"Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings your glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain"
Mercy Me, "Bring the Rain”
(lyrics link)
While this song has been out for more than two years, I still can’t listen to it without crying. Shannon, my strongest desire in this life is to glorify God. I fail miserably most of the time, but God knows my heart; and I keep on trying. I don’t know why my daughter’s life was taken from her. I don’t know why her daughters’ lives have been ripped in half. My heart breaks for my granddaughters. But I trust God…now…forever.
There is so much I would like to share with you but I can’t. We have to do this right…through a court of law. I will tell you this: If we had any doubt of Matt’s guilt, we wouldn’t go forward with this trial. We wouldn’t put ourselves or our granddaughters through this. However, it is because of what we do know (so much more than what has been made public) that we MUST move forward. I am reading this wonderful book, “the Shack.” There is a statement in it that says so clearly what Jim and I believe: “…judgment is not about destruction, but about setting things right.”
Matt said on “48 Hours” that I reside in anger. I don’t. I never have. I never will. I trust God. I can’t allow anger or hate to reside in my heart and squeeze out love. I am always amazed when people say (these words have been from people who support Matt), “Let it go. Move on. These little girls have lost a mother and they shouldn’t lose a father.” This stuns me. If you KNEW…If you had evidence…strong evidence…that someone killed your child…and now this man was raising your grandchildren…how could you live with yourself if you walked away???? That would be another crime. We must do all we can to set things right.
I do not hate Matt. I pray for him and I pray that I will be able to forgive him. I am not there…the forgiveness part. I want to be. I am a work in progress…still quite flawed. However, forgiveness does not mean forget and it does not mean that crimes should go unpunished. We want nothing more and nothing less than the truth revealed. Matt must be held accountable for what he has done. I am so sorry any of this happened. But things must be set right so that two little girls can be saved.
Thank you, Shannon. You are a wonderful she-warrior.
Linda
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Allllllllllrighty........
With just 2 days to spare, Matt finally has found an attorney to represent him. Finally! It is time to more forward!! He has tried to stall the process....but delayed justice is still justice. You can't bury the truth when honorable people won't give up or give in.
There will be more information coming. Hang tight.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Just a quick note...
Thanks again for everything,
Shannon
Friday, September 12, 2008
From a close friend in high school...
Thanks, Julie =)
Kari and I were close friends for a couple of years in high school and we lost touch after school.I remember when I first started hanging out with her in her little red car - driving back and forth from Waco to Gatesville. We were driving one day and it started to rain, she flipped on the windshield wipers and nothing happened. She remembered that they were malfunctioning and her dad disconnected them the day before. We rolled down the windows and tried to "wipe" the windshield ourselves, just laughing the whole time...thankfully the rain stopped quickly and we could see again, but we were drenched. She was just the funniest, sweetest, craziest girl I knew - full of life and energy. She is missed tremendously!
~ Julie Robken Kopp
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Sweet Memory Comment....
With school starting, I wanted to share a few memories in honor of Kari. I taught in the room right next to Kari's. I could often hear Kari and her class through the walls. You could tell when she had done something funny, her whole class would erupt with laughter.
I can still see her flip-flopping into my room (with her Reefs on)and talking with her hands, her bracelet just a jingling! She was often excited about something.
We got together with a few coworkers to exchange Christmas gifts. She had picked out a gag gift for me. At school the children have to walk quietly in the halls. We call this "Panther Pride." She gave me a pair of GIGANTIC red underwear that said, "Panther Pride" on the bottom. I found them in a closet a few months ago and laughed out loud.
Jill