When you Least Expect it...

I've been wondering for over a week how to post this story.  It's been something that happened when we weren't expecting it and it's not exactly encouraging.  I like to post really great and positive things that happen here in our beautiful home, but, sometimes it just isn't great or positive.  This is one of those times.

Last week (Tuesday) we had a busy day as a family in the City running errands and getting some things done we needed to do.  After we finally got home (about 3:30 or so) we all sat down for a quiet evening and a family time with maybe a movie or something.  We were all tired.

About 6:00 or so someone started knocking frantically on our door.  We went to the door and it was our neighbor telling us that they needed us in the house across from us because one of the young men who was living there had hung himself and there was a woman and a baby in there and the woman was bleeding terribly.  Mark ran over there quickly to help out.  In the room was the man, the woman was lying on the floor and her baby (about 9-10 months old) was lying next to her.  He saw that the woman was still alive but not able to respond to anything and the baby was fine as far as he could tell.  Alicia went in to see if she could help the baby and to bring medical gloves to her dad.  Mark stayed with the woman until help could come. 

The medics got here and went right in to help and came out with the baby, who by this time was screaming, and handed her to me.  We got towels and blankets for her (they had to cut off her clothes because she was covered in blood and they needed to see if she was hurt) and tried to calm her.  My neighbor came to help and Bailey and I ran to the nearby pharmacy to get a bottle, baby shampoo, and diapers.  We came home and asked if it was possible to give her a bath and were told yes.  They wanted to know if there was some wound they couldn't see in her hair or something--she was covered in blood and it was dried on.

By the time the whole thing was finished, about 4 hours later, we were still in total shock.  What happened?  Why did this happen?  It was a very emotional evening for our family and our kids were a little bit shaken up.  It was a tough night for sleeping.

We have since found out that the young man was very depressed, he was in an attempted robbery about 9 months ago (someone attempted to rob him while he was working) and was shot.  As a result, he was paralyzed from the waist down.  I can understand his depression.  It would be hard to deal with that when you are as young as he was and face your entire life in that situation.  The woman was his ex-girlfriend and the baby was his.  He was angry about the failure of the relationship. 

It made me realize that whenever I have seen him around he seemed, on the outside, to be doing okay.  I mean, he didn't seem as angry or depressed as he obviously was.  Could I have reached out to my neighbor more?  Would it have mattered?  I don't know.  I can't beat myself up about what is past, but, I can change the future.  It makes me more determined to be compassionate, open to the Holy Spirit leading me to speak to people, open to really taking time to find out about people and reach out to them.

It's so easy to go about my busy day and life and not really take the time.  How many people do we know who could use encouragement?  And, really, how hard is it to encourage someone? 

This young man had people in his life helping him and encouraging him and working with him.  People who loved him.  He was unable to receive it.  It's important to not only be givers but receivers.  We have to allow people to give encouragement to us and love on us.  It's just as important as being someone who helps and encourages others.  Maybe more.

In an update--the young woman died this past Saturday.  She lived for 3 days after the attack.  The baby is fine and living with her mom's family in the City.  Please pray for her.