my friend was attacked

[WRITE]

one of my favourite friends was ambushed at gunpoint and beaten in her driveway last night, she's ok thank G_d, cut and bruised. They gave the gang their money but they hit her anyway and smashed her friend's car up.

 

[Hopalong]

I'm so sorry. Write, that's awful.
She is very lucky to have you in her life...
I know you'll help her heal.

Violence...and even gratuitous. Horrible.
 

Hops

[WRITE]

I feel so sad Hop, she's a beautiful person, a doctor who often gives her time for the troubled and needy in society, it just seems so unfair.

I want to go out to these people and talk to them, find out why they have no values, no compassion.

It's made me fearful too, I didn't want to walk the dog last thing like I normally do.

[Hopalong]

I hope she doesn't give up.

You, neither. Hope your doggie has good teeth???

Makes me think about Take Back the Night.

Sending peace and a quick emotional as well as physical recovery....

Hops

[moonlight52]

Write ,

I am sorry your friend is going though this deliberate cruelty is impossible to understand.
I am so glad you will be there for your friend as she heals from this attack.And I am sending love to you hoping  the anxiety you are feeling dissipates soon.

When bad things happen to good people it always brings the question why.I am so glad your friends injuries are not too bad.
I am sending lots of good wishes for a speedy recovery for all.

Love,
moon

[reallyME]

(((((((((Write and Write's friend)))))))))))

[WRITE]

Hope your doggie has good teeth???

my dog rarely growls or bares teeth and is as gentle as can be with all the children but twice now someone has stood in the centre of the road glaring at her and she must have felt she or I were being threatened and went nuts! barking and growling.

But I feel when people are prepared to point a gun and shoot http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/alief/news/4156133.html
there's not much can be done against such malice.

I am thinking and praying about that, maybe we should be talking to young people before they get involved with these gangs and adopting such hateful values.

There were 47 gang related murders in Houston in the past year, up 26 on the previous year. An influx of dispossessed teens after the hurricanes of 2005 is being blamed, but clearly wherever they are these are people who will be committing serious offences.

At least in TX they won't be ignored- but I wonder if anyone is looking at prevention issues and I'm going to find out.

deliberate cruelty is impossible to understand.

it is. I've seen cruelty in many forms over the years, and it always breeds more hatred.
My friend is a good person, she won't hit out at these people but would try to help them if she could.
You know she never even said what race or age they were- she is the least prejudiced person I know.

Thanks RM.

[Stormchild]

Ugh, Write, this is awful. How is your friend doing today, and how are you?

[OR]

(((((((((Write and Friend)))))))))))

So sorry about your friend, she was very lucky.
My friend's wonderful sister, one who gave and helped others, was shot in the stomach and died because her friend would not give up her purse. The friend was able to identify the two shooters and they are in jail.

No doubt your friend will never be the same, these creeps do this for a living and numb to her fears and trauma. I hope she can shake the trauma soon, not let them take more than the money they stole.

Prayers for you to say the healing words she will have peace with.

Take Care .......OR

[Certain Hope]

Dear Write,

  I'm so sorry to hear this. I hope that your friend and her friend will both be able to work through this and find peace and healing.

Love,
Hope

[Stormchild]

Oh, OR, I am so sorry for your friend... and her sister... and her sister's family/friends... how awful... and your friend's sister's friend must blame herself... that's horrible.

((((((((((all))))))))))

[WRITE]

Thanks everyone. Your kind words really helped.

I spoke to my friend earlier and she was traumatised and sore but she feels they were very lucky- her teenage son heard the noise and looked through the window and it was seeing him which led the attackers to flee.

She said already there are so many positive things- the love of friends and neighbours, her son's mature response, and she intends to do something about the gang problem when she is feeling better.

Her words were non-judgemental, entirely no hate and so heartening, I am very lucky to have such a beautiful thoughtful friend. She is full of love, and she's had a difficult life all the time I have known her, she's had cancer twice and has a husband who is quite N, but it's given her a strength of purpose and consideration and perspective on life which is amazing.

One thing she said, I was ruminating on: we think we create security for ourselves in life but there's only so much we can do, just be aware and appreciative.

Hearing about another horrible thing for her did shake my faith a little, made me think 'How can this happen?' but listening to her I understood. It's these things which made her so compassionate and wise.

( incidentally she has a Unitarian Universalist background too Hop!  )

One of the reasons I have been feeling so anxious is all the violent news stories here, so many horrible stories lately- bizarre so they were in the headlines a lot; and another friend's husband was mugged at gunpoint in the Spring, he wasn't injured so I didn't think too much about it, but then yesterday I started a new music group.

I had been told to prepare for hostility from some of the staff group, from the new manager. It didn't materialise. They got up and sang and danced and hugged the seniors. One staff member seemed to want to participate a great deal so I let her set the tone of the whole thing and she was wonderful.

After the new manager took me on one side and said it was the first time she'd seen the staff lady smile; her daughter was raped and murdered just a few weeks ago.

***

We should all pray for violent men and the unhappiness they cause.

[Hopalong]

Write,
She is an inspiration.

As are you! I am so not surprised that something in the way you led the music class allowed a grieving mother to connect to love and embrace the old...so soon after losing her child. YOU faciliated that, W.

I just watched a documentary on broken children. That's who grows up to be in gangs and be without empathy. The show was on radical therapy they were trying with juvenile killers...the recidivism rate was so high after they were released. It was heartbreaking. One sat in group trying, truly trying SO hard to feel empathy. He'd seen the other boys have their breakthroughs when they were guided to literally re-experience what they'd done, rather than block it out (including one who'd killed his own mother). He sat there and just kept saying, I'm trying, I just can't get it.

That's when I could see how desperately important it is to reach children IMMEDIATELY. One of them had witnessed his mother's murder at age 8 months. He was just broken.

But despite the recidivism, there WERE SOME whose lives changed. And stayed changed.

Hops

[WRITE]

Yes she is. And her marriage is weakening her health, every year she seems to get more sick and soesn't connect it to the effect of this man she married bullying and haranging her...and how happy and well she feels whenevr she gets away from him
( and yes, I have told her what I think; she feels sorry for him and believes he can change- not that he ever shows signs of even wanting to )

YOU faciliated that, W.

you know I often pray on the way to work, yesterday I said a special prayer when I got there.

So sad the documentary, I am becoming so aware of my behaviour with children, some kids who don't seem so well-raised early can get nothing but negative responses from adults until as you say it's too late.
It's only little things but maybe a smile or kind word can make all the difference and that's why some can recover and others don't?

[WRITE]

oops! 

My neighbour just dropped in and I said something about children being everyone's responsibility and she got really defensive because another friend's children are going off the rails and she doesn't want them over there any more!