Mary Johnson Case Study

Imagine getting the news that someone had killed your child. You would probably be mad, upset, and even depressed. You would probably blame anyone who witnessed it, and you would probably want nothing to do with your child’s killer. Mary Johnson was shocked to get the news that her son had been shot and killed after an argument at a party. She was devastated, but she didn’t let that get the best of her. She stayed strong.
At first though, Mary became very depressed, and she didn’t want to go anywhere or do anythi. Her only child had been killed and now she was alone. She felt compelled to forgive her son’s killer because she knew that would be the only way to get out of the state of depression. She contacted the prison where her son’s killer was staying. She sought permission to speak to her son’s killer. She wanted to find out why he would ever do something like this to

begin with.
After she finally got permission, she went to visit. When she first got there Oshea Israel was eager to apologize, but she stopped him and said, ''Look, you don't know me. I don't know you. Let's just start with right now.'' This quote is particularly inspiring because she showed mercy and forgiveness to someone she had never met. She proved she was willing to get to know the person who had killed her son. She later learned that the reason that he had killed her son was because he was under the influence of heavy drugs and alcohol. The more and more she talked to him, the more he opened up and She knew he wasn’t really a bad person.
As a result of getting to know him, he got out of jail early, and she recommended him to her landlord.

She did something that many of us wouldn’t have been able to, and a little while later he moved in next door. Soon after that they became friends. Mary was kind enough to help her son’s killer ease his way back into society. She helped him recover from heavy drugs and alcohol. Most importantly, she gave him somewhere to live. Mary continues to support her neighbor daily. He supports her as well.
This is a story of an unlikely friendship. It inspires me to be forgiving, but it also inspires me to do more than forgive. It inspires me to be friends with everyone, even the people who try to put me down. I know that if she can forgive someone for big things, like someone killing her son. I can forgive people in my life for the little things, like someone calling me a name. I know that if she can do something so great, I do something great too. Mary Johnson is also someone who inspires me because she had the ability to love her enemies. This ability is what makes her the hero in her community

today.
Mary Johnson forgave her son’s killer. Then she took a step further and let him move in next door. Most people wouldn’t have been able to do that. She was extremely forgiving and I know that if she can forgive someone for killing her son, I can forgive people in my life when they do something small.