On Sunday I watched the news in horror after seeing that a popular Milwaukee-area salon was the location for a mass shooting.
I'd been to that salon many times. Just the day before, my family and I had stopped in the McDonald's located next to it. Now, the families, innocent bystanders, and community is coping with the loss of three innocent victims as well as the death of the gunman.
Grief and Loss Felt in Wisconsin
Wisconsin is no stranger to mass shooting. How, I wonder, in my beautiful home state can there be this kind of violence? Evil?
As I watch the leaves turn brilliant red and smile as children run to catch their school bus, how can there also be someone dealing with such anger that they would destroy their own life and the lives of innocent people?
This was the second mass shooting in the Milwaukee suburban area in the last couple of months. In August, six people were killed and three wounded when a gunman entered a Sikh temple and opened fire.
In 2005, seven were killed and found wounded when a gunman entered the Living Church of God service in Brookfield. The church is located less than a mile from yesterday's spa shooting.
Making Sense of a Senseless Act
How do you protect yourself from an act such as this? It was directed at one victim, and yet two more people were killed and others injured because of it. Whether an act is racially motivated, such as the Sikh shooting in August, or a random act, it's impossible to predict or protect yourself or your family.
We are coping with the loss of cherished friends, beloved family, and people we didn't know but cared about because they are a part of our community. We might have interacted with them as we shopped, got our hair cut, ran errands, or stood in line.
We are reminded that life is fragile, and within moments on a sunny Autumn day, you can loss someone you cared about simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Perhaps that's why it's so hard to deal with a loss such as this in our community. Senseless acts are not justified.
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