MUST WATCH: Radio guests explain amazing story of tragedy and forgiveness

There are few things more powerful than forgiveness, and on today’s radio show Glenn invited two men on to share their inspiring and almost unbelievable story. In 2007, Chris Williams and his family were driving home when they were struck by a drunk driver, Cameron White. In the accident, Williams lost his wife, two young children, and his unborn son. In the moments after the accident, Williams knew that rather than harbor anger at the driver, he would forgive him. Today

“The story of these two men is absolutely incredible. It is a story of forgiveness and forgiveness of yourself and a willingness to let it go. And what a powerful story it is,” Glenn said.

” So right after I’m aware of what’s going on. I mean, certainly there’s got to be an element of shock. I’m not dealing the injuries I had sustained, but I was aware enough to desperately check for a pulse on my wife’s wrist and there was none. And I could see that she had an injury on her elbow that wasn’t bleeding and so it just started ‑‑ things started to add up that she was gone. I just ‑‑ that no amount of CPR or emergency assistance would bring her back,” Williams said of the accident.

“I look back and I see my son Benjamin just kind of leaning against the door and he looked so very peaceful as if he was asleep and I could see a huge gash on his head that once again wasn’t bleeding and if you’ve cut your head at all, you know that those things bleed a lot and so just once again this thought that he too was absolutely gone. And then as I looked to see my daughter, she’s actually leaning forward with her hair draped over her eyes, her face and, you know, I couldn’t see any physical injury. But once again I just had this thought that she too was gone. And that was the extent of it.”

“How did you just tell me that story? My gosh, I’m sitting here as a dad and Jeffy’s doing the same thing. How did you just tell me that story?” Glenn asked after hearing him describe it with such calm.

“I have a ‑‑ I have a core belief that they live on. I mean, this is a moment where I’m dealing with, you know, looking at their bodies that they’ve left here, but in a sense they’ve ‑‑ they’re entering a place that I would ‑‑ I call Paradise, right, just a place of peace. And as I’ve reflected on that moment so many times and the peace that came when I decided in that car to let it go, it has just, it has created this foundation in my life that I can ‑‑ that I can talk about it and reflect on it and remember my wife and my kids in a way that reinforces that they’re not gone, that they live on,” Williams said.

White, who was seventeen at the time, described what he experienced to Glenn: “In high school, Skyline High School and I was just a normal kid who liked to rebel, and I was at an acquaintance’s house. I had some alcohol. I had some friends I was going to meet up with and they called me, let them ‑‑ let me know that they were going to be at a Baskin Robbins. So I went there in hopes to find them. They weren’t there. So I called them and asked where they were. They were somewhere else. So they said come over and meet us. And I just felt tipsy at the time, but the last thing I remember is pulling out of the Baskin Robbins, and the next thing I know I’m walking away from my overturned vehicle and I’m looking back and trying to figure out what happened. All I know is something terrible happened.”

Again, Glenn could not believe that this story was being told with such calm and how, shockingly, the two had a close relationship.

Williams said their relationship was fantastic, and that together they are spreading a message of redemption with their book “Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness”.

I see the same thing in Cameron and so being with him, it’s ‑‑ there’s a wonderful expectation for the future. It’s almost like I get to kind of watch him fulfill I think the expectation that the judge saw as well, is that he has an incredibly bright future, he’s an incredibly talented individual and I think that’s really this message of redemption and had I not let that go, I would have missed out on this opportunity to do that.

  • http://youtu.be/0iRCvDwF26Q Revan

    All must forgive in order to be forgiven.  

  • Anonymous

    Meg–Wondeful story of forgiveness. Mr. Williams, you are a man one could pattern their life after. May God always bless you.

  • http://www.facebook.com/Shooter11b Steven Istvan Szabo

    I have always been of the opinion that you only forgive those that ask for forgiveness……maybe. NOT before, not as you stare at your murdered family. What kind of a soulless “man” has that reaction? Frankly, as an Infantry soldier and combat vet, I have ZERO forgiveness in my heart right now, so this story baffles me to my core. I am a Christian, and I know God forgives, as far as I am concerned it is NOT my job to forgive, but to arrange a meeting with God to provides his forgiveness or judgement. This kid is a MURDERER, with a convenient lapse of memory. These wishy-washy linguine spine ”Christians” make me ill. The proper response would have been two 230 grain hollow points to the chest one to the head of the murderer after the “accident”. Is this opinion “hate”? Yeah, maybe to some who also share a linguine spine.  

  • Anonymous

    if this happened to me, i wouldn’t forgive.  i tend to hold on to something because it is the truth.  because it happened — it happened even though it shouldn’t have happened and people in this world today are not serious enough.  so, that combined w/reality, that fatalities occurred that didn’t have to occur and that they wouldn’t have occurred if he were a serious enough person and for that lack of a grounded, personal responsibility and frivolity of the actions in the man, i find it very difficult to look at him and want to hear his story.

    many young people today get it wrong over and over again because no one is holding them to account.  perhaps this man will be different, i don’t know.  let’s just say, honestly, i don’t want to know because i don’t think we can know until many, many years have gone by.

    as for the man who lost his family, who am i to say this or that to him?  it is his life and he needs to live it the way he knows he should.

  • Anonymous

     Forgiveness is a process-one that is personal and can be a very painful process.   I can’t imagine losing my family in such a senseless way and it is not my place to judge anyone.  I admire this man for the  way he handled this tragedy.   We’re not dealing with a terrorist here, we’re dealing with a screwed up kid-a young man who may have the potential to do something good-and realizes he made a serious mistake.  If there is remorse, then there is hope-and it has to be real remorse, not the “I just got caught and I’m sorry I got caught” remorse.  

    I thank you for your service to our country-it is because of your courage that we can have the country and freedoms we do.  I understand where you’re coming from-and you fight people that are out to kill us and have no remorse whatsoever, which is where the difference lies.  You have stood up to pure evil-and 230 grain hollow points are probably the best way to deal with such evil!   This isn’t hate-this is the reality you dealt with while in the military, where you had to have a spine of steel, or you would be dead.

    Just a thought-I have found that if I don’t forgive someone (and there are those that I still struggle to forgive for their actions against those I care about), the bitterness I feel can be a cancer to my soul and to those around me. 

  • http://twitter.com/CynthiaRBrown1 Cynthia R. Brown

    as for the man who lost his family, who am i to say this or that to him?  it is his life and he needs to live it the way he knows he should. http://Millionaire4Project.blogspot.com

  • Anonymous

    please keep your spam off this site!

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Arlene-Schroeder/1403085973 Arlene Schroeder

    In God’s eyes, we are all killers–we murdered his Son on the cross.  Yet he forgives us.  He tells us that if we don’t forgive, we will not be forgiven ourselves.  Forgiveness is not done for the person who has done the wrong, but for the one who has been wronged.  Hatred will destroy your spirit.  You have to let it go, and with God’s grace, it can be done.  “Grace that is greater than all our sin.”

  • Anonymous

    MR. STEVEN SZABO … You obviously have no idea what it means to be a REAL Christian if you are saying such horrible things.  Every human being is priceless in God’s eyes … every single person is a son/daughter of a perfect God.  You sound like a very angry/bitter individual I feel sorry for you.  You call it “spineless” to forgive???  What Bible have you read?  Christ taught to FORGIVE and LOVE.  He came to this earth to teach us by example and His entire life consisted of acts of love … and the ultimate act of love, His sacrifice so that we might receive salvation for our souls.  This act was motivated by PURE LOVE and FORGAVE those that wronged him.  There is no place for hate if you wish to return to God’s presence one day.  I hope and pray that you find some solace in your life … and feel regret for saying such horrible things about a person that made a terrible mistake and will live with that regret for the rest of his life.  He did spend time in prison for his actions and he has been extended mercy and forgiveness by those he wronged.  I suppose by your comments that you feel that you have lived a perfect life, free of mistakes???  With all due respect Sir, I highly doubt that and if you wish to receive mercy and forgiveness from others – especially from God – then you must extend it to others as well.  THE MERCIFUL RECEIVE MERCY.

  • Anonymous

    MR. STEVEN SZABO … You obviously have no idea what it means to be a REAL Christian if you are saying such horrible things.  Every human being is priceless in God’s eyes … every single person is a son/daughter of a perfect God.  You sound like a very angry/bitter individual and I feel sorry for you.  You call it “spineless” to forgive??? What Bible have you read?  Christ taught to FORGIVE and LOVE.  He came to this earth to teach us by example and His entire life consisted of acts of love … and the ultimate act of love – His sacrifice, so that we might receive salvation for our souls.  This act was motivated by PURE LOVE and He FORGAVE those that wronged him.  There is no place for hate if you wish to return to God’s presence one day.  I hope and pray that you find some solace in your life … and feel regret for saying such horrible things about a person that made a terrible mistake and will live with that for the rest of his life. He did spend time in prison for his actions (and this was not a pre-meditated/malicious act like those you battled in war), and he has been extended mercy and forgiveness by those he wronged.  I suppose by your comments that you feel that you have lived a perfect life, free of mistakes???  With all due respect Sir, I highly doubt that and if you wish to receive mercy and forgiveness from others – especially God – then you mush extend it others as well.  THE MERCIFUL RECEIVE MERCY.  And as for what you said about the man wronged in this situation … He is more “man” than you’ll ever be.  He knew he had to forgive and let go so he could continue to be a good father to his other children.  And he knew that forgiveness, however difficult it may be, is always the Christ-like action.  We have been commanded to forgive as a way to have peace in our lives and in our souls.  It takes a STRONG individual to forgive.  He is a Christ-like example.  Good luck to you in your life Sir.  I hope you find peace.

  • Anonymous

    One more suggestion MR. STEVEN SZABO … you need to read Mr. Williams book, “Let it Go,” to get some deeper perspective on the situation.

  • Anonymous

    tinyurl.com/cyk9xz2