No doubt, many of you are familiar with the book by Sister Helen Prejean, "Dead Man Walking", which became a award-winning motion picture starring Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn. Mr. Penn played Robert Lee Willie, death row inmate. He, with an accomplice, murdered the boyfriend of Debbie Morris and raped and tortured Ms. Morris, then 16 years old. Much of the movie focuses on Sister Helen's ministering to Willie and his redemption. I remember not thinking at all about the victims, just the story of Willie and Sister Helen. Which, now, irks me to some degree, but I understand, more than anyone the need for dramatic license and for us the journey that Willie took.
To which I say, "What about Debbie's journey? She was the only survivor of these fiends!" Ergo, her book, "Forgiving the Dead Man Walking", which many view as a book of faith and forgiveness. While true, it's so much more than that and I urge any survivor to read it. Debbie contacted me a while back and I was so humbled to hear her story and share my own. That website crashed and I've lost her information. Debbie, if you ever read this, I'd like to chat again.
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