While We Slept: Finding Hope and Healing After Homicide

by Marcy Pusey, Jeremy Pusey

Murder changed their lives. Faith and hope changed their grief.

On July 13, 2005, newlyweds Marcy and Jeremy woke up to the murder of his mother— just down the hall—while they’d slept.

In this evocative book, Marcy and Jeremy Pusey bring you straight into the heart of their survival story, sharing the hope they found with the shock and anguish of their family tragedy.

This gripping work chronicles the grief journey of the newlyweds, tackles the nature of forgiveness, and shows how they moved through their pain to change the world. Their story demonstrates how faith can move mountains of resentment and hate to rebuild a life of healing, reconciliation, and joy.

While We Slept is a eulogy for a missed mother, a legacy for her children and grandchildren, and a lighthouse of hope for anyone else flailing through a tragedy. This book is not only the story of one mind-boggling murder, but also about how we can find courage in trauma, forgiveness in devastation, and how we can triumph after heartbreak.

And then there’s hope.

*The print book edition contains news articles, used with permission.

251 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2019

About the author

Marcy Pusey is an award-winning author of many bestselling books for adults and children, an international two-time TEDx speaker, and the Founder of Miramare Ponte Press. With her passion for storytelling and commitment to uplifting others, Marcy loves inspiring her readers with powerful tales that touch the heart and stir the soul. She also enjoys helping fellow authors pursue their writing dreams by providing them with coaching, consultation, and publishing services.

Marcy has spent her whole life helping others. Through her work as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor and Certified Trauma and Resilience Practitioner, she helps people discover the emotional tools and support they need to grow beyond trauma and embrace their lives to the fullest. Her two TEDx talks, “How Story Empowers Kids to Shape our World” & “You Are More Than Your Traumatic Experiences”, have garnered international attention.

Marcy is proud to lead a life of adventure. She’s tossed pizzas for a pizzeria, sang in a musical, advocated for families with special needs, made appearances in a few movies, and mimed with balloon animals at the Halifax Busker Festival. She’s also the mother of four humans and two pups. For more information about Marcy and her work, visit her website at www.marcypusey.com or www.miramarepontepress.com

Reviews

[Mary]

Newlyweds Marcy and Jeremy Pusey were sharing a home with Jeremy’s parents, who were both retired college professors, and were preparing to leave for a missions trip to South America later that day. On July 13, 2005, they were awakened by Jeremy’s father Clifford, who let them know there was something wrong with Mary Ann, Jeremy’s mother. Jeremy rushed down the hall to discover the lifeless body of his mother, who had been beaten to death in their living room.

This book discusses the terrible tragedy Mary Ann’s murder at the hands of her husband, who was suffering from dementia, and how the family was able to regroup and to begin healing through their abundant faith in Jesus Christ. Marcy has included relevant news clippings and family photographs that help the reader get to know Mary Ann and to experience the great loss to their family and their community.

Marcy and Jeremy have written a book that provides a unique perspective on trauma and forgiveness that has resulted in a unified and stronger family unit. I am truly in awe of their ability to find beauty from the ashes of Mary Ann’s murder and their strength and courage in sharing their journey with the world.

[Amy Mullen]

Mental Illness, death, life, love, forgiveness all make an impact in While We Slept: Finding Hope and Healing after Homocide by Marcy Pusey. I am not a religious person so I expected this aspect of the story to be something that wouldn't resonate with me. However as Marcy shared how her faith led her to forgive her father-in-law (who murdered her mother-in-law with no memory of the crime and significant mental illness as a factor) I found that her faith was not brought up to proselytize, but rather to explain her thinking, emotions and motivations. I found this story of how Marcy and her husband Jeremy went on after an unthinkable tragedy did much to honor the memory of Jeremy's mother, portray his father with honesty that included dignity in spite of the circumstances.

[A.M. Brown]

While We Slept is an amazing story of faith and family and about finding redemption and forgiveness even in the face of unspeakable tragedy. Inspiring to anyone, but even more so I think for those of us with a strong connection to our faith. Healing, thought provoking, and unforgettable.

[Lisa]

A bit too religious for me

This really needs to be in the spiritual section. IT z IS a memoir also, but not mostly spiritual. I'm not a religious person at all and was not thrilled that this book was mis-labeled.

The story was a very sad one, and the way the family got through it without splitting up, since they were so newly married, is amazing, but they did the right thing. Many times one party is unwilling to, leaving the other one wondering what they can do to help.

The one complaint I have is that I worked with foster children and when you adopt a child, they become a part of your family, just like your bio kids. There is a letter to the "victim's grandchildren" in this book which lists the kids names, giving only ,3 children. There are a total of six kids when you include the adopted children.I'm not sure if that letter was written before the adoptions, or if it as written to purposely leave out the adopted children, but it completely broke my heart when i saw they weren't included in the letter. They are to be your kids in EVERY sense of the word when you adopt them and I don't understand that part.

[Linda J. J.]

I "lived" in this book for a month, appreciating the story of how Marcy and her husband felt and coped with the murder of her mother-in-law by her father-in-law when the rest of the family were asleep. It is a gripping tale of loss, the tragedy of untreated mental illness, and the amazing grace the family found in the midst of it all. The book was a real tribute to Mary Ann, her mother-in-law --a fine and beloved mother, citizen, and professor.

[Elizabeth Sanguedolce]

Powerfully Insightful Inspiration

The curtain pulls back and the Puseys share their lives in truth and faith. The searching, the struggles, the pain and triumphs are shared with honest reflection and courage in the face of tragedy. Love wins.

[Nancy Eible]

Wonderful Read! I enjoy this fast read so much. Very moving and touching tributes all through it. Very sad at times but what a lovely family came out of it

I would love to read more of Marcy’s writings. Great author. And the pictures throughout made it much more personal.

[Kimberly]

It was an easy read because most of the chapters were short. I loved the book for the Hope that Jeremy and Marcy kept through all the ups and downs they experienced. They believed in God and trusted Him through some very tough situations.

[Amanda]

A poignant memoir of tragedy, healing, and forgiveness.

[Geanne Meta]

This is such a raw, sad but true account of a family's horrific reality. Well written and full of forgiveness - it is a powerful example of human's overcoming the worst with grace.

[Elsie McKenney]

Enjoyed this book immensely! Marcy opens up her heart and we walk with her through terrible things. She shares how God was faithful through it all. The family pictures were a bonus! Highly Recommend!

[Joyce Lefler]

I had the privilege of meeting the author. We share similar stories - my son was murdered by a babysitter. I admire Marcy's courage to go on and forgive her father-in-law for murdering her mother-in-law. This book is a good read for all those who have suffered great loss at the hands of another.

[Joy RS]

This is a story that caught me up from the very beginning. Not only is it about a journey through an exceptionally chilling event that no family should ever have to endure, but it is also a beautiful tribute to a truly special woman.

The book has great spiritual depth and spoke to me on several levels, but its content is such that I believe it will appeal to people of all beliefs and non-beliefs. It is heart-warming in its vulnerability and openness and must have been very difficult to write. I salute this courageous couple and the way in which they have endured. And I also appreciate the many photographs that they included in the book. It made the reading experience far more real, as though I had been welcomed into the family circle itself. I am grateful that it was written.

[Julie Schooler]

This exquisitely written memoir defies genre categorization - part murder mystery, part family drama, part love story. It is a no-holds barred look inside a family before and after a tragic event. The story keeps you turning pages but it is the author's vulnerability and compassion that provide a deep emotional connection to the book. I would warn against reading it if you do not hold (or would find annoying) the same deep felt Christian beliefs as the author. However, you don't need to share the same religious convictions to find the story mesmerizing in its combination of horror and honesty.

[Rebecca]

Death life forgiveness

What courage it must have taken to write a book like this. Getting over a death is one thing and painful enough, but if that person is killed by a partner, it is even worse. Forgiveness is hard enough, but only God could have brought them to the stage where they could be in the same room and place with their father. A beautiful testimony.