Three Things that are Always There: What I’ve learned after 20 years
Dear Friends of Safety Compass,
I hope you are enjoying this Spring day. I recently spent time reflecting on the past 20 years as a crime victim’s advocate, and in light of this anniversary, I want to share a few things with you that I have learned along the way. I hope it encourages you today.
Twenty years ago this month, on a warm sunny morning in Reno, Nevada, I sat at a folding table and chairs in a little house in an unassuming neighborhood that housed the Crisis Call Center for the state of Nevada. Inside these walls would unfold the training and beginning of my career as a crime victim’s advocate.
It seems fitting that I was called out to the emergency room last week to sit with a victim receiving medical care on this milestone. As I was leaving, she hugged me, and I whispered in her ear, “Keep going.” And just like that, Love was there.
A recent event with some of our amazing Safety Compass advocates.
A few things I’ve learned over the last 20 years…
In every moment and in every situation…Love is there. Coming into contact with 13-year-old runaways, gang members, folks who aren’t sure how they will live through the night without another drink or fix to numb the pain…Love is always there, and it is for everyone. The broken relationships and the missing children. The folks who feel too ostracized or misunderstood to dare believe they have the right to be treated with dignity as a vital member of our community. I have been so privileged to be both the caretaker and the receiver along the way, and see firsthand that Love is a healing power that will stop at nothing until we are completely restored.
There is always Hope. No matter how much trauma has occurred, no matter how many times someone starts the recovery process, only to use again to cope…every single breath we breathe is an opportunity for something new. I believe in the depth of my being that there is hope for every person with breath in their lungs. There is no such thing as a person or situation that is hopeless. Sometimes, what looks like a dead end is really just a fork in the road. At Safety Compass, we are hopeful for every person we meet. Hope is the birthplace of joy, a lifeline we universally need to move from surviving to thriving.
There is always Peace to be found amidst the chaos. Twenty years is enough time to experience the joy of witnessing healing, the gutting heartbreak of death and loss, the nail-biting roller coaster of missing kids, trauma, witness tampering, murder, safety, freedom, and achievements that have come due to the bravery of survivors, the incredible support of the team we have, and the contributions of community partners. I have always been amazed at how the most profound moments in my career took place in relative quiet. Safe connection during a crisis is like the eye of a hurricane. I am grateful to be faced with the stillness that can be found in the aftermath of hardship, when the very existence of the survivor is living proof that they are conquering what has been meant to destroy them and the opportunity to be a believing witness is a form of justice. These profound moments of triumph over adversity will never make the front page news, as they have taken place in confidence, and I’m honored to be a part of them.
For these reasons and many more, I hit the 20-year mark with nothing but the deepest gratitude for the opportunity to do this work together with all of you, and the fact that I have been sustained by Love, Hope, and Peace along the way.
In Solidarity,
Esther Nelson-Garrett
CEO & Founder
Safety Compass
