My partner works in the drug and alcohol rehabilitation field. She is a licensed and certified drug counselor, has a masters of divinity degree and is a seminary-trained ordained minister. She works in the field of Redemption, where people who have made mistakes and messed up their lives try and make amends and become better people.
It's hard work. It requires patience, commitment and forgiveness. It's also not always successful. Life's highways are littered with ruined lives. It's nice to see when someone can get up, dust themselves off and try to walk the straight and narrow.
Weekends, she likes to relax by watching cooking shows and knitting. This past weekend, I watched the first half of the Giants-Eagles game, thought the Giants were going to win and retired to read, turning the remote over to my partner.
It was with some surprise that a few chapters in I heard a "Woo Hoo!" coming from the living room.
Mmm, I thought, must have been a great recipe.
A few minutes later, another "Woo Hoo!" That can't be a cooking show, I thought.
Sure enough, it wasn't. During the commercials for the cooking show, she had turned over to the Eagles-Giants game and watched the Eagles recover an onside kick. The second whoop was from a Mike Vick touchdown pass that brought the Eagles within a touchdown.
My partner is a Mike Vick supporter. She was excited to see him doing well. She had read the Sports Illustrated article on Vick and was moved by it. The Eagles coach, Andy Reid, knows about Redemption as his sons have struggled with addictions.
I sat down with her and watched the rest of the game. It was wonderful to see Vick playing the way I saw him play in college for Virginia Tech. He was unstoppable.
Vick played two years for the Hokies. His record in games he started was 22-1. The only loss came in a national championship game against Florida State.
Vick's fall from Grace has been well documented. He spent 18 months in jail. It has been pointed out that people are more upset and less forgiving of Vick than other athletes who beat their wives, cheat on their wives and sexually assault women.
There are some people who will never forgive Vick. My partner works every day with people who have ruined other people's lives, spent time in jail, and are struggling to become better. She shares Vick's story with those she counsels. They understand.
They understand there are no guarantees, that every day is a struggle and that there will be setbacks. But they get up, dust themselves off and try and walk the straight and narrow.
It's good to see Vick doing well on and off the field.
There are few people that have Vick's athletic abilities, but there are many people that have fallen from Grace. They are in rehab facilities across the country. They are looking to turn their lives around. Not all of them will make it. But like Vick, if they do, they deserve Redemption, too.Here's a 'Holiday Shout Out' for all those trying to turn their lives around. "Woo Hoo!"
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