I will only rarely take the liberty of going a bit tangential on an article at Senior Housing Forum, but this story really touched my heart.

By Steve Moran

I will only rarely take the liberty of going a bit tangential on an article at Senior Housing Forum, but this story really touched my heart.

A Judge Goes to Jail

Joe Serna is a retired Green Beret whose life has been permanently scarred by war, both physically and mentally. After retirement and returning home he dealt with those problems by drinking, which lead to encounters with the law.

He ended up on parole and that was not enough to keep him out of trouble. He ended in the courtroom of Judge Lou Olivera, who presides over the Veterans Treatment Court in Cumberland County, North Carolina, for violating his parole.  

The judge had no choice but to sentence him to a night in jail.

The judge was so concerned with Serna’s mental health that after sentencing him to jail, he went to the jail and requested that he be allowed to spend the night with Serena in his cell. They spent the night talking about life, families and serving in the military. The judge slept on a mat on the floor and Serena on his cell bed.

The next morning they left the jail together. The judge drove him home after a quick stop to buy donuts for the family.

The judge said this: “I’m a judge and I’ve seen evil, but I see the humanity in people. Joe is a good man. Helping him helped me. I wanted him to know he isn’t alone.”

You can read the long version HERE

Messy Lives — Good People

In senior living we have many frontline staff members who are good people but whose lives — if we are honest — are a mess. They are individuals who live hand to mouth and yet will spend half a week’s wages on a tattoo or alcohol. In many cases, they are frontline staff instead of something that pays more and is more fulfilling because they make bad choices.

The reason they have messy lives and make bad choices is complicated, it might include their genetic make-up, the families they grew up in, the neighborhoods they grew up in and the individuals they date, marry and cohabitate with.

And yet . . . they are good people. They are individuals who have not given up. They are working hard in a caring profession. They are in a very real way changing lives. And yet . . . they screw up, and do dumb self-destructive things.

The Opportunity

I believe what the judge did was provide hope for a better more fulfilling productive life. If he had simply sentenced Serna to a night in jail, Serna would have survived. The judge would have done his job and there would be no story.   

What this judge did was see the good and celebrate the good in the life of one very messy individual. This is our opportunity with every single team member.