A good name

Mia,

You have it pretty good right now. It's a big, bad, mean world out there. The kind of place where wrong is wrong, only for a brief moment, as long as the ends serve the means. People will do anything to gain even just a temporary advantage. The Proverbs remind us that a good name is rather to be had than all riches, honor, and glory.

As I think about being your Dad, I think of another Dad a thousand miles away in Springfield, Illinois. I think of his daughters, 4 and 10, who were awakened on Tuesday morning by the FBI arresting their father because he forgot that a good name is rather to be had than all riches, honor, and glory. According to the Government's affidavit, for a little while, he had riches and glory. But now his name is dirt, and always will be. I think of their mother, who projected a philanthropic image of public beautification and children's literacy. Yet according to the Government's affidavit, it is allegedly her voice heard in the background in a profanity streak "Hold up that f---ing Cubs s---. F--- them" encouraging her husband to withhold state financing to facilitate the Tribune Company's sale of the Chicago Cubs because the newspaper owned by that parent company resisted pressure to fire a member of the editorial board who called for the governor's impeachment.

It is easy to be like the Pharisees and point out how sinful "those people" are when, in reality, there but for the grace of God go I. Pray for them. Pray for me, that I remember that a good name is rather to be had than all riches, honor, and glory. Pray for me that I might teach you the same, too.

Daddy