Life can bring many emotions. We feel joy when a baby is born. We feel proud when our children succeed and happiness when we find our soulmate, or we get the job we always wanted. These are times we celebrate, and we talk about how wonderful life is. Our greatest challenge is when tragedies happen either in our lives or in the world where we begin to question the meaning of life and why bad things happen to good people.
We are living in difficult times that have presented many heartbreaking moments. We see the pain and heartache that comes from tragedies as a result of weather events like tornados or loss of lives due to violence. We see people struggling to take care of their loved ones or are living on the streets because they lost their homes, and we experience people gone before their time due to suicide or substance related overdose death. These events can make us question why these things are happening. They can also make us question why we do the work we do.
I want to be honest with you, I question that every so often. I have seen a lot in my 59 years on this Earth in which 28 of those years I spent as a nurse. Even in my role as the Chief Diversity Officer I question whether I am making a difference, or I see the challenges ahead and I think are we able to overcome the hardships that are ahead of us. In those moments when I am sitting alone and thinking I contemplate surrendering not because I do not want to help others but because I see a mountain so high, I do not know if I am able or willing to climb it.
These are the times when I think about dignity and my commitment that I have made to honor the dignity of myself, the dignity of others, and the dignity of something higher. As I thought about how I wanted to address these issues I was facing I realized something important. I have been able to build a successful life for myself and my family. I have a career where I will always have a job and with my nursing education and leadership background I can work almost anywhere. It is easy to walk away when you have options. What about the people I have made it my commitment to help? They do not have the options I have. They are working just to make it through the next 24 hours, that is where I used to live, one step away from being homeless. I was fortunate that there were people in the community who believed in me and helped me. They are the reason I am where I am today.
I have come to realize that I want to be that person who can give people hope. I want to be the hand that reaches out even during the most difficult moments and helps pull you up. I want to work side by side with the many heroes that live in my community that work to make a difference every day. I want to be like those who helped me in my darkest hour when I thought there was no hope. It is hard sometimes to keep that motivation because life brings roadblocks. It is knowing that we can bring light in the darkest hours that helps us overcome.
To all of you out there that are the light I want to say thank you for all those lives you are helping and thank you for letting me be a part of the light you shine. You give me hope, that is why I will continue the fight right beside you.
“Love life. Engage in it. Give it all you’ve got. Love it with a passion because life truly does give back, many times over, what you put into it.” Maya Angelou
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 