Redemption

Over the 27 years I was at UPS, I was privileged to work with many people, some made a career of UPS, others used it as a stepping stone to a different path. One of these individuals was "Jack", a young man who worked the preload ( workers who load the UPS trucks for daily delivery). Jack always had a big smile and a good word whenever I encountered him, a positive person in what can be a stress-filled work environment. "Wait until you go into driving, Jack, they'll knock that smile off of your face," I kidded him. "I'm not makin' this my life, John," he said. "Besides, you're always smiling.' He was attending classes and hoped to pursue a career in law enforcement.

A few years later, his dream came to fruition. Jack became a police officer, I'd often cross paths with him as my UPS route was on the area he patrolled. Whenever I saw him he always had the same ready smile and friendly demeanor. He told me that he enjoyed being a policeman and he seemed genuinely happy and content. Then one morning as I walked into the building at UPS, I could see groups of people gathered and talking, 3 or 4 people reading the newspaper. Jack had been arrested and charged with dealing drugs, I couldn't believe it. But there it was. I followed the story via the media, the trial, the conviction, and his sentencing. I felt a huge sense of disappointment and sadness.

Several years passed, frankly I had forgotten about Jack. Then one Saturday morning, I went to the doctor's office to get my yearly D O T required physical. As I signed in, I looked acrossed the waiting room to see a chiseled man with arms as big as my thighs and his head shaved bare. He was an intimidating figure. As he gazed back at me he smiled, one I recognized from years earlier. " Hey John, how's it going, man" he said as he moved in front of me and extended his hand. "Jack, nice to see you," I said as I shook his hand. We exchanged small talk for a minute or so, then he must have read my mind. " John, I f@cked up, man, I've got no excuses." I told Jack that I had been disappointed with him and sad that he had destroyed his dream. He told me that while in prison he had alot of time to think. He had worked the "burial detail" which was responsible for digging graves for inmates that died while in prison, those whose family or next of kin could not be located. He said that as he dug graves, he couldn't help but think how somewhere there was someone to whom this person mattered. He vowed that when his sentence ended, he would make a difference. We chatted for several minutes before his name was called, I shook his hand and wished him the best of luck.

It's been years since I've seen Jack, the last I heard he was counseling kids through his church, relating his story in hopes that others would not follow the same road. We all have a past, skeletons in our closets, things we'd just as soon forget. Our futures do not have to be married to our pasts. We all make mistakes, it does not necessarilly make us bad people, it makes us human. Life can be about second chances...and redemption...Peace to all....John