For those who don't follow the news, a disgruntled man left his home in flames while he flew his single-engine plane into a building that, among other things, housed local IRS offices.
All day, I watched, read, refreshed and tried to absorb what had happened to this building only 8 or so miles from my home. A building I have seen countless times, but never really looked at before.
At about 1:30 I began to realize that I had to get dressed, step away, go get the girls from school. I had to figure out how to explain this to them, as it will surely filter into their world from somewhere. If nothing else, we will drive by someday a building with a hole in it and they will ask why.
It's crazy. Simply crazy. I cannot myself understand this act; how can I explain it to sweet children?
The stories have been trickling in all day. A dad of Melody's classmate was in the building, the uncle of a friend. A guy I used to go to church with driving past it right after it hit, a student's dad in the building next door, a friend's friend here and someone's friend not there.
I just cant process this. This happened where I live. I see this building, I drive down that road, I have looked at moving into that neighborhood where his house burned as he flew into an office where people in my life have walked. I am stunned. I think that, if I only read it enough, hear it enough, see it enough, it will make sense.
This must be how New Yorkers felt. The enormity isn't the same, but when you consider the scale of new york:austin, it hits as hard. To our big-little laid-back town of hippies, techies and college-kids like me who came and never moved away, it seems so out of character to be attacked by such anger.
4 comments:
When your town gets a blow like this, it really hits you to the core. I understand what you're going through. The just not understanding why or how this became an option for someone, the tears for the families of the innocent bystanders affected and the shock for the community.
Hugs hun.
How horrifying. I read about this on the national news, but it always seems so much more real when you hear about it from somebody who lives there. Hugs.
You must have forgotten the shooting from the UT tower because you were not alive then and it was not as real to you. That guy was not even mad at the IRS. You can always read the man's letter to the girls and maybe they can make sense out of it as. I was sure that I was going to be able to, being a CPA and all, but I am apparently one of the ones to blame for his actions. WOW!
Grandma Jane
I know what you mean~I don't understand how anyone can think this is they way to end their life. I work at the IRS in Austin, and haven't really processed everything yet. It is surreal watching the news on computers while you sit at your desk with taxpayer paperwork surrounding you-knowing that those people over at Echelon were doing the same thing at the same time when their lives changed forever. Walking into work today was a bit strange-I never thought I would work somewhere where Homeland Security and dogs were roaming the campus. I know times are hard for many people, and that there seems to be no way out sometimes, but I can't imagine wanting to kill people, burning down a house that my family lives in, or killing myself would ever be the answer. We lost one of our own yesterday, a man with 6 kids and a wife who also works at the IRS. They are in my thoughts~
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