What's Your Redemption?

Posted by David Lignell September 11, 2009 at 5:15 p.m.

shawshank.jpg

One of my favorite movies is the Shawshank Redemption.

Here's the plot:

In 1967, Red is finally released on parole after serving 40 years at Shawshank. Red is afraid of "the outside", dreading living in fear, worried that he would end up committing suicide once outside of the prison's strict regime. Red recalls his promise to Andy, his friend who had been paroled earlier, and heads to a place Andy told him about. He finds a small metal box containing money and a letter from Andy. In the letter, Andy reminds Red: "Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies". Red then violates his parole and travels to Mexico, eventually reuniting with Andy on the Pacific coast. Both of them are elated and hug each other when they meet.

While redemption in your life doesn’t have to be nearly as dramatic, if you’re human and alive, you’ve had opportunities for redemption. Whether or not you’ve chosen to act upon them is another story.

Here’s a redemption example from my past. When I was 18, I made a poor choice that included drinking and driving. After a party, I drove on a desolate highway over 200 miles into Northern Michigan and dimly remember the honking of an oncoming car when I drifted across the divider line. The car swerved and drove on and I parked and exited my car. I remember the snow flakes floating around me as if to say, “I cover the living and dead alike.” I walked in the countryside for several hours until the sun rose and I was reasonably sober. I promised myself then and there that I would never again find myself in a similar situation in the future, and I haven’t since. That was over 30 years ago and it still rings as fresh as Traverse City cherries in July.

Perhaps I haven’t earned the credit, but my kids have turned out – so far into their teens -- as decent citizens and wonderful people. They have been exposed to the same risky behaviors as I was, but have chosen to make their own, healthier choices.

That’s my redemption.

What’s yours?

Copy and paste the link:

LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.

RoeDapple (anonymous) says…

At 21 my insurance payment almost equaled my car payment. Without going into detail, I will say through an "Ah-ha!" moment I realized that every ticket, every accident, every 'physical altercation', every not so good moment in my life could be traced to excessive imbibing of spirited liquids. Yeah. Anyway, my quest to run Adolph Coors dry came to an end, with more consumed the previous 4 years than the ensuing 40. And life is good......
September 11, 2009 at 8:37 p.m.
liggyon (David Lignell) says…

Roe,

Thanks for an honest review of choices not so good. I've always thought you were a strong person and a very literate blogger. Let's have dinner sometime, sans the Mexican sombrero. :-)

Life is, and you say, good, especially after an appraisal of choices not so good.

Take care!
September 11, 2009 at 8:54 p.m.
RETICENT_IRREVERENT (Ronaldo Ignacio) says…

A few years back I sold sold some bonds at a premium before their maturity date.
September 12, 2009 at 8:02 a.m.
artichokeheart (anonymous) says…

There are no mistakes in life. There are the things we do and the things we don't do.
September 12, 2009 at 9:49 a.m.
liggyon (David Lignell) says…

I like that, artichoke. Not sure I understand it completely, but I like its simplicity.
September 12, 2009 at 10:45 a.m.
jonas_opines (anonymous) says…

When I was 22, after being alone (not single, alone) for about 2 years, I had this string of almost-got relationships with pretty nice girls that failed because I couldn't bring myself to open up at all. After the last one, I had a rather scary revelation that I was so empty inside that I couldn't even properly feel sorrow for the missed chance, and she was the closest, because I had let her in on some secrets that I didn't tell anybody in those days.

It occurred to me that those two secrets (namely, my lack of relationship with my son (born in H.S. and then I let myself get effectively driven from his life when he was less than a year old), and the same with my dad, who I hadn't seen really in about 16 years) were festering inside to where talking about them was like revealing a big, rotted hole in the middle of my being. So I. . . . fixed them. In one of those providence moves that somewhat explains why I'm a deist/agnostic rather than an atheist, it so happens that my son's mom's sister was in my English class at KU, and I hadn't said anything, mostly out of shame.

Anyway, through her I got the phone number, and I earned it from there, somewhat literally. She had turned the ringer off on her phone and didn't have a message machine, and I literally had to screw up my courage to call (considerable amounts of it) about 30 times over the space of a week and a half before she heard I couldn't get through and called me back. But here, almost 10 years later, I have a good relationship with him (and my dad, but that's another story), and the two things that I was ashamed of at the time, I can be proud of now.
September 12, 2009 at 11:25 a.m.
JackKats (anonymous) says…

This is a great blog and has me reflecting on my life and the profound change that has taken place over the last 8 years. Thank you for allowing me to reflect.

Jonas. Thank you for your candid share. I have found that God cares about the kids and when I make decisions that are in their best interests, that miraculous events transpire. I can identify with your story.

My story can be summed up like this. I went through a terrible divorce and was in a custody battle for my children. At the beginning one child did not want to come with me and his words of saying " I hate you Dad" were well deserved.

Ten months later, after a profound change in me, this same son, who I gained custody of, was in the passenger seat staring at me as I drove down the road. I could feel his stare and asked him what he was staring at me for. He replied. " You know you are good man, Dad. Not many men would have done what you did."

I will never be the same again. Note to my son. You are a good man son, not many men can equal you. It has been my privilege to be called Dad by you.
September 12, 2009 at 12:42 p.m.
Logan72 (Alia Ahmed) says…

David,

What a wonderfully revealing and inspiring blog about redemption. I, too, think Shawshank Redemption is one of my favorite movies and certainly didn't think that would be the case before I saw it. I applaud all of you, David, and the other commenters on this blog for the courage to claim your failings as well as your redemption.

If you read my blog today, you may understand that I'm sleep deprived and emotionally spent right now, but hope to reflect on this topic and come back to write something as honest as all of you have. Bless you all.
September 12, 2009 at 1:01 p.m.
JackKats (anonymous) says…

Multi,

I miss ya. You know I think the world of ya.

I could have put my redemption story in a shorter form that goes like this..

I identify with Jonah. But instead of being being swallowed by a whale and vomited on a beach I was swallowed by a bottle of booze and vomited up out of it at divorce courts door.

Great story you shared. Obviously the statement that none us will be tempted beyond what we can handle applies to your story.
September 12, 2009 at 1:54 p.m.