Don't Judge A Book By The Cover

I have been given a different perspective on recent tragedies.

Last night my friend from home told me about a incident by her home with a guy in a truck with a gun. Later the guy got out of his truck shooting at the SWAT team and they shot back and sadly killed him.

Not knowing any of the details I responded to my friend, "What's up with all the crazies in Pocatello? I leave and the town is now full of craziness!" Later the incident was posted and I read what exactly had been happening. The young man's girlfriend has been missing and he called the cops yesterday and said he has information. During the stand out yesterday I guess he confessed to killing her.

As I read the story the young man's name kept sticking out in my name. Finally the pieces of the puzzle in the back of head came together and I realized he was the little baby we would babysit for back in the day. The young man is now 23 so its been a long time. I remember more my mom babysitting his older brother then I do him. I was also went to school with his half-brother.

But just knowing that I know of the person really made me stop and think more deeply about this tragedy. I keep thinking about his family and the pain and suffering they must be going thru. Not only loosing a son and a brother but also realizing that he was the reason of the tragedy of the missing woman as well.

We tend to make comments like I did about people being "crazy" or thinking only one sided to a story or an incident but I guess because I know of his family instead of passing judgement on anything now I just feel sadness. Sadness that something in his life lead to this type of behavior and ending. Sadness for his family and the things they will go thru now as they come to cope with the situation and sadness that life seems so hard for people that things like this seem to be the only out for them.

I keep thinking about the saying "Don't judge a book by the cover" We don't know the battles that people fight daily or what leads them to act the way they do. People on both ends of this situation may or may not get the answers they are seeking but I hope they are able to find peace with it all eventually. That they can come to terms with the tragedy.

Above all it has given me a moment to reflect on how I should think about a tragedy. It's not just a tragedy on one end. But the incident on the whole is one encompassing tragedy on so many levels.