1 Day At a Time
Member
husband and I went to our neighbor and his father's funeral service yesterday. It was held in a large, beautiful church in the Martin Luther King Jr. Historical District here in Atlanta. The church was packed with family, friends, and students from the high school where my neighbor was the assistant principal. People of all ages, races, and backgrounds were there.
Several of our neighbor's siblings spoke of their dear brother and father. Most touchingly, his youngest daughter, who is 17 spoke of her memories of her father while her uncles stood in a protective ring behind her. She told everyone present that she forgives her brother . It was the most powerful testimony that I have ever seen, bar none. There was not one dry eye in the church. We were all so proud of her.
The service was a long one, over 3 hours. Five ministers spoke, our neighbor's supervisor , the principal at the high school spoke , as well as many others. The principal informed everyone that our neighbor worked with the at risk students. He created a special community program for them and was known for giving 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances. She said that in the midst of disciplinary hearings he would always tell parents that their child was a beautiful and good person - they had just made poor choices.
One of the ministers charged the audience with the responsibility of giving care to the family - in little ways - by cutting the grass, running errands, helping with the maintenance of the home, being there just to talk. But he said that the most important thing was for us to be there for the son - who now sits in our county jail awaiting his hearing. He said, the government does not how to help those with these kinds of needs - it's now up to us.
More information has come to us regarding the days leading up to our neighbor's murder. Apparently his son presented himself to a local hospital asking for help and was turned away. It is obvious that the mental health system in our area is broken and needs a major, major overhaul. I am hopeful that one positive thing that can come from this horrific situation is a shining of a spotlight on the changes that need to be made.
Several of our neighbor's siblings spoke of their dear brother and father. Most touchingly, his youngest daughter, who is 17 spoke of her memories of her father while her uncles stood in a protective ring behind her. She told everyone present that she forgives her brother . It was the most powerful testimony that I have ever seen, bar none. There was not one dry eye in the church. We were all so proud of her.
The service was a long one, over 3 hours. Five ministers spoke, our neighbor's supervisor , the principal at the high school spoke , as well as many others. The principal informed everyone that our neighbor worked with the at risk students. He created a special community program for them and was known for giving 2nd, 3rd, and 4th chances. She said that in the midst of disciplinary hearings he would always tell parents that their child was a beautiful and good person - they had just made poor choices.
One of the ministers charged the audience with the responsibility of giving care to the family - in little ways - by cutting the grass, running errands, helping with the maintenance of the home, being there just to talk. But he said that the most important thing was for us to be there for the son - who now sits in our county jail awaiting his hearing. He said, the government does not how to help those with these kinds of needs - it's now up to us.
More information has come to us regarding the days leading up to our neighbor's murder. Apparently his son presented himself to a local hospital asking for help and was turned away. It is obvious that the mental health system in our area is broken and needs a major, major overhaul. I am hopeful that one positive thing that can come from this horrific situation is a shining of a spotlight on the changes that need to be made.
