By Amy Smith
DAD. A little three-letter, one-syllable word, yet the sentiment and pride it evokes are immeasurable.
Lee Williams thought he had forever lost that heart-warming sensation.
But God has the last word… And it was Dad!
On May 14, 1988, at 12:30 am, Lee and other parents were notified that the bus carrying the youth group from his home church, Radcliff First Assembly of God in Radcliff, Kentucky, had been hit head-on by a drunk driver as the youth group was returning home from a trip to Kings Island Amusement Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three hours later, he was told fifteen people were dead. He fervently prayed that his family had been spared.
As the night drew on, the number of victims grew larger. Lee desperately tried to cling to hope as it slipped from his grasp.
After a heart-wrenching and fearful night, Lee was told at 8:40 am that the most precious people in his life were gone. He had not only lost his two daughters, 14-year-old Kristin and Robin who was only 10, but his wife Joy as well.
Loneliness swelled about him as deep ocean waves that crest and then consume whatever is in their path. Despair and regret followed close behind and brought with them disappointment beyond words. Bitterness filled his soul as he realized the drunken driver had not only robbed him of his family, but of all the memories he had yet to make with them.
Days later, as he stood by their three caskets, pain filled his heart and tears filled his eyes at the thought of never walking his daughters down the aisle at their weddings, never holding grandchildren on his knee, or growing old with Joy. Remorse told him he should have said, ‘I love you,’ more often and cherished the tender moments spent together more passionately.
Material things that had once seemed of such significance no longer brought pleasure or comfort. His career as First Sergeant in the Army had once been a source of pride and gave him feelings of accomplishment; now it seemed completely void of contentment and pleasure. | Bible verses that comfort in times of grief |
Lee felt so isolated and alone on Christmas Day without his family. He thought of Job and related to his feelings of abandonment. Overwhelmed with grief, he knew he did not need to spend New Year’s Eve by himself. He made plans to spend it with some close friends who had also lost their only son in the crash. Retiring to his room early in the evening, Lee cried out to God telling Him that he could not go on like he was. He implored God to let him see his family just one more time to say how much he loved and missed them.
“Son, if I were to allow you to see your wife and children, this is what they would tell you,” ‘Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and strength.’
Although there were no angels that appeared and no streaming lights from Heaven, God spoke very directly, yet very gently to his heart. He said, “Son, if I were to allow you to see your wife and children, this is what they would tell you, ‘Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and strength.’ Then they would say, ‘Put your life back together and go on until you join us in Heaven.’ Your girls would say, ‘Daddy, we’re happy; you be happy and don’t miss Heaven.’”
Only minutes into the new ear, Lee Williams knew he would survive. He made a choice to not shrivel up and die from bitterness and loneliness. He started working on his attitude, finding things to be thankful for, and looking for ways to show gratitude. He began being faithful in Bible study and prayer. And he allowed himself to remember the good times he had shared with his family. Eventually, he even found forgiveness for the drunk driver responsible for the deadly crash.
God is faithful, and healing had begun.
Dotty Pearman’s husband, John, associate pastor of Radcliff First Assembly of God, was driving the bus that fatal night. Of their three children, Christy, Robbie, and Tiffany, only Christy was on the bus. John was killed, and Christy suffered second and third-degree burns over 60 percent of her body. She also sustained internal burns from inhaling chemicals and smoke as she screamed for her daddy.
When Christy learned days later that her father was gone, she asked her mother what would become of their family and who would take care of them.
God had a plan.
Because the Pearmans attended church with Lee, he started paying special attention to Dotty’s children because he knew they missed their dad. One Sunday evening, Dotty’s daughter Tiffany had stayed home from church not feeling well. Lee handed Dotty some Tootsie Rolls to take home to her. “Why don’t you drop by and give it to her yourself?” she replied. A smile came across Lee’s face. “Alright, I will.”
A bit apprehensive as to how her children would receive him, Lee followed Dotty home that night. After a brief awkward moment, Lee sighed relief as they welcomed him into their home. Although he would not admit it at the time, they were already making headway into his heart.
In January, one year after the Lord assured Lee, he would be OK, he asked Dotty to lunch at a quaint little diner in a small, sleepy railroad town a few miles away. Although it was a cold winter’s day with a chilly wind blowing outside, Lee’s heart was warm as he and Dotty left the café four hours later. They had shared with one another as nobody else could, understanding what the other had lost and how even the smallest of victories must be celebrated. Hearts had connected.
Four months later, Lee invited Dotty to dinner, reserved the same booth at the diner, and ordered flowers to be set on the table where they had spent that first afternoon talking. He proposed. She accepted.
“We know you will never replace our dad, and we know we could never replace your kids. But our Christmas gift to you is this…”
With Dotty’s daughters, 14-year-old Christy and Tiffany who was 8, as her attendants and her 12-year-old son, Robbie, walking her down the aisle, the two were married on July 8, 1989. Lee’s heart was full. He was now Dotty’s husband, and things were being redeemed. Now he could relate to Job on the other side of the battle.
Months earlier, his pastor’s wife, Martha Tennison, had told him that she had prayed through for him, and that God wanted him to know He would restore his happiness. He was happy, and he was being restored. But one thing was missing. He dared not even share it with Dotty. Lee missed being called ‘Dad.’ “Lord,” he prayed, “you have done so much for me and blessed me beyond what I could have imagined. If this is to happen, it must come from you.”
Five months later, as they celebrated their first Christmas Day together as a family, after all the gifts had been opened, Christy turned to Lee and said that she and her brother and sister had one more gift for him. “We know you will never replace our dad, and we know we could never replace your kids,” she said. “But our Christmas gift to you is this; we want to call you Dad.”
Not only did God restore what Lee had lost, but he also gave him another chance to create the memories he thought he would never have. Now he not only had two daughters to walk down the aisle on their wedding days, but a son to mentor as well. There was restored hope for grandchildren and for generations to come. Lee’s heart swelled huge inside his chest. Only God had known his deepest desire, and He, as a Father Himself, knew the importance of that little three-letter word, DAD!
Amy Smith is a freelance writer.
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