I woke up this morning with mixed emotions. February 13th is a sad day in my family. Today is the day, 12 years ago, my brother and sister-in-law's beautiful baby girl Sophie (my niece), just shy of three months, stopped breathing unexpectedly and went to be with Jesus. I remember praying so hard that day for a different outcome, and not getting the answer I wanted or hoped for. I started my day thinking about how life is hard. Things are not fair in this world, and even for a person who has a personal relationship with Jesus, it can be so discouraging and down right frustrating to not understand the bigger plan. Many people have their own version of a "February 13th" like my brother and sister. For the Kuschels, every year they will have their "February 25th". That hard day of the year, when their world crashed down.
I woke up thinking about Lacey's family, and Judge Anderson. Doubt was creeping into my mind and I was preparing myself to hear the worst. As is natural, instead of listening to the overwhelming support the recent blog post received, the voices of the few people who said things like, "they have already made a decision, nobody can make a difference here" were bouncing around in my mind.
Those naysayers were hushed when I found out that the Judge heard our voices. Almost 50 letters made it to the Judge between the two business days that we had before this hearing. The letters were referenced during the hearing, and I am overwhelmed to inform you that he decided to defer the sentencing in regards to the plea bargain. I was informed by a family member that the judge referred to the letters of concern that had been filed and referenced different points that were expressed within the letters. And let me tell you. Some took the liberty of showing me a copy of their letter, and wow. The ones I read really stirred my heart.
What deferring the plea means, is that the Judge has decided to post-pone making a decision on anything until June. This means there is more time for the courts to look into evidence and analyze the case. This means, that WE (YOU) told Todd County that we cannot allow what happened to Lacey to just be swept under the rug and close up shop. This also means that you can keep sharing Lacey's story, and keep sending letters until June. Speaking of sharing Lacey's story.....
I was hesitant to share this part with you, because I want you all to know this comes from a place of humility. I wasn't going to share this number, because I don't believe it is a reflection on my writing, rather, that of divine intervention with a silly little blog and people who care about working together to do the right thing. It shows the power of a small town rallying together to not let the world forget one of "their own". When my niece died, I wasn't a mom yet. I didn't know if we were supposed to keep talking about her, and for a long time, I never really said anything about it, because I was scared to talk about it. Now, as a mom of three, I know. While a lost child is sacred territory that needs to be handled with care when speaking of, no mother wants her child's story to be forgotten. Especially when that child has to leave way before "their time" or is taken in an unjust manner. However because of you all:
Over 86,000 people have read Lacey's story. We made a group effort and decided we would not let people forget about her right now. WE would tell the WORLD about her. (Seriously...121 people in Germany? 92 in Switzerland?) People often scoff at Facebook or social media saying things like, "well...nothing important can actually be done there..." After this, I have to disagree. It's a new way in which we have power to share information. When certain news outlets choose to not cover a story this close to home, we have power together. EIGHTY THOUSAND PEOPLE became aware of this story because people had the heart to care and to hit the "Share" button. Forty eight people took the time to send a fax (which, I mean, how old school can you get?) and took the time to email attorneys. My first reaction when hearing the amount of letters, was, "oh man, I was hoping for more!", but then I was reminded of the power of prayer. Can you even imagine the power of 80,000 prayers? It's bigger and better than letters I bet. With this in mind, I want to mention that I feel the blog post about Lacey was just part of a larger group effort because of the seeds people closest to her had been planting over a year in an effort to keep her memory alive. I remember seeing an old high-school acquaintance, Jim Leaders, comment on an article last week, about the trial being cancelled, and it stuck in my brain (power of social media, once again). Then my dad happened to mention he got a hair cut by a woman who brought up Lacey's story, because she wanted to talk about things that mattered. Then when I felt the nudge to write something Lacey's cousin, Sarah Kuschel, took the time to visit with me on the phone late into the night to make sure I got the information right. My friend Becca (who was Lacey's teacher) proof read it. Like the old saying goes, it takes a village. Over the last year, so many people have been a part of feeding the flame for Lacey's story and encouraging her family. Rachel Downs posted a moving video to YouTube, she has also served as a rock for Lacey's family in bringing them comfort through scripture and spending time with Aspen. Tia, a woman with the talent of knowledge, keeps the Kuschel family going in the right direction. Katie is the person who always asks the right questions and is the biggest cheerleader for advocacy no matter what it takes. Erin planned the memorial barrel race to celebrate Aspen's first birthday. People helped to make and sell shirts and bracelets and silent auction items were donated. The Kuschels tell me there is an endless list impossible to give me, of people who have sent stories or shared pictures that they have been keeping and making a book out of for Aspen when she is older. Aspen's room at her grandparents is filled with pictures and memorabilia of her mom. They so want Aspen to have a loving home with two stable guardians. WE need to help see them through this battle.
While I feel extremely encouraged today, the work is not done. The plea is still on the table. We have to continue to use our voices to call accountability to Todd County and especially Todd County Child Protection Services in this case. Ask them to see this through until the end and do their due diligence. The plea that was proposed was guilty to count 1 - unintentional manslaughter and count 2 was dismissed. You know I like to put important things in all caps, so here is that part. COUNT TWO WAS THE CHILD ENDANGERMENT PART. So, you are hearing this correct. A man shot a woman while holding a baby, and the child endangerment count was dismissed. Do you think that is crazy? I am here to tell you again, you should send a letter. Also, both sides are asking for a maximum of no more than one year. One year people. The Todd County Attorney assigned to prosecute this case, kinda sounds like a person you want on your side if you are the person who shot someone in the back. Let's just all call this for what it is. PURE LAZINESS AND LACK OF EFFORT ON THE PART OF A FEW PEOPLE IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. Maybe mention in your letter how you feel about that one year sentence. You could also demand that answers are looked into for the following questions:
* Why are both parties agreeing to a one year max sentence when the defendant doesn't have the greatest of history with law enforcement? Why is everyone just agreeing to this as "unintentional"? While I believe in innocent until proven guilty, why are we not even going to check out if guilty is an option here?
* Why did he tell the 911 dispatcher that the gun fell off a counter, but then changed his story that he "turned around fast" in the bedroom?
* Can anybody vouch to where he was at between 5 and midnight? What was happening between those hours? Can't we look at state highway cameras for his vehicle? Credit Card records? ISN"T THIS IMPORTANT?
*Why was there a live round out on the floor?
*Do you really want to live in a world where somebody can get shot and serve LESS THAN A YEAR?
Did you not have time to send in a fax this past week? Well, if you choose to care about this, now you have time. In your letter, you need to stress to the judge how you feel about this story, where little Aspen should be raised, and how Tyler Slagerman should be charged. On Facebook, you can join the group "Lacey Kuschel Deserves Justice", to keep you informed on the latest on goings of this case. Also, I have example letters and am available for help on how to fax them in correctly.
In closing, this was a verse I came across last night. I feel like it sums up how many feel at times in their life. Some more than others. A bruised reed can't bear any weight at all, and a smoldering wick is seemingly useless, just a tiny ember that has been wiped out by the wind around it. This verse, is Christ speaking of his compassion to those who have felt the lowest of the lost. I know what it is like to question and doubt because of the evil in this world. However, He will not break us down more, or snuff out that ember. He will bind us up and restore our usefulness. I read a paraphrase of this written by a man named Alan Carr who wrote:
"We need not fear the trials, sorrows, sins, enemies and troubles of this life. None of them will ever be able to quench out our light completely, Our tender Lord will sustain us, and support us, and see us through. He saved you to do a work of grace in your life that would endure through eternity."
Don't let naysayers quench out your light friends, and don't let the evil of this world discourage the work you are here to do. Keep choosing to let God work through you, for reasons He might only understand. And if you know the "Big Story" in God's plan, you know that justice will prevail even though we don't understand why these things happen. We don't get to know right now why babies stop breathing or why beautiful mothers are taken from their children. We do know we are called to help each other out and fight the good fight. We are here right now to keep doing the important work (that is different for each of us) until we see the victory at the end. So friends, keep on "keeping on" with any good work that gets put before you.Labels: Stories of Others
