Hot! Jessica Ghawi's Legacy

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Superheroes live forever. That s part of what defines them as such: those among us who, in times of need by channeling heightened born abilities or summoning strength out of its seeming dormancy achieve immortality. There were several heroes that emerged out of that darkened movie theater in Aurora, Colorado Friday morning, where a masked man opened fire on civilians. Some heroes pulled the wounded out of harm s way; some dove onto their loved ones to absorb the volley of bullets and shrapnel issued by the gunman; some risked their lives to preserve the lives of others. I m focusing on one hero whose contributions come in the form of a profound message that hangs and weighs on the mind and in the heart days after Friday s tragedy.

Her name is Jessica. As many people know at this point, she was an aspiring journalist. She d moved from Texas to Colorado to follow her passion for sport, particularly hockey. Known for her generosity of spirit , she wove herself into her adopted community; just last month, she worked to help donate hockey equipment to children who lost everything in a spate of fires that destroyed many homes. She d also planned to perhaps start a charity on their behalf. By day, her name was Jessica Ghawi , and her job was waiting tables to pay the bills. But she moonlighted as Jessica Redfield, her journalism-devoted alter ego, and she was starting to make a name for herself.

On Friday, host of the Denver morning show Mile High Sports Peter Burns honored her as a deeply passionate sport enthusiast who was vibrant and full of life. She d interned for Burns in San Antonio , Texas, and followed him when he moved to Colorado. Her writing was blossoming into a distinct voice, one with pith, clarity and moment. She wrote occasionally for , a sport gossip site. Some excerpts from a few of her columns:

Many people keep asking me what my NHL predictions are for this season. My go to answer is, The team that wins 16 post season games. You see, I don t like pre-season rankings or predictions in any sport, especially hockey. Hockey is the fastest and most unpredictable sport out there. There have only been two teams to hoist Lord Stanley two years in a row in the past 20 years. The rankings fluctuate constantly and the unpredictability makes the sport even more exciting.

I decided to do my pre-season picks this year in a slightly unconventional way. This is where I pulled out a Magic 8 Ball . Unfortunately I don t have a real Magic 8 Ball, so I had to settle for an electronic one I found on the Internet. (Although I do feel a real Magic 8 Ball would come in handy for all of life s difficult decisions.)