The man I killed was emotionally retarded. He'd been on a trip with a group from an institution in Atlantic City and had wandered away from the group. They never figured out how he ended up standing in the middle of the road on the Hutchison River Turnpike north of New York City. I guess that explained why he made no attempt to move.

The beautiful, powerful thing about music is that it can calm you in the darkest of nights. The song slowly came up from the recesses of my mind where I'd driven it. It didn't come in any order. I'd remember what turned out to be the third line of the second verse, and then the second line of the first verse. But, it all eventually came back. I led a group at a Potluck dinner/gospel sing between my Lutheran church where I was a member at the time and the black Baptist Church across the street. It took more courage than I thought I had to sing the song, and I had to give the background before I sang it in order to do it. When I was done, this guy from the black church came up to me, threw his arms around me and said, "Man, I love you!" I'd never seen him before. He turned out to be Frankie, who I asked three months later to join my gospel quartet.

These are the words to the song"

I take cold comfort in the ways of man
I see no justice in this land
I feel the anger of the unstayed hand
May my heart find rest in Thee

CHORUS:
And in the darkness, give me the eyes of faith
In my sorrow, send down your healing grace
And on my journey, may my path be straight
May my heart find rest in Thee

Give me the wisdom that I might understand
Give me the courage that I might take my stand
And when I'm weary, lend me a helping hand
May my heart find rest in Thee

Some spend their lives in a search for power
Ignoring treasures time can't devour
All that I ask in my final hour
May myu heart find rest

I was given that song to carry me safely through the darkness of that night.

Jerry