We wish a Happy Mothers Day & Happy Spring Days Ahead to our Major Gardener/Nurturer/Encourager of our beloved JOURNEY OF HOPE family!
This is a mini-tribute to Co-founder & Board Member Marietta Jaeger-Lane
"Loved ones, wrenched from our lives by violent crime, deserve more beautiful, noble and honorable memorials than pre-meditated, state-sanctioned killings. The death penalty only creates more victims and more grieving families. By becoming that which we deplore -- people who kill people -- we insult the sacred memory of all our precious victims."
Bill said in his auto-biography and story of "Journey of Hope" Copyright 2003 when he first heard Marietta tell her story, "I knew that I had found a new soul mate. I praised God for meeting Marietta." Bill and Marietta are still soul mates in the Journey Family today and together have helped steer "the ship" over smooth and rough waters with wisdom and plenty of love to go around.
Last year, Marietta won the prestigious Jeanette Rankin Peace Award. Read what this Pulitzer Prize-winning Toledo Blade had to say about the award and about Marietta's story here Toledo Blade Winner of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize Murder victim's mom speaks out...
A Clip from Step by Step featuring Marietta here
Hear Marietta's Story and Testimony here
When I began doing abolition work and meeting with family members of prisoners on death row as well as family members of the murdered years ago, I envisioned something like a journey of hope or at least a safe place where family on "both sides" could find out how much grief they could find in common. I was told that this was simply impossible. Yet not until I met and heard Marietta speak years ago near my home town and soon after that heard Bill Pelke speak did I really see that the impossible WAS already happening.
I look forward to continuing to follow Marietta's beautiful journey of faithfulness to forgiveness in the months and years ahead.
THANX so much beautiful Marietta - from us all - for your heart of gold and faithfulness and the sure, loving STRENGTH which is your true name.
The following is FROM BILL:
Thank you Marietta for letting God's light shine through you so brightly is has been seen around the world. As I have said many times, there would not be a Journey of Hope if it were not for you and the inspiration you have given me. Your life is a perfect example of how God tells us to live. On this mothers day I think of Susie, and the precious memories you have given us all to keep her spirit alive.
Thank you and happy mothers day!
I forgot to add that once eating in a beautiful Classical Spanish restaurant, we all needed to get into a lighter mood so I remembered some of my husband's bests and Marietta fortunately followed suit...they came faster than we could breathe in-between all the laughter...from all around the table..but I remember Marietta's were the best of the best! (I won't tell you what they were but they were for adults:)
ReplyDeleteAsk her to tell you one sometime.