The Day the Angels Cried tells the story of an event that made history in the United States of America on June 22, 1980 when a gunman entered the worship services of the First Baptist Church of Daingerfield, Texas. In a matter of minutes, five people lay dead and ten others wounded with hundreds of innocent people wondering if they might be next to face the horror of death at the hand of a madman. For Larry Linam, it was a day that changed his life forever. It was during this worship service that he lost his first born child, Mary Regina Linam, his seven year old daughter. He uses the book to convey the emotions of anger, fear, hatred, and revenge that consumed his life for more than two decades while maintaining a working lifestyle to care for his family. He was living a life torn by a faith in God and a fear that justice would not be served by the courts. The events that unfold in his book as he bears his heart and soul leads the reader on a journey of a downward spiral brought about by depression, anger, and devastation as he makes attempts to exact vengeance upon the murderer of his child and upon the family of the murderer as well. The journey will also lead the reader into the joy and recovery that is found when hope is restored through faith in God and friends that never gave up on Larry Linam. He shares how finding forgiveness and giving forgiveness dispelled the darkness in his life and allowed him to tell the story to thousands and the desire to share with more that God's purpose for believers in Jesus Christ is the most important thing for anyone facing life's challenges.
The Day the Angels Cried
By Larry LinamAuthorHouse
Copyright © 2010 Larry Linam
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4490-5685-8Contents
Foreword Dr. Roy Zuck, Th.D......................................................viiChapter 1 - That Day................................................................1Chapter 2 - This Is War!............................................................7Chapter 3 - Horror in the House of God..............................................15Chapter 4 - A Father-A Funeral-A Failure............................................31Chapter 5 - The Bentwood Rocker.....................................................37Chapter 6 - The Trial...............................................................49Chapter 7 - Devastated by Divorce...................................................71Chapter 8 - Out of the Darkness-Into the Light......................................85Chapter 9 - The Experience of a Lifetime............................................99Chapter 10 - Finding Forgiveness....................................................117Epilogue Dr. Charles Vance, Th.D....................................................133Personal Testimony Jeff Linam, M.Ed. Tarleton State University.....................141
Chapter One
That Day
Sunday, June 22, 1980, in the East Texas town of Daingerfield, Texas, everyone was getting braced for the heat wave that was supposed to be in the forecast. It is difficult to predict Texas weather, and it was no surprise that meteorologists had missed again. The heat wave had arrived early.
The skies had already given their last blessing of cooling rain ten days before. The heat was already intolerable. The local media network had been warning people in the area to check all of the Freon in their air conditioners and to make sure their ventilation was functioning properly. The ice vendors were working around the clock keeping ice in the convenience stores and supermarkets. People had already made their run on the discount stores within a fifty-mile radius for coolers, summer drinks, and all the protective items necessary to withstand the climbing thermometers, along with the incredible humidity that accompanies East Texas heat. Fewer older people were sitting outside. The ones who would not give up the pleasure of watching the passing traffic from their porches had their fans hooked up and plenty of cold water close by.
I had awakened early that Sunday morning to skies that were rich, deep, cobalt blue. There were no clouds, and none in the forecast. I had gotten dressed quickly. I was serving as part-time minister of music and youth on a temporary basis at the First Methodist Church, and I needed to leave early. I was an early riser because of my job's starting time, so I got up about the same time every day.
I was just about down the steps out of the house when I heard the rush of little feet behind me. Gina, my seven year-old, had gotten up early and proceeded to busy herself getting dressed in her Sunday best. Gina was sharp-witted, always moving with excitement and anticipation. It just did not take her long to get into gear to go somewhere special like church. She loved being around people, and church was her kind of place!
With her hair brushed and her bouncy curls and smiling face with beautiful pearly white, teeth she looked at me with eyes so full of excitement and asked, "Daddy, can I go with you today?" Gina asked again as she came to the door to leave, "Please?"
She knew that it was not her Sunday to go with me, but she thought it would be worth a try anyway. She had nothing to lose. Who knows, I might have said yes. Maybe she just didn't want to face the wild shuffle that was about to take place as the rest of the family began to get things ready to go to church. I was the first out the door, and Gina was always ready to catch the first ride, always wanting to go.
Since I began my work at the Methodist Church, Gina would go one Sunday with me and then the next Sunday she would go to the First Baptist Church, our home church.
"No, Honey. This is not the Sunday you go with me. It's next Sunday," I said as I was leaving.
"But Daddy ..."
"Gina, I said no. Daddy's got to go now. Hurry up and finish getting ready. Remember the dollar?" And I went out the door.
"Oh, brother ... I know ... OK," she said turning from the door with a slight bit of disappointment.
I have realized that just because certain plans are made by parents for their children, the plans do not have to be written in stone. I could have been more flexible.
A seven-year-old whose only desire that day was to go with her daddy. The only thing is, Daddy did not see nor think the way he should have. Sounds like I'm being really hard on myself, but these are real hard facts, not just "what if" facts. I have to live with them every day. The important thing I learned here was not about going somewhere together. The lesson is that I missed the opportunity to say, "Honey, Daddy loves and appreciates your wanting to go with me. I need for you to help get other things done, but remember I love you very much."
Every opportunity to say what you feel about loving a person, big or small, carries far-reaching implications. So many times we just let precious moments escape us. Being a parent is not just coping with the circumstances of our family life, individually or collectively. As a parent, I should have seen the excitement, felt the excitement, and evaluated the simple request on my time. All Gina wanted to do was go with me, hear me sing, be by my side, sit on the front pew, and sing with me. What could possibly be wrong with that request? Oh, dear God, how I have tried to recall or to move time back and say, "You bet, Girl. Get in the truck, but tell them you are going with me." But, sadly, I realize I did not do any of those things that I should have done as a parent, and I cannot move time back now.
So, she did not go with me, but Gina was earning her own money to go to Six Flags the following Wednesday. This was a major challenge for her, and she was so proud to already possess a "pretty fair stash." She got a dollar from me every day for helping out around the house. It was a deal we had made, and usually Gina was very good about upholding her end of the bargain. Therefore helping get her brother and sister ready for Sunday school and church would be a great help and would allow her to earn more money for the trip.
The First Baptist Church had called a new pastor, Brother Norman Crisp, and today would be the first Sunday in his new position. A fellowship was to be held after the services that day, and we had been asked to provide cookies for the dessert table. My thoughts went back to the conversation a couple of days before the church fellowship to welcome the new pastor.
"My, this is fun!" Gina had said with dough on her hands, on her clothes, in her hair, and all over the cabinet and floor. She and her mother were like peas and carrots when it came to doing things like this together.
Gina was one of those excited little people who believed in spreading the idea around of having fun. As a matter of fact, she could scatter stuff all over the place, and this was one of those times.
"Will our new preacher like `um?" she asked, talking about the cookies.
"Sure, he will, Honey."
"Boy, I hope so. But, if he doesn't can we bring them back home and eat um ourselves?" Gina looked around with that familiar gleam in her eyes.
"We'll see. Maybe so. But I'm sure he'll like them."
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