Making Smart Decisions

After Ed successfully helps the people in the first three addresses, he gets another card. This time it's the ace of clubs and it doesn´t have addresses written on it, but it tells Ed to “say a prayer in the stones of home.” When Ed finally finds the stones of home, he finds three names carved to the rocks and realizes that he must help them just like the last three.  The first person is Thomas O´Reilly who is a priest in a church downtown. Ed helps him bring more people to his church by organizing a party with free beer before the lecture. The second person is Angie Carusso who is a single mother of three and buys ice cream for her kids every Thursday afternoon. Ed then buys her an ice cream the next thursday he sees her. The third person is Gavin Rose, a fourteen year old delinquent who fights his brother almost every day. Ed beats up Gavin and calls his brother to help him get back to the house. This way they stop fighting and help each other instead. Unfortunately, the Rose brothers later beat him up for messing with Gavin.

“Again at 3am I´m on the main street of town, this time scrubbing the paint off the road.

“Why me?” I ask God.

God says nothing.

I laugh and the stars watch.

It's good to be alive.” (165)

I personally liked this quote because it made me reflect  a little about my own life. It made me recall moments that had already been long forgotten, in which I'm thankful for being alive. For example, when my sisters were born (although I was only two years old but I still think that was a great day) or in my first day of school, or when my friends threw a surprise party for me or when I won a scholarship .These moments in my life have had an impact on me in one way or another and without them I wouldn´t be the person I am today. I consider these moments remarkable and memorable since they all make me happy and thankful for my family and friends.

“I realize that nothing belongs to her anymore and she belongs to everything.” (173)

In this quote, Ed is talking about how a single mother he meets at a park belongs to her kids without even realizing it. I thought about this and my mom came into my mind after a while. This quote made me understand how much I love and care for my mom even though we sometimes fight. She is the only one who knows me better than I know myself and she accepts me for just being me. Sometimes people surprise you with simple acts and words, well my mom has been surprising me for more than 13 years now.

I have come to the conclusion that whoever sends the cards to Ed, wants him to do something greater than himself. I mean, it's fine that this person wants to turn Ed into a hero but, why be so secretive about it? Also, I think that he or she should at least give Ed a break because who doesn't need a break sometimes. It didn't take me long to recognize and admire the effort Ed was putting into the happiness of total strangers. You know how sometimes we do good things (that we should do more often) and we get congratulated and praised for it? Yeah, well Ed doesn't get any of that, he barely even gets a thank you (sometimes not even that) from people he´ll never see again. Is that what he wants? Is that what he needs? Is he satisfied? Does he want more?