Second Chances

Its 9:44 am

   Its a overcast day here in SE Michigan. Still sort of chilly but yesterday was very spring like with warm temperatures. Still beats the Northeast where they got hit with a huge snowstorm that dropped up to a foot of snow.
  So it might rain a bit today..we'll see how it goes.

I saw the following on a Wall the other day:

"My friends getting higher then the Empire State (Building)".


  I believe in second chances,anyone who knows me either here or in real life knows I believe things happen for a reason,to get a second chance at doing something right is very priceless.
  The person who wrote that got a second chance this year. Seriously injured,he could have been crippled or even killed by his injury but because of his heart and God's good grace,he was spared. Spared to have a chance to do things right. Now he isn't a bad guy,on the other hand,on what little I know and it is a little,he seems very popular,a good student,a good son,a good human being.
  In our chats or messages we talk about his future....while he loves football,because of his injury,he can't pursue that anymore so he wants to become a coach instead. A coach....to teach,shape,LEAD through example what his coach showed him. Play smart,study hard,respect yourself. I personally am excited because I coached myself. Robert Beck from Ontario High School took me under his wing and taught me how to coach baseball. I was very grateful for the gesture and it still remains one of the best times in my life.
  But peer pressure is a bitch,is it not? You want to do what is right but when all of your friends are partying and hitting on women,you want to roll with the boys. Maybe even get a little high,quaff down a brew or three.
Soon those plans for college and coaching get a little further away but hey,don't sweat it because you got time to do anything,right? Maybe to the rest of the world but when you're strapped down with a halo on your head and not knowing what is going to happen,I am sure you laid there and promised God if He would spare you,you would make your life count for something.
   How many of you remember high school or college when there was a big star athlete who destined to become the "next big thing"? Their skills were going to land them a full scholarship to a big college or land a big pro contract? Their picture was in the local paper every week,or on TV or the subject of a blog,like this one? The "can't miss prospect"?
   Austin White was our local stud here in my area. Austin played tailback for Livonia Stevenson and yeah,he had skills. Set all sorts of school and league records and was attached the "can't miss" label. Adored by the student body,recruited by all the major schools,Austin had the world on the platter. Then came the big news...the University of Michigan had offered Austin White a full football scholarship! A free education and all he had to do was attend classes and play football! Life was good....now he would have to redshirt but that isn't a bad thing,right? A chance to get bigger,to learn and adapt to the classroom,to handle the load that college would bring. But the trade-off would be worth it...still be able to chill with the fellas back home only 25 miles away,a chance to play in front of family and friends playing in the biggest stadium in the country.
Austin White had it all going on....
   But somewhere down the line,something with terribly wrong. UM fired the coach who had recruited Austin. Maybe the new coach wasn't into him as much,maybe the classes were getting too hard...but suddenly Austin White decided to transfer from the University of Michigan to Central Michigan.
  While CMU is also a Division I playing football school,it pales in comparison to UM. In Michigan,its UM,Michigan State and everyone else. But here,Austin White would get his second chance. To make his mark. To show people he was worthy of the hype. Of course because he transferred he would have to sit out another year but that was okay,he would deal with it and be thankful for that second chance.
  But too often as the story goes,this one doesn't have a happy ending. Austin White was first suspended by CMU for violating school and team rules and on 15 April,he was arrested for dealing drugs out of his dorm room. A felony drug charge. Serious weight if he is convicted. All of his dreams and hopes and a free college education are all out the door because he didn't take advantage of his second chance. He started hanging with the wrong crowd,thought his "friends" had his back even when in fact they were killing him by letting him deal them pot and mushrooms.
  Is Austin White a failure? Maybe to some people.....but to me,he may be a lifesaver. Because of his story and with this blog,I'm hoping that that young man I'm writing this for sees it and remembers the night he was handed his second chance. I really want him to stride forward and fulfill his promise because we as a society,really,really need people like him to help make a change in this world.
 So Number 44,this one is for you.....make wise choices and rise above. A lot of people believe in you,even complete strangers.


    Yesterday was a pretty active day of running about. Did some light shopping,dropped off a quilt and blanket at a consignment store,returned the Tigers cap we got Lori's dad (it was too big) and finally built a shelving unit we had bought in the fall. It turned out pretty good and helped us gain some pantry space. I did two loads of laundry,the coupon book and scrubbed the basement floor by the cat boxes.
  After I post this,I have to clean up the den and VACUUM the floor,Snacks has decided to shed and is dropping fur everywhere!! Its sort of strange,DJ never sheds yet he hacks up furballs and Snacks sheds and no furballs. You would think that it be reversed but nope....as much as I think I know cats,they always seem to hand a way to surprise me.
   Alright,that is all I got for today. See you all tomorrow!




Scorpion- Where have you gone?