Strong and Beautiful - Jana McCown

It was wonderful to see Jana McCown outside the somber setting of a criminal courtroom and present her with a copy of "Walking Between The Raindrops." The former First Assistant District Attorney for Williamson County graciously wrote the forward to the book. Over the years since the last sentencing hearing, she has become a dear friend and was an early supporter of our writing the book.

Readers will not only get a glimpse of Jana's amazing talent as a prosecutor in "Walking Between The Raindrops," but will see, as we saw, Jana bravely sitting in the courtroom for hours with the same sharp, plastic zip-cuff taken from around Paul's hands binding her hands tightly and uncomfortably behind her and the same red bandanna blindfold that was found on Paul wrapped around her head, covering her eyes to represent to the jury, and everyone else in the courtroom, a glimpse of what it was like for Paul during his captivity. This powerful visual will stay with me forever. No Hollywood courtroom drama could have been as compelling.

"Walking Between The Raindrops" is available in print and Kindle editions at Amazon.com.

#1 Hero

There is one person that, despite the personal cost to himself, was as much and, it could be argued, more, a hero than the deputies and the rangers and all the other officers involved. Taking nothing away from them, because they are most definitely larger than life stars in our world, the Number 1 hero in "Walking Between The Raindrops" is Paul Roland. He was terrified, yet he remained calm. He was ready to die but he kept holding onto God's hand, trusting that He would prevail. He never gave up and he never stopped trying to leave us clues. His strength throughout his captors' torture and threats is amazing. Torture and torment that would have destroyed most of us.

Paul Roland is Hero #1 in my book and in my life.

Heroes - Texas Style

The heroes of "Walking Between the Raindrops" are many. I've been keeping a list of names and agency references and it's just mind boggling. Many others, I know, I'll never know about. The list in the next paragraph represents just the ones "discovered" in records and reports provided to me by different agencies.

Here's my (partial)  Hero Hall of Fame:

Williamson County Sheriff's Office -  28+ officers and detectives
Texas Department of Safety - 8+ officers and helicopter pilots
Texas DPS Texas Rangers - 10+ rangers
Hays County Sheriff's Office - 6+ officers
Texas Department of Corrections - K-9 Unit
Austin Police Department - 3+ officers
San Antonio Police Department, SAPD SWAT and ROP Units - 22+ officers and detectives
San Marcos Police Department - Unknown
CERT Team Volunteer Search and Rescue - Unknown
U. S. Marshalls Fugitive Task Force - 4+ rangers
F. B. I. - 2+ agents
Laredo Police Department - 4+ officers
Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms - 3+ agents
A very brave little girl and her mom
Tom Roland

See? Mind boggling.

Two special people, however, are central characters in this book. They led the way, ran down every lead, never slept and kept all the wheels from falling off. You can read all about them in "Walking Between The Raindrops" when the book comes out this fall.  Until then, here's a couple of shots from the e-Book added video:

                          Williamson County Sheriff's Office - Dectective James Maugham

                                                 D.P.S. - Texas Ranger Matt Lindemann

Perspectives 2

It's Easter Sunday. The early service at church was packed. I loved sitting beside Paul and family. The grandchildren were especially adorable (of course). The pastor's message was exactly what I needed to hear.  Now, thinking about it all as we wait for the grandkids to come over and hunt Easter eggs and have dinner, I can't stop thinking about the mothers and fathers, wives and children of the people who upended our lives six years ago.

What is their Easter like? What are all their holidays like without their sons and daughters - husbands and fathers? The perpetrators' children will likely have children by the time they get out of prison. Some may never see their parents alive outside of prison again. Actually, some may never leave prison at all.

I know that when those mothers first saw them as babies they couldn't have looked at them and wished or imagined that one day that little boy or that little girl would grow up to be a kidnapper, a thief or criminal of any kind. From the parents that I've seen, it's a good bet that all they wanted for those children was for them to have a good life and grow up to be good people. What do the wives tell their children? What will become of their children?

It's Easter Sunday. I thank God for all His blessings, for our children and our grandchildren. I thank Him for all our family and friends. I thank Him for the gift of His son and the promise of the Resurrection. I thank Him for watching over the families and loved ones of the kidnappers and pray that they feel His love every day. I thank Him for holding the lives of the kidnappers and pray that they feel His love, too.

Perspectives

Looking back over the last six years, since Paul's abduction, gives me a strange perspective on the human condition. Since February 2008, there have been major natural disasters all over the world, too many school shootings, wars and rumors of wars and all manner of trauma for human beings everywhere. There have also been grand gestures of great populations around the world lending support and help to the world's most needy or devastated. Celebrities and politicians, students and organizations and faiths of all kinds rally together to send aid and money when horrible things happen to others.

The kindnesses I remember in our case weren't blasted all over by the media. They were quiet acts of kindness. Quiet acts of strength. Quiet acts of encouragement from people who were strangers, now friends, and existing friends who, by their acts then and still, define the very word.  They were from law enforcement. They were from the justice system. They were fellow victims. They were people who cared before we needed care; who continue to care today.

"Walking Between The Raindrops" is our journey from victim to victorious. It's the true story of heroes with uncompromising ethics in a world full of blurred lines. It's the true story of international organized crime terrorizing an average American family - average American grandparents. It's also the true love story of two people whose lives were torn apart and rebuilt.
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