1. Who is the young man in this picture?
- The young man in this picture is Matt, a victim of April 16, the day that there was a shooting on Virgina Tech campus.
2. Who is the author of this article?
- The author of this article is the mother of Matt, Barbara LaPorte.
3. What happened to this young man?
- He was shot and killed during a shooting on Virgina Tech campus.
4. How did you feel about the first six paragraphs after knowing who the author of this article was?
- I felt glad after reading the first 6 paragraphs and knowing who the author was because to my surprise this essay was not about Barbara, the mother of Matt being angry, upset or depressed. It was her sharing her feelings on how she had forgiveness for the person who did it, and how she was not whatsoever upset or angry, and how her faith has kept her going, knowing that God is the final judge.
5. Do you ever find yourself saying “What if” after something bad happens? How do you settle your mind after “what ifs” circle your mind?
- Yes, i do often find myself wondering “what if” after something bad happens. It does leave me feeling very worried, and sad, and it leaves a bad feeling in me. But, i do settle myself, and i do that by constantly reminding myself that if it was meant to happen to me, it would, and that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes i get beside myself, and i worry too much about if things such as this would happen to me, but i always find that reassurance and remember that if God wanted it to happen, then it would and that everything happens for a reason.
6. How do you feel about the authors thoughts on the “circle of forgiveness?”
- I feel that the authors thoughts of the “circle of forgiveness” are very important to people’s everyday lives. I think this because, many bad things happen to people everyday. You can choose to forgive the person, or you can dwell on it, and cause nothing but heartache to yourself. Forgiveness does not only come as good for the other person, but it also helps you to move on, and help you get through whatever happened.
7. Pick at least two or more powerful lines of enlightenment that the author displays in her writing. Explain why they made you stop and reread them.
- ” True forgiveness is the point at which you refuse to allow yourself to remain hostage to sorrow or grudges. It is the releasing of your own spirit to continue to love and be loved; to accept mercy and to give it. Forgiveness is the ultimate empowerment.”
These lines made me stop and reread them because too often i find myself not wanting to forgive someone, or being to upset to even think about forgiving someone for doing wrong to me, and I’ve realized that it’s effecting me. It’s causing me sorrow, and grief, and most of the times it is keeping me hostage.
8. What are your overall feelings on this article?
- I feel strongly about this article because it really truthfully opened my eyes to a lot of things. Forgiveness is the main source in wrong doings. It allows you to be free from pain, stress, grief, and from people. Sometimes you close yourself off from other people. Wont allow anyone to do anything for you. Moving on and not holding grudges is very important in these situations. I feel that Matt’s mother is a strong lady. She is very strong to be able to move on from a situation such as this one, and not only move on but FORGIVE the people that did it. She has no hate in her heart. All she’s doing is holding on to the fact that God is the ultimate judge.
