Remembering Jessica Ghawi
It's days like today that force you to sit and think about what is really important to you. More importantly, today is a great day to find motivation in the heavy emotions I'm feeling from the tragedy in Colorado.
Yesterday was my 29th birthday and last night I had a great time at a local bar with my closest friends.
This morning, as I kissed my girlfriend goodbye as she headed to work, she said "there was a shooting in Colorado at the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises".
That statement did not phase me, as I was feeling pretty rough from the evening's festivities. As I rose today with things to do, I did my usual morning surf of the internet including ESPN, CNN, Deadspin, Facebook, etc..
What you may or may not have read about is this aspiring sportswriter from Texas named Jessica Ghawi, who penned under the surname Jessica Redfield. The short version of this inspiring young lady's life is that she was passionate about sports, had a great personality, and worked her ass off trying to break into the field of sportswriting. It's not often I link to Deadspin, as most people can't handle the crass/coarse way this Gawker sports site is edited. However, it's articles like this that put a lot of things in perspective for me.
My friends will tell you that I'm probably the biggest football fan they know. I wear my passion on my sleeve and I love to debate the game from the way high school football is evolving to the idea that college football can evolve and preserve tradition without sullying the game, to how much I hate sports moratorium after the Major League Baseball All-Star game and how I can't wait for the start of the NFL season. That said, I realized today while reading about this brilliant young sportswriter from Texas that whether or not I am talented enough to be a sportswriter is completely irrelevant to the idea that I want to write about that which I am passionate and I have not put one iota of effort into doing so.
I've always wanted to be a sportswriter and up to this point, I haven't really taken the opportunity with Colts Authority as seriously as I should.
Tonight I'll be having a party at my house with a lot of the most important people in my life. My attention will be on having a good time, making sure everyone is happy and safe, and ultimately, that no one gets shut out in cornhole (we have a naked lap rule if you get beat 21-0).
My mind, however, will be wrapped around the life of Jessica Ghawi.
This young woman is a testament to hard work and perserverance. May she be remembered as that fiery red-headed ball of energy, empassioned by sports, who died needlessly among 11 others this morning. Prayers for those who perished and their families and friends.
I'm not sure if there's a word for someone who tries to find motivation in the darkest of hours, but after reading about Jessica, the passion I have for football is alive and well and I intend to show it to you. My thanks to the Colts Authority staff and to Jessica Ghawi for motivating me to write.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
- Jared
Not sure if you guys have seen this already or not, but thought I'd share... http://www.nydailynews.com/aurora-victim-jessica-ghawi-survived-toronto-mall-shooting-month-article-1.1118365
Great writing. Very sad day.
I tried to post something on another article in the NY Times, suggesting it might be time to prohibiting the purchase of high-powered semi-automatic weapons with large clips. Man did I get blasted. I don't think much is going to change anytime soon. :-(
All of us should honor the victims of this atrocity, at least in thought if nothing else.
But did you personally know this woman? The conviction in this article reads like schlock to me.
While I did not personally know this girl, after I read about her and what her colleagues thought of her, the "conviction" with which I wrote was certainly not schlock. Thank you for your time.
@bwetterer If I get blown away in an episode like that please don't call me a victim. And most definitely, do not forget the one you call a "coward". This highly disturbed individual should be studied, inside and out, to come to an understanding of what causes these events. No offense but this article is strange. Emotionalism or catharsis not sure yet. But hey if it helps you process the tragedy, thanks for sharing.
