RCTY friends,
Because of the posting restrictions here, I hesitate to write an OT message, but I will.
My family has lived for generations in Cheshire, Connecticut a small town in the very middle of Connecticut. Until a week ago it was a typical suburban town, with kids on bikes, parents commuting, Little League, neighborhood gatherings, and church socials.
Now, that has all changed.
Because, last Monday morning Cheshire discovered cruelty, murder, arson and unspeakable acts towards women in a flaming house in a quiet neighborhood. A Cheshire family - the Petits - had become the victims of a "home invasion". Two parolees broke into a home on a quiet suburban street and hours later, three women had been killed, a man had been brutally beaten and the perpetrators had set the building on fire in an attempt to cover up their crimes.
Since then, Cheshire has received full media attention - not because we are a 'Nice Town', but because we are the latest example of a society gone astray.
The whole mood of this town has changed - you can feel the sadness in the very air we breathe. Federal Grief Counselors are now available at the Methodist Church where the family worshipped. Mrs. Petit's father, who is a Methodist minister was in town to try to find something of his daughter's and grand daughters to keep from the burned out house. Helicopters circle in the sky next to me over the Cheshire Academy where they are mourning Mrs. Petit who was the school nurse for the past 10 years. I suspect there are video cameras in the copter.
Despite a population nearing 30,000, Cheshire continues to be a very close-knit town and I think that will be the key to a return to our everyday lives. However, the fact that one of the killers is a hometown boy will be a reminder forever. Even I am having trouble sleeping - not usually a problem for me. My son Michael and his friends are shocked, angry and sad. I think that is true of most of us.
So, that's what happening here, sorry to say. You can help though, we need prayers.
Joan in CT.