That quote by Dwight L. Moody was recently re-quoted by Chucky Rosa. When I open my computer, one of the first sites I visit is Chucky’s website daily. He and Mary had 6 children; 5 boys and 1 girl. We were fortunate to live next to them in our first home in Wilmington. What great days we had! Their older sons, Dom and Vincent, were approximately the same ages as my daughters and the four of us swapped babysitting duties, washing/drying/folding clothes, bonfires, cooking and dinners together.
When the other 4 children came along, it was time for the Rosa’s to find a bigger home and they moved onward to West Peabody. We didn’t see as much of each other, but still stayed connected….friends through it all. It was only a few years ago that I got a phone call from Chucky stating that Dominic had died of a heroin overdose. Dom was 21. We buried that young boy, such a great young man….polite, genteel, loving and caring, with a full life in front of him. How could this have happened?
It was only a little over a year later that I received the next phone call from Chucky…..Vincent, his second son, died of an overdose of a morphine patch. Another funeral…another time of wondering how we were all going to survive this. They were such good kids…if this could happen to them, it could happen to anyone.
Chucky and Mary moved out of West Peabody to their summer home in Seabrook to get away from the crazy drug abuse that was rampant in West Peabody….to save their remaining 4 children. For the next years, Chucky got himself serious help….got himself clean and sober and every day of the year dives in “his” ocean (in the middle of the winter, in the snow, in the rain….minus 30 degree temps), where he had spread his boys ashes, in honor of his sons. He has created a non-profit organization that allows him to go to schools, educational programs, drug rehabs and anywhere else he is called and needed to keep our kids off the streets and off of drugs. On a weekly basis, Chucky, with the support of his wife, Mary, tells his story over and over again in order to challenge others to stay off drugs. I don’t know how he does it emotionally. I break down every time I hear his story of how he lost his two precious oldest sons. I think of how grateful I am to have my girls still with me.
If you go to the Beach at Seabrook, every morning, you will see what I see….a family whose character shines in the darkness of their seemingly intolerably sad story. Instead of hiding under a rock…instead of continuing to use alcohol and drugs to hide the pain….instead of screaming his pain at the world and causing more rampant trouble, Chucky with the support of Mary and his children, consistently shows his great character in the dark and in the light. They are a special family.
I count myself privileged to call them friends and am amazed as I check my computer daily to see what he is doing for others. He was just featured on a local TV show and was honest and down to earth as he discussed his thoughts, feelings and perseverance during this time of such trauma.
I am actively involved in my own world of work and that DEFINITELY shows our character in the dark. Are we selfish, self-absorbed and pretending to be what we aren’t? Are we transparent and honest with our clients and with our team members or are we hiding our fear and pain? One of my goals is to continue to show my character, when no one else is looking….when it’s dark. I challenge you to rise above yourself and do the same. It’s hard, but it’s a worthy goal. If Chucky and Mary can do it every day of their lives, then so can we.
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