It doesn’t take long for holiday cheer to turn into sadness, does it? Looking around the Internet and watching TV news today, I’ve seen a litany of violence and horror following yesterday’s Christmas joy: an escaped tiger at a zoo in San Francisco killed someone, a terrible plane crash took the pilot and a father and his young teen daughter, and I just saw a story from Washington state regarding three generations of a family found dead in their rural home.
My wife and I were especially struck by the deaths in Carnation, Washington. When we were first married, many years ago, we lived in the “east lake” area near Seattle, i.e., those communities along and near the east side of Lake Washington. Carnation was probably 30 miles east of us, and my wife taught fourth graders in an elementary school the parents in this tragedy may well have gone to. We now live far away from the Seattle area, but we’re keeping an eye on Internet coverage, with the awful fear the people who were murdered could be names she recognizes.
Most days, the news is just sort of a “downer” experience due to mayhem and madness, but it almost is overwhelming to read such stuff the day after Christmas.
For what it’s worth, I make a motion that the national media folks be required to share only good news the day before and the day after Christmas. Couldn’t hurt, could it? Not that it’ll ever happen.
Ah, well, what do I know. I’m just a guy who reads the papers.
Technorati Tags: bad news, holiday tragedies, just a guy who reads the papers
I have ties to Washington state also. This news article was so sad to hear.