Tragedy − Too Close

I heard a number of sirens, but not the gunshot that summoned them less than 30 yards away. Apparently that noise was muffled by my washing machine and dryer.

It's not unusual to occasionally hear the screaming of emergency vehicles on the thoroughfare nearby, even over TV or music. But after ten years, I only notice them if there are many, and Wednesday night, there were. Because the sirens were so incessant, at one point, I went outside to see which direction the vehicles were going. I didn't stay outside long enough to see some of them pull into my own small community of town homes. It was just a short time later that I received a phone call from the wife of the president of our home owner association to alert me, as a Board member, to what happened.

Like all horrific incidents, there is always speculation and misinformation. At first, it was thought a domestic situation resulted in the shooting, and we soon learned a fatality occurred. A few hours later, it was known to be a suicide. All of this occurred so close to my town home that I can easily see the unit from my patio. When the draperies were opened, the multiple and lingering flashing lights confirmed that something bad had, indeed, happened.

It was even more unnerving to me for another reason. Just the day before, I was walking my grand-dog and encountered two of the three people living there. It is a rental and on the street separated by our common ground between the homes. We said hello and spoke briefly, not knowing that the next day held such a devastating secret.

Our neighborhood is comprised mostly of live-in owners in addition to some rentals, so we often don't know the names of transient residents, or sometimes even when they move in or out. But the wonderful thing about human nature is compassion, even when you don't really know someone. Whether it is an epic event like 9-11 or a cataclysmic natural disaster, people come together and want to help. And that's just what has happened during the last 48 hours in our small community.

Of course, my first response was to pray for the unfortunate, departed soul, and also for those left behind; that's something I will continue to do for a while. Even so, at the same time, I am also most grateful for what God has instilled in us − the desire to care for one another. Simply put, tragedy often shows us the real reason we are here.