It’s that time of year again!  The time where the leaves Turn colors and fall from the trees.  The time where hot apple cider frequents the stores and Children take naps so their parents will take them on the annual trip to the nearest pumpkin patch.  The time of the year when wearing plaid is more than acceptable and the crisp cool air is more than appreciated.  Yes, it is a lovely time of year and perhaps that is why I feel like writing again after approximately a full year of not writing anything.  Perhaps that is the reason, but perhaps not.

Tonight I watched the first 5 minutes of the news.  Now, I try to stay away from the news and yes, I am aware that this makes up a good portion of the reason for my ignorance and no, I do not believe that “ignorance is bliss”.  However, I am a graduate school social work major.  I already live and breathe social work in almost every aspect of my life, as I am beginning to discover more and more that there is no way of escaping it, and in the free time I do have I would prefer to watch something cheery.  You know… like a disney movie where everyone winds up happy and life remains fairly uncomplicated.  But tonight before I was able to slip in a disc of something such as this, the news came on.  And so, I caught the headlining story of a father who killed his children and his wife before then committing suicide himself.

Typical story right?  How many times have I heard stories like this in the past year?  The past month?  Probably even in the past week.  But this is the problem I am having… I used the word “typical”.  Why am I using the word typical?  This should not be a Typical news story.  This should not be a typical situation occurring in our society!  Now for those of you who are not social work majors and do not think in this way, I urge you to think about how many people are now affected by this “typical” situation.  Friends and family members, yes.  But then think about the acquaintances.  Think about every child that knew these now deceased children.  Think about the teachers, the neighbors, and the parents who now have to explain to their children why their best friend won’t be coming over anymore.  It is absolutely devastating to me but most of us do not realize it until we are somehow directly affected.  That is kind of the way it is for most people.  Most people do not empathize with people they do not know.  I wonder if more people did if it would change the way they act towards others.

I cannot help but think about all of the Pain.  There is so much pain in this world.  I find it astonishing and devastating.  And I cannot help wondering, “Where is the love”?  People need to be loved.  It has been proven to be a necessary component for survival.  And those of us who are not loved enough or who do not feel loved are those of us who experience the greatest pain.  Just thinking about how many children, teenagers, and adults have been deprived of love during the most essential moments of their lives pains me.  Children who are not loved, who are abandoned, and who are not properly cared for, turn into adults with more pain than they know how to handle.  They turn into adults who do not have the ability to empathize with others.  They turn into adults with incredible amounts of underlying pain that they just do not know what to do with.  Hearing stories about killing and dying just reinforces to me the importance of love.  So please, I urge you, as another autumn casts itself upon us be sure to love yourself, love those you know and love those you don’t know in any way that you can, in hopes that perhaps a little will go a long way in making this world a better place.