This is my aunt and uncle, Ruby and Ed. If you have ever had the pleasure of meeting them, you’ll know that they are two of the most kind and gentle people on the planet. Ruby and Ed live in Southern California and made the trip to southern Utah to visit me while I was employed with the Utah Shakespearean Festival. They attended the shows and then we enjoyed hikes around Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.
Ruby and Ed also flew to Dallas to attend my gradutation from SMU.
Last year, Ed was diagnosed with lung cancer. They were both long-time smokers. He underwent treatment which included the removal of part of his lung and chemotherapy. He was making such a fantastic recovery that recently, my mom and one of her brothers visited them and took a driving trip of the American west. Their trip included a visit to Yosimite National Park, San Francisco and the Grand Canyon just to name a few. My mother just returned from their visit this Monday past.
Early this morning, five men broke into their house and without any apparent motive, shot both of them in the head and brutally beat them. To make matters worse, my cousin, her son (age 10) and her nephew (age 3) were also in the house as the attack was taking place.
By the grace of a loving God, they survived the attack and are hospitalized in critical condition. The bullets somehow managed to miss their vital organs and central nervous systems.
Here’s to the team of investigators who are diligently working on their case.
For the life of me, I have not been able to picture these two amazing people asleep in their beds while at least two strange men hover over them slowly placing the muzzles of their pistols against their heads. I also can’t imagine them in the hospital with the wounds that have been described to me. It’s not because of the horrible thought of those images. Oh no; it’s because this picture you are looking at was taken less than two weeks ago on their vacation with my mother.
Also, without any apparent motive, I can’t wrap my brain around the fact that something this terrible could happen to two people who have never done anything worse than swat at flies during the hot summer months.
I just thought you should meet them. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They’ll need it in the coming months and years.
They are down, but not out yet.
Updates:
- Here’s the CBS2 video link of the news story.