Heal Together

This week it was Louisville that was the scene of yet another mass shooting. Five people got up Monday morning and headed to work for another day. They never came home, and many others were injured.

At the center of the crime: a 25-year-old young man who seemingly had a bright future and a so-called “normal upbringing.” Somewhere along the way this young man snapped, and now he has shattered the lives of those he killed, as well as the lives of those in his own family, community, and country.

I read about those who lost their lives on Easter Monday. I also read about the assassin. I listened to his mother’s 911 call to the police. She described her son as a good, non-violent boy who had never hurt anyone in his life. She pleaded with the dispatcher that he not be punished. At the time of her call, she was unaware that her son had already killed several of his coworkers.

My heart broke listening to her and to the other family members who lost their loved ones on this awful day. I, too, have a 25-year-old son. My home is often filled with young men his age who are just starting to build their futures. Young men like these may seem great on the outside, but inside they might just be in turmoil. This latest tragedy made me think about so many of the young men that I know, or perhaps who I think I know.