I do not understand....

Can you believe how sick this world has become? I have been awake since 4am pondering this very question. I watch the news, I read updates on my MSN home page, I live in Memphis for crying out loud....violence is just a part of daily life that I seem to have, sadly, become accustomed and numbed to. But when it hits close to home, it is hard to ignore, and even harder to accept.

Lisa's mother was shot yesterday during a school shooting at the University of Alabama Huntsville. A woman simply sitting in a faculty meeting on a Friday afternoon was shot 3 times, in the face, hand, and shoulder. Why?? What we have heard and read at this point is that a fellow UAH faculty member, a Harvard-educated, star research professor there at the University, was denied tenure. She unloaded a gun during a faculty meeting of 13 people, killing 3 and critically injuring 3 others, one being Stephanie Monticciolo, my sister in law's sweet mother. Ryan and Lisa received a call around 6pm yesterday, shortly after arriving in Jackson for a family baby shower for me. My Mom drove them to Huntsville last night, which is approx. a 4 hour drive from here. I cannot imagine the horror Lisa felt on that long horrible drive to get to her Mom.

It literally makes me sick to my stomach to think about what happened. This tragedy is so senseless. What would drive a successful, published, celebrated geneticist to commit such an unthinkable crime? This woman killed 3 people, and critically injured 3 more in a matter of minutes. She ended lives and destroyed families; took away some one's son, daughter, husband wife, mother, or father....for what? I just can't process it. Bad, even horrible things happen to us every day. What would make a normal person just snap like that, how can you leave your house with a gun in your car with the intent to do something so horrific? What state of mind do you have to be in to go through with something like this? How can one come face to face with 13 of your co-workers and heartlessly fire a gun repeatedly at them? Thankfully, the police were able to arrest this woman. The news reports this morning say that she has been charged with 3 counts of capital murder in the first degree and 3 more counts of assault in the first degree.

At this point, Lisa's mom is considered stable. She had surgery last night and is in ICU. With lots of prayers and amazing doctors, she made it through the night. She has extensive damage to her face and loss of her right eye. Right now the doctors do not know if there is brain damage or if her speech will be effected. She is going to have a long road of recovery, so I ask for your continued prayers for Stephanie and for Lisa and all of her family.