Giving to Thieves

Today I read something that really encouraged me. A story of a mother of 4 who showed mercy to a man who had robbed her.

Jessica Eaves of Oklahoma was shopping for her family when she noticed her wallet was gone. She knew who had stolen it, so she approached the man. “You can either give me my wallet and I'll forgive you right now, and I'll even take you to the front and pay for your groceries” she said to him. The other option she gave was to call the police. He gave back the wallet and burst into tears and confessed how desperate he was and that he was sorry.

“I'll never forget tonight. I'm broke, I have kids, I'm embarrassed and I'm sorry". These were the last words the man said to Eaves before he left.

I am absolutely shocked at how this women handled the situation. In a good way. To have the patience and understanding this woman has blows me away. If I knew someone tried to steal my wallet I would have probably freaked out and called the cops. To have the presence of mind and calmness that Jessica Eaves had is amazing.

I hope that reading this can inspire people to show mercy to others. I know that I am going to be looking for ways in my life to do what this woman did. I challenge anyone who reads this to do the same.

Read more here

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How far does the 2nd Amendment go?

Today a video caught my eye that I could tell would spark much controversy. “Debate builds in Iowa over gun permits for the blind." My initial reaction was why on earth would a blind person have a gun? I watched the video and read the article about it, and it really made me think about my view.

Obviously, the 2nd amendment was brought up. The 2nd amendment basically protects the right to bear arms. The argument that the blind make is that there is nothing in the Constitution that says anything about blind people not being able to own or carry guns. One blind man, Michael Barber, says “The Second Amendment does not say we have the right to bear arms unless we're disabled. I should be able to protect my family just like you can, just like anyone else can.”

Barber makes a good point. In the Constitution, it is not exclusive as to who can have a gun, so why are people trying to add to it?

Currently in Iowa a blind person can legally do the same things with a gun that a person with normal sight can. Many of the police officers in Iowa have a problem with that. One county sheriff, Jerry Dunbar, says “If you can't see where that bullet is going to wind up then that's our concern, maybe you shouldn't be carrying.”

I happen to agree with Dunbar. I don’t think anyone who can’t see where they are shooting should be armed with a gun in public. That seems like common sense to me. I do think it is fine for someone who is blind to own a gun and keep it on their property, because then it is in a familiar place for self defense. Once they are in public, they put people around them in danger because they have no clue where the “target” is.

I recognize that it is up to the individual states to make these decisions, and not the federal government. If I were a governor though, I would push for my state to not allow those who were blind to be armed with guns in public.

Read more about the article here

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If You Dream it, Make it Happen

"If you dream it, make it happen."

Those are the words of 38 year old Maickel Melamed of Venezuela after finishing the Chicago Marathon. Melamed suffers from muscular dystrophy, a muscle disease that distorts muscle tissue and hinders the ability to move.

Melamed was the last runner to finish the marathon, with a time of 16 hours and 46 minutes. 100 people waited for him to finish and cheered him on.

When I read about this man I was in shock. This man has an enormous amount of character and courage to do what he did. His quote shows that he did this to inspire others, not to prove himself. “If you dream it, make it happen”. That is how Melamed wants to help people.

This video shows some of the hardships that people with muscular dystrophy have to go through, but it also shows how people are helping those afflicted with the disease.

Reading about Maickel Melamed and watching that video changed me in two ways. It makes me realize how stupid and petty a lot of my “problems” are. The stuff I complain about is nothing compared to what these people have to go through. They put a smile on and live their lives with the mindset that nothing can get in their way of living. I also am inspired by Melamed’s words to the world. He pushed himself to complete a marathon, with a disease that keeps most people from being able to even walk. He had a dream to run races, and he made it happen through perseverance and determination. That is something I can apply to my life in so many ways.

I challenge you to learn from these people the same ways I have. Put your problems in perspective, and make your dreams a reality.

For the full story on Maickel, click here

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Punishment for Bullies

Recently, a story about a father's punishment for his son made national news. The father, Jose Lagares made his young son put on a sign with the words, "I am a bully. Honk if you hate bullies." The boy is in fourth grade, so he is very young. According to the father, his son was a repeat offender as a bully at school.

“Maybe he understands that when he humiliates someone publicly that doesn't feel good. Hopefully he'll take that with him so the next time he tries to bully someone he'll think about it twice," said the father. Lagares was trying to teach his son a lesson about how wrong bullying is, and how much it hurts to be on the victim of it.

I can understand why Jose Lagares did this. His son is very young and impressionable. If he can correct his son’s bad behavior now, it will probably stick with him the rest of his life. The punishment was tough, but ultimately out of love.

On the other hand, I can see how this is out of line. The bullying that Lagares’ son did at school could not have been nearly as scary or public as what he had to go through. The kid is only in fourth grade, and in my opinion, probably needs mercy and a light punishment more than an extreme punishment like this.

I’m only in high school, so I obviously have no experience or training as a parent, but I really don’t think it was the right thing to do to publicly humiliate his son in that manner. He’s in fourth grade! I don’t think bullying should be fought with more bullying. Be more gracious and soft on him if that’s what you want him to be like to others.

Maybe the young boy will learn something that will change him positively for the rest of his life. Maybe he will just go back to his old ways. I don’t know.

Watch the video and read more about it here.

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