sad news at Cornell

Everyday, just pick up a newspaper, turn on the news, or look online.  You'll easily find more than one story that makes you want to hold your child a little closer and tell him (or her), "Be careful. One careless step, or one reckless act, can ruin, or even kill you." 

There are over 14,000 undergraduates at Cornell.  The chances of asking a student if they know someone and getting a positive response are low.

Last summer, Alexander was moving out of one apartment into another.  He had a few days between the end of one lease and the beginning of the next one.  So he had the problem of where to dump all his stuff (and himself) for a few days. He asked a student in his apartment complex if he and his belongings could stay in his room for a few days. Alexander offered to pay the student $50.  I remember Alexander calling me and saying, "Hey, this kid is really nice.  He said sure, but and he's only going to charge me $20."  Who does that?  

I get an email from the school last week.

It turns out that this is the same boy who so thoughtfully took only $20 from Alexander last summer.

Then today I read about another Cornell student.  This too, is an awful story, but for very different reasons.

I text Alexander.

So much can go wrong so quickly.  One bad decision and lives are ended. And when it happens to people so young, it is all the more devastating.


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