Is it going to strike my neighborhood next?
It’s been a rough week in our little section of Maryland for families. First Christopher Allen Wood apparently took the lives of his wife and three children before killing himself in their Frederick County home last weekend, according to reports in The Baltimore Sun. Then there was the Parente family from New York, all found dead in their Towson hotel room Monday — apparently at the hands of dad — William M. Parente, The Sun reported.
I have to admit, I’m a little obsessed with these tragedies. I read everything I can get my hands on to try to make sense of it, but I can’t. How could things be so hopeless that killing yourself and your family would seem the only option?
If this were to happen in my family or in my neighborhood — I would be devastated. It’s hard enough to fathom when I don’t even know the families. But what if it was here, and I could have done something?
It makes me think of the old adage “it takes a village.” As the economy worsens — we are going to have to rely more and more on each other. We need to start thinking about that now — before one of our families hit rock bottom. Think about who you could turn to — who could help you out if the unthinkable happens and you can no longer provide for your family.
I would much rather struggle with any inconvenience of helping out a neighbor than have to deal with the loss of a neighborhood family. I recently told my neighbor that if worse came to worse, we could just pick one of our houses to live in. It wouldn’t be easy — but it might help us get through. And that’s what matters. It might seem like a naive thought — but can you think of anything better?
In the meantime, there’s the question of how do we know when a neighbor — or even our own spouse — is struggling and thinking of doing the unthinkable. mom logic.com recently wrote a blog on this topic and offered signs to look for. Check it out here.
In times like these we need to be there for each other. We need to not only be ready to offer help — but also be willing to accept it.