Some years earlier, there was a man in Chicago called Easy Eddie. At that time, Al Capone virtually owned the city. Capon wasn’t famous for anything heroic. His exploits were anything but praiseworthy. He was, however, notorious for enmeshing the city of Chicago in everything from bootlegged booze and prostitution to murder. Easy Eddie was Capone’s lawyer, and for a good reason. He was very good! His skill at legal manoeuvring kept Big Al out of jail for a long time.
To show his appreciation, Capon paid him very well. Not only was the money big, but Eddie got special dividends. For instance, he and his family occupied a fenced-in mansion with live-in help and all of the conveniences of the day. The estate was so large that it filled an entire Chicago City block. Yes, Eddie lived the high life of the Chicago mob and gave little consideration to the atrocity that went on around him. Eddy did have one soft spot, however. He had a son whom he loved dearly. Eddy saw to it that his young son had the best of everything: clothes, cars, and a good education. Nothing was withheld. Price was no object.
And, despite his involvement with organised crime, Eddie even tried to teach him right from wrong. Yes, Eddie tried to teach his son to rise above his own sordid life. He wanted him to be a better man than he was.. Yet, with all his wealth and influence, there were two things that Eddie couldn’t give his son.
Two things that Eddie sacrificed to the Capone mob that he could not pass on to his beloved son: a good name and a good example.
One day, Easy Eddie reached a difficult decision. Offering his son a good name was far more important than all the riches he could lavish on him. He had to rectify all the wrong that he had done. He would go to the authorities and tell the truth about “Scarface” Al Capone. He would try to clean up his tarnished name and offer his son some semblance of integrity. To do this, he must testify against The Mob, and he knew that the cost would be great.
But more than anything, he wanted to be an example to his son. He wanted to do his best to make a restoration and hopefully have a good name to leave to his son. So, he testified. Within the year, Easy Eddie’s life ended in a blaze of gunfire on a lonely Chicago Street. He had given his son the greatest gift he had to offer at the greatest price he would ever pay.
Meditation: “A good name is better than precious perfume, and the day of death better than the day of birth.” – Ecclesiastes 7:1
Also Read:
- Expecting the Unexpected
- The Benefits of Wisdom: Triple Advantage
- Entities in the Bible: The First Surrogate Parent
- Lessons From the Geese
- Jesus, the Living Word
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