PETERS: Some grace is in order for Carson Hadwin

An effort to get into a shed for shelter didn’t work, so he did what any of us adults would have done: he used the clues he observed to try to find a way back to civilization.

Carson followed sounds of snowmobiles and automobiles, knowing they would lead to people.

He tried to stay awake and moving, knowing that stopping would put him in danger.

But still, the critics feasted.

Why did he go out of bounds?

Why was he up there snowboarding alone?

Why didn’t he do this or that when he was trying to find his way back?

What about the costs of the rescue effort?

There was even criticism of the t-shirt he was wearing when he spoke to CFJC’s Jill Sperling.

Those are questions Carson and his family can think about as they look back at this incident – but as for the rest of us, maybe it would be best if we can learn some lessons and withhold the judgement.

We’re very quick to believe we would have done something differently or done something better.

Our viewpoints into the situation, as outsiders, are very clear.

The bottom line is that people, whether teens or adults, occasionally make mistakes and need a helping hand — or at least some grace from the rest of us.

You’ve heard that sometimes a kiss is just a kiss? Well sometimes, a lost teenager is just a lost teenager.

And he needed to be rescued. And he was. And let’s just be relieved that that is the case.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or the Jim Pattison Broadcast Group.

by James Peters

PETERS: Some grace is in order for Carson Hadwin

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