Any Given Sunday

 (Sunday, January 9, 2011)

On this gorgeous but cold, NFL Sunday in Baltimore, Maryland... I'd like to introduce the die-hard sports fan, glued to the t.v. each and every NFL Sunday, football fanatic herself! Me of course :)  This Sunday is special though, why?  Because the home team plays a big game today.  And in honor of my Baltimore Ravens beginning their post season play this afternoon against the Kansas City Chiefs, I dedicate this blog to them!

The picture to the left is none other than Baltimore Raven's free safety, and in my opinion, one of the best defensive players to ever play in the NFL... Edward Earl Reed, Jr.  In the wake of today's game excitement, the Raven's are also dealing with a sense of somberness.  Just two days ago, Ed Reed's younger brother went missing and is now presumed drowned after he allegedly jumped into the Mississippi River to allude police.  Officers were said to be chasing him because the car he was driving was believed to be stolen.  A car at which his mother is adamant was not stolen and belongs to a family member.

I don't know about you but this story sounds fishy.  Why would his brother willingly jump into a river to escape?  I'm sorry but purposely jumping into a random body of water is something that us black folks just don't do.  Then if he were drowning, why didn't any decorated, aiming to "protect and serve" officer go in after him?  Did they not see him jump?  And if they did not see him jump, then how did they conclude that he had jumped?  He could've slipped and fell for all we know.  Too many unanswered questions.  I'm not a detective or anything, but I wouldn't be surprised if this story involved foul play.

How I see it, his brother could've been a victim off a black man driving in the wrong part of the south.  The cops probably pulled him over, looking for something wrong; to then see that the car was not registered to him.  Suddenly it was assumed that the black man must've stolen the car in an attempt to arrest and harass him.  His brother probably ran for his life, knowing what was about to happen or what was already happening and no one was around to watch (Rodney King-like possibilities).  Or even worse, the cops might've done a number on him and rid of the poor boy's body.  I'd like the think that this isn't the case, but it's terrible to know that incidents like these are even still believable in 2011. 

 
Despite the craziness of this tragic case, sudden deaths and occurrences like these make you think.  In a couple of seconds, your life could be turned upside down.  This past week, a young man from my former track and field team died in a motorcycle accident, he was 25.  And a young lady I went to middle and high school with was in a horrendous head on collision that has left her barely moving in shock trauma, and the other driver deceased,  She too is 25.  Tragedy has no owner.  It comes and goes as it pleases, to whomever it chooses, whenever it chooses.  Similar to today's weather, life can be gorgeous but cold.  The beauty of living is why you want to live but the coldness it can bring has you sitting on edge at times, awaiting the storm.

I'm sadden this week to see tragedy hit somewhat close to home with the death of my former teammate and the head injury of my former classmate.  It makes me want to yell "I love you" to the world, and "I appreciate you"... just in case I never get to tell those who need to hear it from me.  Today, Ed Reed must play a very important game that decides whether his 2010-2011 football season ends today.  He must somehow take the pain and hurt that he feels from the death of his brother, and place it on the field.  He will literally play his heart out.

With each of the NFL playoff games being played, this given Sunday could potentially be the end of anyone's season.  In the same way that any given day could potentially be the end of something crucial in your life... or everything.  You know the funny thing about trials and tribulations, is that they have a way of inspiring.  The pain you feel can lead you to discover a passion or become reacquainted with an old one, to do good for someone else who is going through the same as you or ten times worse, to finally let go of all of the small things that have been plaguing you... or to play the game of your life that could add to your legacy.

I'm pretty in purple today... black and purple love no matter today's outcome.  My heart goes out to Ed Reed and his family and to anyone else going through a tragedy at this very moment.  

"TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART AND LEAN NOT UNTO THINE OWN UNDERSTANDING." ~Proverbs 3:5 *my sanity*