BAND

Brightman shines light in the community
By Julie Kettlewell
The thought of
people going
hungry is something
Charlie
Brightman can’t sit still
for. So he doesn’t sit still.
For the past two and a half
years Charlie has been
driving his truck into town
and heading straight for
the Otsego County Food
Pantry, where he volunteers
his time to unload the
trucks that carry the food
that fill the shelves that
feed the people.
And for Charlie, this
work is more than just
something to pass the
time; it is a mission of
sorts. Charlie Brightman
was diagnosed with
cancer in 2003. In 2004 was
told he was terminal and
that his chances of living
another two years were
slim.
“Since I am facing
death, I have contemplated
death,” Charlie
emarked. In doing so, he
has contemplated life, and
ites his faith in God as the
basis for his daily thoughts
nd actions.
“My faith has been a
olid rock to me,” Charlie
aid with a peaceful smile.
nd this faith, he believes,
has kept him going beond
doctors’ projections.
Since he received the
prognosis that his life
would be shortened, Charlie
began rearranging his
life and his priorities. He
left his job to spend more
time with Teresa, his wife
of 31 years, and their 2
daughters and four grandchildren.
At the same time,
Charlie also began his
work at the Food Pantry.
“One thing Jesus did
was feed the people,”
Charlie said.” People have
to eat. When I am working
at the pantry, it’s not me
doing it, it is God working
through me.”
An aircraft mechanic
in Flint for many years,
Charlie moved his family
to Gaylord in 1995 to take
a job outside that field,
primarily to be closer to
his wife’s family in Mackinaw
City. After working
a couple of different jobs,
Charlie ended up stocking
shelves at night at
Walmart, a job which he
enjoyed, yet found ironic
at the same time.
“My first job in high
school was as a stock
boy. Now my last job is
as a stock boy,” he said
with slight grin. Whether
he was referring to the
shelves at Walmart or the
shelves at the food pantry,
only Charlie knows, but
he is amused that his life
came full circle, as such.
And it seems his experience
in the area of stocking
inventory has come in
pretty handy at the Food
Pantry. Pantry board member
Jerry Coger expressed
true appreciation for
Charlie’s ongoing efforts,
in spite of the illness that is
weakening him.
“Because of his background,
he has been very
helpful,” Jerry remarked.
“Charlie helps me out just
about every time I call
him. He helps me unload
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a truck twice a month,
and he also helps distribute
food. He’s got good
ideas and he thinks things
through,” added Jerry.
“He’s just a good guy.”
But Charlie doesn’t do
his work at the pantry for
thanks or applause. He
does it simply because it is
the right thing to do, and
it is an important thing
to do. Charlie admits he
is fearful of the direction
in which this society is
heading, and worries that
people are really going to
suffer.
“The cost of goods
and services is going up,
but wages are not going
up enough. There are the
rising energy costs, and
people losing their jobs,”
Charlie said, concern in his
voice. “People will have
to make a choice. ‘Do I
pay for heat? Medicine?
Gas?’. People are going to
lose their homes, they are
going to starve and freeze
to death.”
That is why, even
though his strength is
waning, Charlie continues
Charlie
Brightman can
often be found
volunteering
at the Otsego
County Food
Pantry helping
people in need.
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to do whatever he can to
help make life a little better
for those that are hurting.
He sees the reality and
truth in life – the blessings
and the hardships – and
strives to strike a balance.
“Understanding the
fundamentals of life and
the universe determines
how you live your life,”
Charlie remarked. “You
can spin it any way you
want, but the truth is the
truth. When you learn to
deal with the truth, you
think different and you
act different,” he added.
“That’s part of who I am
and why I do what I do.”
For Charlie, that philosophy
and that outlook
help to make the good
times just a little better,
and the bad times not so
bad.
That outlook is what
he takes with him each
time he drives into town
to unload the truck that
carries the food that fills
the shelves that feeds the
people.
And all the while, hoping
it will be enough.
P
‘Since I am facing
death, I have
contemplated death.
My faith has been
a solid rock to me.’
— Charlie Brightman
T
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