In 1980, a 13-year old girl was killed by a drunk driver in Fair Oaks, California. The driver who hit Cari Lightner had recently been arrested for a previous DUI hit-and-run. He left the young girl's body at the scene.
Cari's mother, Candace Lightner, would go on to found Mothers Against Drunk Driving at her kitchen table. Her decision to turn her pain into a movement has changed our country forever.
Since MADD was started drunk driving deaths have been reduced by 50% and more than 370,000 lives have been saved.
We're all going to experience ups and downs. Both will vary in intensity depending on the individual, but what applies to us all is our capacity to turn our grief into something productive.
We have a choice in how we show up and how we react to setbacks. Some of the greatest movements have been fueled by pain and loss.
When we pour our efforts into something larger than ourselves we have found a sense of purpose. And having a mission can make you unstoppable.
We can shape lives, prevent similar tragedies or mistakes, start important dialogues, inspire others to do the same, and make sure our loss and pain wasn't in vain.
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