I represented hundreds of people in my law practice before becoming a judge. Many of these faced felony or misdemeanor charges as results of their bad choices. As I reflect back on that period in my life I realized how blessed I was to have represented mostly people who admitted their mistakes and worked to improve their lives as a result. I run into a few of these every now and then and am proud that my representation was a part of their turn around.
But my successful defense of these clients isn’t the point. It’s their proper attitude. We read about and see TV news reports weekly about people who blame America, the police, etc. for their disappointing lots in life. Some of these people probably made similar mistakes as my past clients. Some may not have faced such obstacles of their own making. In either case, many aren’t fully embracing their role in life outcomes and will probably make the same excuses 5, 10, 20 years from now—they’ll blame everyone but themselves forever, up until the point where it’s too late to do anything about it. In the meantime, people like my former clients will look back on lives well lived, realizing that perhaps because of or perhaps in spite of their bad decisions they turned their lives around and became successes in this life with healthy and happy families as well as careers, homes, etc. as proof.
I salute Americans who made mistakes and didn’t let their mistakes define them. Put another way, God bless people who faced obstacles in life and took the bull by the horns. YOU are what the American Dream is about.
Paid for by the Committee to re-elect Judge Kevin Mark Smith 