Hearts across the nation are still shattered over the race-fueled chaos that struck Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this week.
But nothing brings the tragedy closer to home than losing your own daughter to the crazed act of terrorism that tore through the city on that fateful day.
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Watching the horror unfold on news footage across the nation is one thing—but having to replay that crash scene over and over in your own mind for the rest of your life is quite another.
Such is the case for Virginia father Mark Heyer, whose 32-year-old daughter, Heather Heyer, was violently killed by James Alex Fields Jr. while simply standing up for what she believed in.
“We were just marching around, spreading love—and then the accident happened,” said Heather’s friend, Marissa Blair. “In a split second you see a car, and you see bodies flying.”
In an instant, the woman who was described by all those who loved her as a “sweet soul” was gone forever.
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But rather than remain bitter toward the man that killed his daughter, Mark is reflecting on the words and wisdom of Jesus to give him strength during this unimaginably difficult time.
“My thoughts about all of this stuff is people need to stop hating. They need to forgive each other,” said Mark in an interview released by Asbury Park Press. “I think of what the Lord said on the cross, ‘Lord forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.’”
