PULASKI, Tenn. (WTVF) — We all have someone in the family with those great old sayings. It's stuff that makes us laugh but also carries a lot of wisdom. One woman has taken the quotes from someone she loves and is doing something incredibly heartfelt.
"Always take time to go where time doesn't matter!" Regina Peery read from a book.
Regina sat on a bench in downtown Pulaski as she read me quotes. The classic American town sqaure feel of Pulaski just seemed right for what she was reading.
"Your week will go better with a fried pie," she read.
"An egg has everything you need in it."
"Don't be a lost ball in tall weeds."
They're all quotes by Regina's dad. She made them into a book. It's called Hughisms: A Legacy of Life Lessons. They're from her dad, Hugh Peery. Hugh was a veteran, farmer, and agriculture teacher for 40 years.
"When you smile, make sure you show your teeth," Regina kept reading.
"When you get older, you gotta wear a little red cause it lets people know that you're still alive."
"Wave with your whole arm."
Regina laughed and looked up from the book.
"If you ever passed him on the road, he'd literally wave with his whole arm out the window!" she said.
So much of what Hugh said carried this wisdom.
"Always be able to look the person in the mirror in the eye," Regina read.
There was something in particular that brought Regina to Pulaski on this night.
The Hughisms book is actually more to her than a collection of quotes. The sales go toward her non-profit called Cowboy Up. She does presentations, like this night at the Rotary Club of Pulaski.
"We are a message of suicide prevention," Regina told the crowd. "Suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10 to 14."
Many of Regina's presentations are to 7th graders, but she travels to communities all over. She talks about warning signs, about the higher rates of suicide in law enforcement, veterans, and farmers. The need to break down stigmas around mental health conversations is summed up in these presentations.
She started these because of her love for someone else in the family, her brother Marcus. Marcus was another farmer like his dad.
"He loved being an Uncle Marcus to his nieces," Regina told the crowd. "That's how he lived his life until June 14, 2003. He went behind his house in the barn and took his life. We've been doing this a long time, and we've gotten some major opportunities and some major blessings. I'd give it all back if I had a choice and for two seconds I could hear his laugh one more time. What was I going to do with that pain? I didn't want anybody to hurt like that."
Before Regina started traveling to give these presentations in her brother's memory, she wanted the blessing of her parents. Earlier, when Regina was reading those Hughisms, she told me a quote from the book that was also the answer her dad gave to her starting Cowboy Up.
"If you can help one child or one person by sharing your story, do it," Regina read.
Hugh had a way with words.
Regina's dad died in 2009. Through pages and presentations, she's still sharing about her dad and her brother.
"Helping others was what they were all about, so I think I'm just kinda helping carry their legacy," Regina said.
For more on Cowboy Up or to buy the Hughisms book, visit here.
Do you have a positive, good news story? You can email me at forrest.sanders@newschannel5.com.
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