RIP Rachel Reutzel
Thanksgiving came and went; now we look forward to Christmas and all the craziness that surrounds it. This week finds me at rehearsals and performances almost every night until Saturday evening for a ballet/orchestra production of Matchgirl. I am concertmaster this year so that's fun.
Maddie is staying with her grandparents this whole week since I'm busy with the gig, but its's safe to say I miss her like crazy and am thinking that I won't accept anymore gigs ever again because I HATE being away from her!
But I actually sat down just now because I wanted to write a little bit about a woman I've never met. She worked with my husband and she was killed in an apparent murder-suicide this past Sunday. Her name was Rachel Reutzel and according to my husband and her numerous co workers, she was the nicest person you could meet and this tragedy blindsided everyone she knew. The most tragic thing of all: her three young girls that are now left without parents.
http://nbc4i.com/2016/12/06/more-details-emerge-in-lewis-center-murder-suicide-investigation/
Everyone is still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together on their own. There was no sign of a troubled marriage--my husband said she always spoke so highly of her husband--and they were the epitome of success: two attorneys with a beautiful family. I remember hearing about her because my husband told me once that he had a coworker who had, like us, been a music major but eventually chose a different career path in law (my husband is now in process improvement). They liked to talk about their similar experiences in music and how it helped them in their new found careers.
She was fairly young...exactly my age, actually. 33 years old, with everything ahead of her. I didn't know her personally, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about her and her girls. How, just less than a week ago, she probably was thinking about Christmas and what to get her girls and what was on her to-do list, just like any busy young mother. There are all kinds of details coming out now from different people, so there is no way to know what is actually true or not, but the last thing I heard was that right before her husband allegedly shot her in their family car at a nearby park, they both picked up their daughters from gymnastics. Just a typical weekend.
People are left guessing. And asking, why? Did the husband suffer from depression, and if so...why hurt the mother of young children? Was the marriage in trouble and no one knew (or perhaps she just kept it to herself and only confided in very close ones)?
My heart is hurting and weeping for someone I've never met; for her girls who will now grow up without a mother. A mother who won't be there to talk about boys or help them shop for a prom dress or talk about anything late into the night; who won't be there when they get married or see their children being born. A mother who was an accomplished classical pianist and intelligent lawyer; who took care of herself and was a Crossfit and Yoga enthusiast; who was loved and admired by so many people that three different services will have to be held just in order to accommodate all who want to pay their respects.
A lot of people are asking the question: Why. They'll be asking that for a long time. I don't think there is any answer that exists that will satisfy or justify that question in our minds.
Hug your loved ones. Savor each second of each day. If you know someone struggling with depression or suicide or if YOU struggle with depression and/or suicide, TELL SOMEONE. If you are in an abusive relationship, TELL SOMEONE.
Maddie is staying with her grandparents this whole week since I'm busy with the gig, but its's safe to say I miss her like crazy and am thinking that I won't accept anymore gigs ever again because I HATE being away from her!
But I actually sat down just now because I wanted to write a little bit about a woman I've never met. She worked with my husband and she was killed in an apparent murder-suicide this past Sunday. Her name was Rachel Reutzel and according to my husband and her numerous co workers, she was the nicest person you could meet and this tragedy blindsided everyone she knew. The most tragic thing of all: her three young girls that are now left without parents.
http://nbc4i.com/2016/12/06/more-details-emerge-in-lewis-center-murder-suicide-investigation/
Everyone is still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together on their own. There was no sign of a troubled marriage--my husband said she always spoke so highly of her husband--and they were the epitome of success: two attorneys with a beautiful family. I remember hearing about her because my husband told me once that he had a coworker who had, like us, been a music major but eventually chose a different career path in law (my husband is now in process improvement). They liked to talk about their similar experiences in music and how it helped them in their new found careers.
She was fairly young...exactly my age, actually. 33 years old, with everything ahead of her. I didn't know her personally, but I haven't been able to stop thinking about her and her girls. How, just less than a week ago, she probably was thinking about Christmas and what to get her girls and what was on her to-do list, just like any busy young mother. There are all kinds of details coming out now from different people, so there is no way to know what is actually true or not, but the last thing I heard was that right before her husband allegedly shot her in their family car at a nearby park, they both picked up their daughters from gymnastics. Just a typical weekend.
People are left guessing. And asking, why? Did the husband suffer from depression, and if so...why hurt the mother of young children? Was the marriage in trouble and no one knew (or perhaps she just kept it to herself and only confided in very close ones)?
My heart is hurting and weeping for someone I've never met; for her girls who will now grow up without a mother. A mother who won't be there to talk about boys or help them shop for a prom dress or talk about anything late into the night; who won't be there when they get married or see their children being born. A mother who was an accomplished classical pianist and intelligent lawyer; who took care of herself and was a Crossfit and Yoga enthusiast; who was loved and admired by so many people that three different services will have to be held just in order to accommodate all who want to pay their respects.
A lot of people are asking the question: Why. They'll be asking that for a long time. I don't think there is any answer that exists that will satisfy or justify that question in our minds.
Hug your loved ones. Savor each second of each day. If you know someone struggling with depression or suicide or if YOU struggle with depression and/or suicide, TELL SOMEONE. If you are in an abusive relationship, TELL SOMEONE.
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