REDEEMING VALUES

Can Harry continue to do the right thing?

Three months ago, when I was getting a haircut, I mentioned to my barber that my wife and I had recently streamed 3 seasons of a popular TV series which had aired on one of the cable TV networks.

I asked her if she had watched it and she politely informed me she had started watching the series but stopped because none of the characters in the drama had any “redeeming value.”

Recently, I reflected on those conversations and started thinking about Harry Miles. Adopted by a family after his birth parents were killed in an automobile accident, Harry’s first experience with redeeming value occurred while a teenager when he learned a valuable lesson from his adoptive father, Morris.

Whenever Harry had faced a crisis in his teenage years, Morris had always advised Harry to “do the right thing.” Once when fourteen years old, Harry had shoplifted a Compact Disc (CD) from a store, he reacted differently than Harry had expected. When Morris found the CD and realized what Harry had done, he had not screamed or yelled at Harry. He sat Harry down and told him if Harry kept the CD, nothing would be done. He told Harry it was always important for Harry to make a choice. He pointed out to Harry.

Morris said, “The choice you make about this will determine how you will live his life after this. You’re going to have to be the one to decide what the right thing is and then decide if you want to ‘do the right thing.’ Neither Flo nor I can watch over you.”