Sunday, September 7th would have been my mother’s 82nd birthday. My mother passed away on December 10, 2023. Although she is no longer with us her memory and spirit lives on. It is hard to believe she is no longer here. She was the rock and foundation of her sons and husband. She committed her life to raising us and helping to make us the best that we can be. It is interesting that I spent much of my childhood doing the opposite of what my mother told me to do only to learn as an adult she was right. She wanted us to have a better life than what she had. She would tell us that we determine the course of our lives. She would tell us no one is going to give you anything. You have to work for it. You have to earn it. People will try to bring you down, but you can’t let them. She wanted us to stay strong and when life knocked us down, we needed to get up and keep moving forward.
It is hard to put into words what my life is like without her here. I miss the phone calls when she wanted to remind me that I haven’t called in two weeks. I miss the way she spoiled her grandchildren. I miss the happy birthday calls and the fact that when I had to drive to Georgia to see her, I had to call every two hours with updates. She was my resource on the latest family news and gossip, and she made the best pancakes. We called her the Queen because that is what she was to all of us. She was a strong independent woman, and she loved us unconditionally and I know this to be true because her sons tested that love all the time.
We were the four musketeers as my brother Tracy would like to say. We would fight among each other sometimes, but we were a united front if you messed with any one of us. My mother would do anything for her sons. She would say to me that her primary role was to raise her sons not only to be successful but to live their lives helping others and become better men.
I remember back in 1990. I had been living in Pittsfield for three years. I was struggling. I was depressed and even had a hospital stay for depression. It is important to know that for my first 2 years in Pittsfield I did not speak to my family. Because of some of the challenges in my past I had an opportunity to be interviewed by a visiting Psychiatrist from Australia. They wanted my mother to come for the interview. My mother was living in Lowell at the time. She took a train to Pittsfield to come for this interview. She did it to help her son even though she was still angry with me for shutting her out for almost 2 years. That is who my mother was. Even if it was only a crack my mother always left an opportunity for forgiveness when it came to her sons.
Today I want to recognize my mother. She is a person that because of the lessons she taught her sons has led to opportunities for growth for generations to come. I see the influence she has had on my children. She would be so proud to see how they have grown.
In honor of my mother Phyllis Redd King, I want to thank you for being the most amazing mother that any son could ever have. You are our queen, and we love you and miss you.
“There are no goodbyes. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart.” Mahatma Gandhi
Charles Redd RN
Dignity Freedom Fighter
Dignity Freedom Fighter 