Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004
Lt. John F. Finn
I should definetely be studying more for my Adolescent Psych test right now, but instead I've decided to add an entry to my eleven day long neglected diary. I really don't feel all that guilty about the not studying bit, due to the fact that I feel as though everything I've learned in the class has been a regurgitation of what I learned in Psych I & II. I know the theories of Freud, Maslow, Hall, and Bandura. Plus, a lot of the adolescent psych stuff we've learned has sort of become common sense and was suprisingly well absorbed in class. So, I suppose that is a credit to my professor for actually keeping me interested in the material and for getting it to stick in my brain.
Anyways, a lot has happened between now and my last update.
One being that my cousin John (actually my second cousin) a police officer in Albany New York, who had been shot two days before Christmas while in pursuit of a robbery suspect died this past week. He was only 38 years old, had two daughter who are nine and 20 months, and a lovely wife.
Needless to say, the outpouring from the community has been overwhelming, especially for my Great Uncle Billy and Aunt Mary. The fraternity of the police department and the appreciation that the city of Albany had for Lt. Finn was clearly evident in the way in which he was honored during both his stay in the hopsital after his critical injuries were inflicted and at the beautiful rememberance ceremony that was held for him for family on Monday night.
And of course, as per Irish tradition when a family member dies, there is a great deal of eating and drinking. Though, I could tell that this part of the healing process for the Finn and Duffner families was important. It also enabled those of us, who were continuously getting second hand information about John during his sickness, to really sit down with his immediate family and discuss the details of the shoting and the outpouring of support that accompanied it and his subsequent death. The stories were truley beautiful, and included funny anecdotes about John's sense of humor, good grace, and full life, that lent some light to the purpose of this horrible tragedy. It was exteremly fufilling to see the Finn family bond together to support one another. They were still able to laugh and reminisce as well as appreciate the fact that John's death was, although premature and tragic, not in vain and, ultimately, part of a high powers great plan.
Also, unbelievingly, John's mother, father, and wife have already written a letter to the state requesting that his killer not be sentenced to be executed. They specifically stated that both John and his family do not support the death penalty and that killing the man who shot him would be a direct insult to his memory and work as a police officer. To hear his mother and father speak so opposingly to such an idea causes me to wonder whether or not I could be so forgiving under such circumstances.
In the end, there will be a huge memorial ceremony on Saturday that will include Sen. Hillary Clinton, the governor of New York, and numerous other public servants. They are expecting upwards of two thousand people to attend the service and are holding it at the Pepsi Arena in Albany as a result.
Also, directly after the service for John on Monday night, my family and I headed home. My Aunt Mary, Uncle Gary, and Grandparents left a bit before us due to the fact that Margaret (my grandfather's wife) started to have chest pains after the service. We thought that this was due to the emotion and stress of the weekend and would be helped if she left the environemnt. However, the pains did not stop and after my Aunt recieved instructions from my mother, who is a nurse, over the phone, and Margaret took lots of nitro, she was forced to pull over and call 911.
Luckily, they made it to the closest exit, had an ambulance waiting for them, and Margaret was taken to the nearest hopsital for medical care. She's all right now, but went in for a Cardiac Cath test today to see what is going on with her heart. Hopefully, the problem can be fixed and won't require massive surgery like my Grandfather's did.
So, anyways, keep both the Finn family and Margaret in your prayers. Life is exteremely busy and a bit stressful at the moment. I've wished numerous times this past week that I did not have to contend with an insane semester on top of it all, but thats life, and I'm coping all right. Time management is a beautiful thing when it works, but when one is emotionally and phsyically drained its hard to keep the old scholarly wheels turning.
Mmmkay. Its three fifty one now, so I'm going to go review my notes one last time and head over to the Admin Building for my test and class.
I'll update when the time permites...
ted-ted at 3:33 p.m.