People Never Get The Flowers While They Can Still Smell Em

The plane finally lands in the airport, the car finally arrives in the driveway, and you grab your bags and finally walk up those back stairs. Greeted by the friendly faces and wonderful aromas emanating from the 'place you call home', you begin to sense it.  After all that anticipation, you're finally back, and so is that special feeling of warmth that permeates every household this time of year.  It sounds cheesy, sure, but it's all true.

Alone amongst all the rest, however, one house on Old Cutler Road in Palmetto Bay, FL won't be sharing its Thanksgiving with anyone.  Dreary and desolate, this house won't be filled with laughs over bottles of wine or smiles over slices of pie.  Even with a beautiful exterior and lush inside, this home is different.  It will always be different.  It would like to be the same as any other on Old Cutler Road, but it just can't be.

It has become a symbol of tragedy.

A year ago today, a man's life was taken after something that happened in that very home only a day earlier.  No details about what transpired in Palmetto Bay that night are needed.  Our feelings towards those responsible for his death should not resemble any burning vengeance.  According to all who knew Sean Taylor, vengeance was not his style.

"He got the bad rap," said Buck Ortega (in an interview with the Miami Herald), former teammate of Taylor with both the Hurricanes and Redskins.  "That was not Sean.  I saw how much he cared about the people he loved."

It all started when Taylor transferred to Gulliver Preparatory School in Pinecrest, FL.  He starred on offense and defense at Gulliver, rushing for 44 touchdowns (a state record) his senior season en route to a Florida 2A State Championship.  He had over 100 tackles for the Raiders on defense, and ended the season ranked as the #1 prospect in Miami-Dade County.  

Perhaps more important than any of his accolades earned there, Gulliver Prep was the place where he fell in love with a young woman named Jackie Garcia, of Key Biscayne.

After an immensely successful high school career, Taylor committed to the University of Miami.  As a freshman, Taylor played a key role in the team's 2001 championship run.  He was a star at the U by his sophomore year, when he was named a second-team All Big-East selection after finishing third on the team in tackles (85) and recording four interceptions.    

At the end of his junior year...well, Taylor might have been the best player in all the land.  He was named Big East Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-American, earned a reputation in the process as the fiercest hitter in the country.  He led the Big East with 11 interceptions and 77 tackles his junior season, and he declared himself for the NFL Draft.  

Taylor was one of six Hurricane players drafted in the first round that year, selected fifth overall by the Washington Redskins.

During his time in the NFL (about 3 1/2 years), Taylor racked up totals of 299 tackles, eight forced fumbles, and 12 interceptions.  Sports Illustrated declared Taylor the hardest hitting player in the NFL prior to the 2007 season, when he was also named posthumously to his second Pro Bowl.  

He was a player coming into his own, and he began to take the game more seriously.  He was quoted in a pre-2007 season interview as saying, "...you play a kid's game for king's ransom.  And if you don't take it serious enough, eventually one day you're going to say, "Oh I could have done this or I could have done that."  He was making an effort to change his reputation, one that was marred by a few unfortunate instances that had unfairly labeled him as another typical "Miami thug."  

That thug was now engaged to Garcia and had his very own 18-month-old daughter at the time, also named Jackie.  It is said that Taylor loved nothing more than reading to Jackie at night.  He cared about his family and friends, and, not surprisingly, his memorial service at Florida International University drew over 4,000 people, including past teammates and Miami alumni.  

Watching NFL legends like LaVar Arrington and Clinton Portis cry as they spoke at his service drew many viewers to tears as well.  Taylor meant something.  Taylor was special.  Taylor was different.  If you were at the candlelight vigil service at the University of Miami on December 2nd, 2007, you couldn't help but feel part of his beauty as you listened to the tear-jerking words of his fiancee.  

The NFL paid tribute to Taylor with #21 decals placed on helmets of all teams after his death for the remainder of the season.  You can pay tribute to Taylor, too.  Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner with your family and friends. Try to smile and remind your mother and father, brother and sister how much you love them as often as you can.  It's an opportunity that has bypassed men like Sean Taylor, and it's an opportunity that too many, myself included, take for granted on a daily basis. 

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, and to Sean: Rest In Peace.  We miss you.