Is There A Heaven For A "G"?

As we are preparing to enter the "Passion" season, which commerates the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, I am particulalry drawn to the story of the thief who is crucified next to Jesus. In all the pain and discomfort, he famously requests of Jesus, "Remember me when you come into your kingdom". What a powerful and provacative statement. This man, whom we know little but can assume only negative things because of his current predicament on the cross, has the audacious hope to ask for the Son of the living God to remember him. What nerve this man has. We don't know his background or his shady associations, but he surely knew. He knew the mistakes and wrong turns that had caused his life to cascade down this horrible path to destruction. I know that we all can feel this brother, because if we are truly honest with ourselves, we have not crossed every T or dotted every I. We have some things in our past that we are not proud of and if we take it even further, if it was another day or place, could have found ourselves in some unescapable situations with some reprehensible consequences. But thanks be to God, that this brother did not let his past or painful predicament stop him from receiving relief from the only one who could give him what his soul and heart really needed. Jesus looked this broke brother in the eye and said, "Today, you will be with me in paradise." Wow, there really is a heaven for a "G", even me.....Peace and Blessings, RevCEGJr