The gift of forgiveness
By Rae KrugerMARSHALL - The night Sheila Bass heard her daughter Morgan, 17, had been killed in a crash on Minnesota Highway 23 near Cottonwood, she prayed.
"I immediately asked God what I should do," Bass said. "He said two things. I needed to live because I was not the only one who lost Morgan. And I needed to forgive Courtney (the driver in the crash) because she is also His child. I did not even know her (Courtney Voorhees) name at that point."
Bass and her husband Ted Bass, of Kandiyohi did forgive Voorhees for drunken driving and driving the vehicle that hit their daughter Morgan Leigh Cline's vehicle parked on the side of Highway 23 on Nov. 12 near Cottonwood.
"I could have been in her shoes a number of years ago," Sheila Bass said. "There is a verse in the Bible that says, 'he who is without sin, cast the first stone.'
"I can't condemn (Voorhees) for things I've done myself."
"It could have been anyone," Ted Bass said. "It's not just drunken driving, it's a bad decision."
It could have been a driver who was using a cell phone, texting on the cell phone or not paying attention in another way, Bass said.
But on Nov. 12 it was Voorhees. Their daughter was a senior at Willmar High School and was enrolled as a student in the post-secondary education option program at Southwest Minnesota State University in Marshall. She was a committed Christian, determined to share her love and faith in Christ with everyone she met, her parents said.
Voorhees, her husband Lucas, and friends and family attended Tuesday's plea hearing in Lyon County District Court where Voorhees pleaded guilty to a charge of criminal vehicular homicide and criminal vehicular injury for Cline's death and injury to Dustin J. Woodworth, 18, of Marshall, a passenger in Cline's car.
Cline's parents were also at that hearing and sat with Voorhees' family.
"I didn't think forgiveness was something I'd ever (receive)," Voorhees said.
"It was just a shock to me that someone could have that much faith to be that kind to want to forgive me so I could work on forgiving myself," Voorhees said. "I am working on forgiving myself.
"I think forgiveness is on-going and it will be for the rest of my life," Voorhees added. "How do you live with the fact you took someone's life?"
She's taken responsibility and has agreed to a serve a three-year, five-month prison term in a plea agreement that has not yet been acted on in court.
Ted Bass said if Voorhees hadn't taken responsibility for her actions, they likely wouldn't be doing things like speaking in church together or meeting with Voorhees. Still, they'd be forgiving her.
"We'd forgive her, and what she'd do with that would be up to her," Ted Bass said.
The parents have attached no emotional pressure to the forgiveness.
"I've gotta think she will be under a certain pressure not to screw up," Sheila Bass said. "But we've talked to her. She will mess up. We all mess up. The only one who was perfect was Jesus."
While Cline's parents have forgiven Voorhees, it doesn't mean they don't experience pain and sadness at the death of their daughter.
"I had one of those moments (Monday)," Sheila Bass said. "A song came on the radio and it was one of Morgan's favorite songs."
Her voice broke to tears when she said, "When that happens, I have to take a moment. I miss her and wish she was still here. Then, I think of where she is and realize she does not want to come back here."
Ted Bass grabbed his wife's hand and said he, too, has such moments.
The parents and Voorhees have been willing to share their story with others. They spoke together at Cline's church in Willmar and this past Sunday at Swan Lake Evangelical Church in Cottonwood.
Sheila Bass said among those attending Sunday's service were relatives of children involved in the Feb. 19, 2008, Lakeview School Bus crash that killed four students and injured several other students and another driver.
Olga Franco, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, was convicted in the crash but maintained throughout the 2008 trial she was not the driver of the van and said her boyfriend was driving when the crash happened.
"The community itself is still trying to recover from that loss," Sheila Bass said. "A lot of people said to me one of the biggest issues they have is the person who caused the accident won't take responsibility."
But forgiveness doesn't require that, Cline's parents said.
"We need to forgive and let God take care of the rest," Sheila Bass said.
Voorhees, too, said she was angry when the bus crash happened and angry with Franco.
Voorhees said she understands the difficulty people have when Franco doesn't take responsibility.
Still, "I can definitely feel for her, if she is feeling guilty and trying to live with what she did," Voorhees said. "She didn't get up in the morning and say she was going to kill four kids. No matter what, I hope that when people hear our story, they may be able to, just a little bit, forgive her."
Voorhees understands the meaning of such an act.
"I have been given a wonderful gift," Voorhees said. "I know this has made a huge change in my life. I will be six months sober soon and I didn't know if I'd ever see that day. What I did was a horrible thing, but I can still look in the mirror and be OK with me."
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sunny08
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05-13-09 2:40 PM
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im sorry but i dont think id be so willing to forgive voorhees. i personally know the Clines and i was one of morgan's best friends. we were too close for me to just up and forgive her for what she's done. It was irresponsible and unbelievable that someone who was drinking vodka to willingly get into a car and then drive off. Now because of that one womans choice morgan will not come back and wont be able to have another moment of life again.
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Jeremy
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05-07-09 4:09 PM
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I don't discount that she is sorry, but to willing intoxicate yourself over the limit and then drive into another vehicle was her choice. This is a choice she should have to pay for. If I shoot someone I have made that choice and just because I say I am sorry does not make what I did any less severe. The gift of forgiveness does not warrant the gift of absolution...perform the crime do the time...
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openmindedopinion
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05-06-09 1:40 PM
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It is evident that good and positive things are happening out of a tragic situation. Many people have and will continue to be impacted in a positive way by this situation and story. It can't get any better than that!
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merioncooper
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05-06-09 1:27 PM
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Sorry. I didn't mean to overstate it. I agree that Olga has showed a lot less remorse, if any. Trying to be more clear, my point should have been acknowledging the very clear willingness to forgive of the Bass family.
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Shalesha
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05-06-09 11:18 AM
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Merion - Who said there was less overall outrage? This sounds like an assumption and don't see it as a fact. I will state and admit I was more outraged with the Olga trial due to the fact she was pinned behind the drivers seat and still states she didn't do it!! In this case when the responders/etc pulled up to the accident or during this whole ordeal did she once herself state she did not committ the crime? Both were caught on the scene one admitted her faults the other after being charged is still stating she didn't do it! There may be some of us more outraged or some less but don't speak for the whole town unless you have talked to all of them.
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merioncooper
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05-06-09 11:03 AM
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I don't want to judge Voorhees. I wish her well in her recovery attempts, hope she is sincere about them, and also hope that if she lapses (many alcoholics do), she won't get behind the wheel again. Also, I commend the reactions of Morgan's parents, and think about the irony. There could be a psychology study here: Many were calling for Olga's head when she killed four Cottonwood kids, but when a Cottonwood woman kills someone else's kid, why is there less overall outrage? I hope Voorhees comments on sympathy for Olga find their way to others' hearts, too. As the Morgan's parents said, none of us is without sin.
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rangeral
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05-06-09 10:47 AM
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Friends don't let friends drive drunk. Too late for the victims of drunk driving so no amount of excuses can bring them back. Twenty years minimum in jail if you drive drunk and hurt or kill someone else who can't be expected to know that the drunk driver has problems.
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Shalesha
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05-06-09 9:57 AM
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First I would like to set the record straight on the past articles that have been printed regarding Courtney's case. I grew up in Cottonwood my whole life.I nor anyone in my family are SBRAUN whom is posting their "opinion." This article says it all.She had a disease and though this accident could have been prevented a disease whether alcohol, depression, gambling etc will put you in a different frame of mind and you don't always see what's right or wrong.For those of you casting stones as done previously I suggest you take a look at the above article to see that you are not as perfect as you crack yourself up to be. If you think you are perfect and have never made a mistake or had bad judegement when it came to something I pray for you and pray the lord sees you the same way as you see yourself on your judgement day.Everyone needs to sweep in front of their own doorstep first before casting stones on others.
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