with our fellow Americans, by proudly standing for our values and by never retreating in the face of threats or intimidation.
We have a lot of work to do.
Rest in peace, Charlie.
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