I NEVER DREAMED THAT ID BE WRITING THIS POST A few nights ago my husband & I were discussing current events around the world. Something I said during our discussion caused him to respond this way, “Yeah, I know, you just want everyone to hold hands and sing Kum-Ba-Ya.” I let that thought bubble around my brain for a few days and came to the conclusion that actually he was spot on. Bring out the guitars, let’s all get in a circle & light the campfire. I know that’s not going to happen…..but, kind of like winning the lottery, we still play even though our chances of winning are like a bazillion to one. And every now and then we win a few bucks so we keep doing it. So I still keep believing that peace and love are somehow attainable. Because of my “Kum-Ba-Ya viewpoint” I have been avoiding direct contact with the news media lately. I just can’t take it – it all makes me very sad. But, try as I may, the violence of the world invaded my life anyway. Yesterday afternoon, just after lunch I got a call on my cellphone from my daughter. Her voice, usually confident and articulate, was frantic. “Mom, I’ve just been robbed! I am OK but I don’t know what to do!” My heart stopped. “I’m HERE and she’s THERE and THERE is several hours away.” Then my heart jumped out of my body at top speed and my mouth started working on automatic pilot: “Where are you? Was there a weapon involved? Have they left the scene?” I absolutely was not prepared for this kind of thing. Every parent worries about their child, but the frustration of not being able to be there or do anything is way worse than I imagined. Long story-short: She was coming out of the drug store that’s just a few blocks from her college campus. (This is a shopping center that also has a large grocery store, and several other businesses. The neighborhood is upper middle-class - NOT a bad part of town. It was just after 1:00p.m.) She is OK. The person was on a bicycle, had a gun, and wanted cash. She handed over all the money she had - $40. The police arrived in force very quickly and the incident was caught on the surveillance video camera. The bicycle was found, but so far no robber has been caught. So has it come to the point that a young woman living in the USA can’t even run down to the drug store in broad daylight without an escort? Do our youth have to travel in a pack 24-7? It was the middle of the day, not 2:00a.m., she was in a “safe” neighborhood, she was not a drunk air head weaving down the street in the wee hours of the morning, it was not a deserted street…..I could go on forever. So what is the solution? Do we sing Kum-Ba-Ya or do we all pack heat? (I’m not asking for comments – there is no answer here, so please let’s not get in a philosophical altercation on facebook.) I am very, very thankful that she was not physically harmed. It could be so much worse. But, the fact is – it happened and her life will forever be changed.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 15:46:09 +0000
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