Crazy Day In This Crazy World!

I don't think that October 3, 2011 was a very good day for quite a few people out here in southern Cali.  Mine started out crazy and ended crazy and I am glad ti is now October 4, 2011.  Our first bout of crazy times hit when I realized that my middle girls earring back on her left side was actually implanted within her ear lobe.  After dropping the oldest off at school, we headed to the ER.  It was there that they found the other side was in there as well, not nearly as bad as the other side since I had pulled the earring not knowing it was in there.  So, 2 needles, a scalpel and 2 sliced open ears later, her earring backs were out and in a cup for us to take home.  My girl was brave, she didn't cry at all and the doc repeatedly told me how good she was and even rewarded her with a purse filled with coloring books, markers and clay.  We were able to come home for a brief second before getting my oldest out of school early to head to her neurology appointment.  Little did we know that as we passed a point on the freeway, a shooting was going down on the northbound side.  We soon found out when we got down to the hospital and the freeway was empty and the nurses informed us.  How were we to get home?  Side streets aren't too bad right?  Wrong!!!  When an entire southern Cali freeway is evacuated, it makes side street driving beyond ridiculous.  3 hours later, when it normally takes 45 minutes tops, we were home and feeling very lucky to have not been on the other side of the freeway at that moment.

I feel that I am completely aware that evil exists in our world.  I would like to see the world through rose colored glasses and at times, I do.  I like to seek out the good and bring smiles to peoples faces and have a smile on my own, but I am very aware that not everyone thinks this way and that some people may want to seek out the complete opposite.  I just don't understand driving down a freeway and shooting at random cars.  As I drove home it made me think, how would I deal with that?  I could stop and get us all down, but my younger one is strapped in a seat where she is unable, would she be harmed?  It is such a scary situation.  On the news last night a reporter went to the door of the family of the suspect (who is still out there at this very second) to ask if they knew he was capable of doing this and where he might be, etc.  The sister answered the door and just seemed to not care.  She had no clue where he was since he had moved out over the summer and didn't care where he was.  Not that I feel any sympathy for the man and what he did but I have to think, they seemed so uncaring.  Did he grow up thinking he was not loved and therefore started to hate people, people he had not even met?  After growing up, did he not have friends who cared or  a family who noticed his absence form love and took him in?  It really makes me want to smile more at people, especially those who look like they might need one.  Is it too hard that as a society, as children of God that we can band together and take care of one another whether blood related or not?  I know this is my rose colored glasses speaking but I think a little kindness can go a long way.  There was the story that was circulated years ago about a kid who was going home to kill himself because he felt that no one cared about him.  When he dropped his school books after getting off the bus, another kid came up and helped him and walked him home.  The kid decided not to do it and years later at graduation told everyone in his speech and the friend had no clue he had saved his life.  How amazing is that?  A small act of kindness kept a child form taking his life.  As a society I think we can all step up a little, show some compassion and you never know, maybe you will keep someone from trying to kill others or take their own life!