A thank you thread of a former leecher

"Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn." - Benjamin Franklin

Although some people ask sarcastically for enlightenment, I will see yours as a true sign of wanting to learn, smile at it, and come up with the best answer I can muster. I must thank you, however, for having the kindness to ask first.

Have you ever watched the movie Shawshank Redemption? It's one of the highest rated movies on IMDb because it not only has Morgan Freeman's amazing voice, but it tells a great story about a man's will to seek redemption. To seek to redeem oneself is to seek to restore one's honor or value, to abide the will of being seen as good again. That, drew, is something easy to will for, and hard to achieve.

However,

"The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mahatma Gandhi

I am weak. I cannot bring myself to forgive those I don't think deserve my pardon. I don't relent on my anger and I tie myself easily to those who've wronged me.

But I will never ever turn down someone who, by their purest actions and intentions seeks my forgiveness.

"To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Louis B. Smedes

This man is seeking redemption for a mistake (we all make those) by kindly giving it back to the community. Not only did he do that, but he stepped in front of a thousand faces and asked for his redemption.

Today I will not say denied. Today I will say accepted.

I hope you find it in your heart to do the same. Forgive me for the long answer.