It is alleged that this was the first time this young man got caught driving drunk but I am sure it was just one of a succession of wrong choices made over many years in this young mans life. With the help of the lawyer his father hired for him, the driver will get off lightly. I know that it is considered to be compassionate and forgiving to let him off lightly but I remember, after disrespecting my grandfather as a young boy, the punishment he administered was loving but harsh and appropriate. I learned at that young age to be a better person after that, not because of someone’s compassion and forgiveness but because of a loving man who gave me a punishment, considered to be harsh by many people today, that was appropriate for the offense and caused me to make better choices in my life. Never in my life after that did anyone need to give me such a harsh punishment because from that punishment administered by a loving man I learned to make better choices. All too often we enable people to continue making wrong choices in life until someday their wrong choice has tragic consequences. At JoAnn’s memorial service it was often said of JoAnn by her family and friends that she was a person who happily gave of herself when someone needed an extra hand. No longer will her life and that extra hand be there to give because of the poor choices of this one young man. Change in life starts when we all start making right choices and then by our example teach others to make right choices. Some times those right choices need to be made in how to harshly, but appropriately, punish someone for their wrong. We need to stop enabling wrong choices.
