NEIGHBORHOOD TRAGEDY

Tragedy struck our neighborhood this morning. A young woman was murdered by her boyfriend. Such a horrible thing to happen in any neighborhood and in any household. You never think in a million years that the person who you love and who loves you could or would kill you. 

Our neighborhood is such a quiet and peaceful one atleast from the outside looking in. The house where the woman was murdered is really nice on the outside but you don't ever know what goes on in peoples houses. Having this happen this morning reminds me of growing up in the house that I grew up in. It was always nice and peaceful looking from the outside looking in. But from the inside looking out was such a different story. There was so much yelling and abuse. 


Growing up we moved a few times and in each instant it was the same. The outside of house was nice but what  happened on the inside was not nice. This is not to say these occasions were many there were some nice times but so often the nice times didn't out weigh the bad times. 


As I got older my folks bought some land and build a house. The house is my mothers "dream home". In all honesty it is a beautiful house on the outside and on the inside {decoratively speaking} that is. It is known as the white house on the hill. It has so many security features that it is shameful. There is an alarm that speaks every time you open a door. Also there is an alarm that speaks when someone drives up in the driveway.

There is a collection of guns within this fortress. Which in and of itself scares me. I was always assured that the guns were just collections and were not able to be fired but who is to say that was true. I didn't want to get close enough to find out. There were so many times that tempers would flare up and with the gun collection being  right there at the finger tips of those that live there was just too much for me to bare.  As time went on and I got older my visits became shorter because I became more nervous and scared at the prospect of so many guns being so easily accessed.

I hear the arguments "guns don't kill people, people kill people with the guns." Well why  put the guns in the peoples hands where that could happen?! Guns are so readily available it seems. Something needs to be done about this problem. 

My live today is so much quieter.  At this moment my folks and I are estranged so I don't have to visit the white house on the hill. My wife Kathy and I don't yell or abuse each other. We don't live in a fortress. We have simple alarm system and 3 dogs for our security and love. Today my house looks the same from the outside looking in as it does from the inside looking out.

These are my thoughts from Jillsville.