A Patriot's Calling by Lt Colonel Dan Rooney

Author:Lt Colonel Dan Rooney
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780062992239
Publisher: HarperCollins

20.

Forgiveness

Do not judge, and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.

Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

—Luke 6:37

THE DAY WAS WARM AND FILLED WITH PROMISE. AFTER THEIR regular visit to church, Chip Ferlaak, his wife, Jody, and their children—Teagan (four), Brock (two), and Wyndham (six months)—ventured out from their hometown of Gaylord, Michigan, for Sunday brunch. A landmark building in nearby Johannesburg, the Old Depot, stood outside their ordinary path but was an ideal spot to simply enjoy a meal and experience some great family time.

The restaurant was packed. The Ferlaaks were seated right up front. Amid a crowd of happy faces and friendly chatter, the children welcomed the parade of entrees that fanned across the table, seemingly covering every square inch of the surface before them. With wide-eyed excitement they went to work on their chocolate chip pancakes, happily joining the chorus of satisfied friends and families enjoying their meals.

Then suddenly this comfortable melody of laughter, dialogue, utensils, plates, and cups erupted into a terrifying explosion of cracking timber, shattering glass, and twisting metal. Their world exploded around them.

Chip lay unconscious on the hood of a car that was idling in a tangled mess inside the restaurant. Jody, having suffered extensive trauma, opened her eyes to find Teagan contorted on the ground where seconds before her chair had supported her spirit-filled four-year-old frame. Despite her injuries, Jody somehow managed to reach her daughter, but there was nothing she could do. Embracing Teagan’s lifeless body, she instantly knew that Teagan had already left for heaven. Wyndham, pinned between the grill of the car and the wall, suffered injuries that would leave her with permanent brain damage.

En route to meet with her husband, Cynthia Kundrat had decided to commit suicide by driving her car straight into the restaurant where the Ferlaaks and many others happened to be eating that day. Kundrat survived her attempt to end her own life, but her horrific choice that day brought death to little Teagan and Margaret “Peggy” Koronka, age twenty-nine, wife and mother of two. Over the coming months, Chip’s, Jody’s, and Wyndham’s physical injuries would heal, but the psychological impact will surely be felt for generations.

The Ferlaaks endured unspeakable suffering. Jody, who had been thrown across the room, hit a counter and several tables and suffered severe nerve, tissue, and muscle damage to her legs; she spent a month in a wheelchair. Chip ended up in critical condition with eighty stitches in his head and an infection in his lungs. Unable to leave the intensive care unit, he could not attend his daughter’s first memorial service.

Returning home without Teagan was excruciating. In addition to coming to grips with their own pain and loss, the Ferlaaks were left to explain to Brock why his sister would not be coming home. They tearfully explained over and over that Teagan was in heaven. Young Brock asked time and time again, “How can I get her down?” Wyndham, just six months old, underwent

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