ROCK-SOLID APOLOGY: Winchester writer shares story in latest ‘Chicken Soup’

Published 9:47 am Friday, November 8, 2019

Luke Knight was in the second grade when an older student threw a rock, hitting him in the forehead.

The bloody, black-and-blue gash in his forehead needed about four stitches.

“It was pretty bad,” Luke’s mother, Terri Knight, said. “So I took him to the hospital.”

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Terri said she was furious at first, but after learning the incident was purely accidental, her attitude started to shift.

Terri shares how she and Luke, who is now 17, learned to forgive the young girl who threw the rock in Terri’s story, “Rock-Solid Apology,” which is Chapter 74 in the new “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul released its latest book, “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix,” Tuesday. It is now available in stores and online.

Terri has a degree in psychology, substitute teaches elementary school and writes in her spare time. She moved from her hometown of Cleveland to Winchester because of her husband’s job. She currently works at Strode Station Elementary School in the computer lab.

Terri has two sons, Mark and Luke, two rescue dogs and one cat.

She has had several pieces published in literary magazines, books and newspapers, and she has won several writing contests.

“I got published here and there,” Terri said. “I’m not Stephen King, obviously, but I like to do it. I’ve always liked to do it. It’s kind of like an outlet.”

Luke said he remembered his mother reading to his class as a substitute teacher. Terri read them a story from a magazine and asked, “Who do you think wrote this?”

It turns out Terri had.

“That was cool,” Luke said.

Terri said she hopes to write a novel someday.

She’s been writing since she was a child, and it’s something Terri picks up whenever she has the time.

Luke even edits his mother’s work for her, Terri said.

“He’s my editor,” she said. “He edited this last one.”

Terri said she wrote the story during two weeks in the summer; she had to keep it under 1,200 words. She said she had almost forgotten about it until she saw the email congratulating her for making the cut.

“I was excited to see the email pop up,” she said. “… It’s just nice to see your name in print for something good.”

Terri has had a few other pieces make it into a “Chicken Soup for the Soul” book, such as ones about organization and loss.

According to a news release, the key theme of “Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Forgiveness Fix” is giving each other the benefit of the doubt. More than 100 stories in this collection go deep inside the lives of people who came back from everyday disputes, disappointing family relationships and terrible transgressions — abuse, deliberate malfeasance and even murder.

People wrote in to describe how they were able to put even the worst experiences behind them so “they could climb out of their dark holes, shed those heavy cloaks of anger and resentment and stride forward unencumbered on the road to a bright future,” according to the release.

Terri encourages people to buy the book to support local writers and to read some heart-warming stories.

“There’s a lot of good stories in here about forgiveness,” she said.

Terri said this book could help others come to terms with something or someone in their life.

“It might help them,” she said. “A lot of people could put themselves in the story, and then it might help them someday move forward.”

About Lashana Harney

Lashana Harney is a reporter for The Winchester Sun. Her beats include schools and education, business and commerce, Winchester Municipal Utilities and other news. To contact her, email lashana.harney@winchestersun.com or call 859-759-0015.

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