Truly Tragic

I hate to have to end the holiday on such a note, but I'm saddened by the news of Steve McNair's death. I received a text this afternoon from Cajun Spice informing me of his untimely death but gunshot and it wasn't until I arrived home that I could investigate further. When I first read his name I didn't quickly know who she was talking about. But once she said that it was the football quarterback, I immediately remembered "Air McNair." 

Most Saturdays of my life from junior high through college were spent at a college football game. I rarely attended the games of my Alma mater, LSU, preferring to be at Southern University games. My parents were avid fans, attending both home and away games. I recall being at an SU v. Alcorn game and my parents as well as their friends seemed to be more impressed with Air McNair than they were with the SU QB. In fact that entire afternoon had been spent making predictions on his actions in the upcoming game and afterwards, awe due to his performance. I didn't follow his career consistently, but I knew that he had become somewhat of a legend and had a good rep off the field. 

On the comments page of some sites people have all manner of negative things to say and have begun jumping to random conclusions and assumptions about this man's, whom they never met, life. I'll simply say that no matter the circumstances surrounding his death and regardless of his celebrity or talent, no one should die in such a manner. My prayers are with his wife, children, friends, and extended family. I also wish the family of the young woman who was found along side him peace and privacy in their time of grief. 

I'll restate my comment from earlier, we have the right to pursue life, liberty, and happiness. Live life to the fullest. It is never known when those rights will be taken away be it through the hasty decision of another or simply the body coming to a state of eternal rest too soon. Invest in your life and the lives of others and use each day to pursue things you are passionate about.