Monday, March 3, 2008

It always hits me...

This is going to be a somber post, so steer away if you don't want to read it.

A 15-year-old local high school freshman was killed in a car accident this past week. We have determined that she was the niece of a man we knew from our martial arts school. It always hits me particularly hard when a young person dies. Not that older people don't mean as much to me, but it hurts when it is someone who is just getting their feet wet in the huge ocean of life. I look at my girls and I still sometimes can't believe I have children. I can not begin to fathom what this young lady's mother (and father) are feeling right now. Another 15-year-old is in critical condition at the PICU of the hospital our girls spent their time in the NICU. While I know how it feels to stare at your baby and not be able to do anything, i don't know what it means to stare at your child and not know if they will live. I sit here and wish there was something I could do besides just pray for these people.

If that isn't enough, I open Yahoo news and find the story of 6 people found dead in a Memphis home, including two children, as well as three other children wounded-- all under the age of 12. And the killings at the Wendy's. And the killings at the universities. And the stores like the Lane Bryant shootings. I can't help but wonder what motivates people to kill. I know I know, I might as well contemplate the meaning of life while I'm at it.

Why am I blathering about this? Because part of me wants to live in the middle of nowhere and live off the land because as unlikely as it is, I hate that one day WE could be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Have you ever thought that? Maybe I'm just a tad nutty. Not to sound like Rambo or anything, but I'm very glad that I have a carry/conceal pistol permit and a martial arts background. Both of which I would not hesitate to use to protect my family. It is so senseless.

I guess aside from prayer the best we can do right now is cherish what we have and enjoy every second of life with our families, friends and children.

*Getting off my soap box* And now, we return to our regular scheduled programming of happy-go-lucky babyness. Uhm...later, though, as it's rather late.

6 comments:

I am Arizona; a person, not a place. said...

Ever since I had kids I've thought about being in the wrong place at the wrong time and I'd LOVE to go live somewhere safer where I had some acreage for my kids to play and I don't have to worry about cars and weirdos and psychos. My brother was killed in a car wreck when he was 18, so I understand that fear, too. Its very sad and hard to get through. I don't know that you ever really do get through it. You just go on. Which is strange because you think the world will stop or at least pause for a moment to recognize your grief, but it doesn't. It just keeps moving. We are all mere blips on the radar screen. How's that for somber? School shootings really freak me out because Luke is starting preschool this fall.

Kate said...

Yes, the schools are particularly hard to read about/see on television. Our elementary school when I was a child was hit hard by a number of senseless deaths. Car accidents, father killing his wife and child. I have relatives who homeschool their kids...I might have to talk to them about that...

Jocasta said...

For us all the mass shooting seem to be so far away. Lucky really but we have only had one here about 20 years ago. Car accidents and domestic abuse on the other hand is a whole different story. When I hear about stories where kids are abused it makes me cry. There are some very sick people in this world no matter where you live

From the Board said...

You know it is everywhere. We did move from FL to the mid-west to lessen our chances of being in the wrong place at the worng time. But things can still happen. Scary. I think about these things too.

girlytwins said...

I know I have always been sensitive to these types of tragedy's but ever since we have had our girls it gets me even more so too. I hate watching the news at night. last week it seemed as though every day there was some type of multiple shooting. It was so awful. I am sorry to hear about the teenager in your town. It is so sad to hear about young promising lives cut so short.

I am Arizona; a person, not a place. said...

We're thinking about homeschooling our kids. Not because of violence, though. We believe we can educate our kids better than a school can. It just takes a lot of commitment and I don't know that I have it right now. I'm too tired. My two younger brothers were homeschooled and are very bright people who are very independent thinkers.