My mom told me that her friend had recommended this book to her awhile ago and I completely forgot about it until recently. I was looking for a book to listen to this summer while driving to Idaho and this one came to mind. I started this book a couple of hours into the drive and couldn’t stop listening.
Terri Roberts was at work one day when she got a call from her husband to come to her oldest son’s home right away. On the way to his house she heard a lot of sirens and then heard on the radio about a shooting at an Amish schoolhouse. She immediately felt concerned for her oldest son because she knew he worked near there and wondered if he had been injured trying to stop the shooter. But just moments later she was shocked to find out that her son hadn’t tried to stop the shooter, he was the shooter.
Terri opens her heart to the readers as she shares the nightmare that unfolded on the fateful day and the healing that has taken place since then.
Although I cried while listening, the book wasn’t overwhelming sad (although it could have been). Thanks to the Amish and their overwhelming love and forgiveness for the entire Roberts family, this book is filled with love and mercy.
While I remember the Amish schoolhouse shooting taking place, I never imagined that the shooter would be someone that came from such a loving home. As a mother, my heart went out to Terri as she describes her experience. I learned so much from her and was awed by her goodness and faith.
This book is worth the read (or listen!). I have thought about it so many times since reading it and am amazed at how the power of forgiveness can transform the lives of individuals and communities and can bring hope into the the most hopeless situations.
