Unbearable tragedies jolt our small towns

It still sends a jolt through the body to think about the tragedies of the last few days, events that we usually think of affecting other people or taking place in other places, not here in Big Horn County.

First came the news Friday that Lovell native JaDee Moncur was aboard a Bering Air flight that went down near Nome, Alaska, the previous day – the third major U.S. aircraft crash in two weeks. And by Friday night we knew: There were no survivors.

How do you process news like that? We don’t usually know anyone aboard an ill-fated flight. But this time we did, and we mourned for Brent and Darlene Moncur and their family.

And then on Monday afternoon word began to spread of a shooting in Byron. And then came the horrific news that a mother had shot her four children ages 2 through 9.

How is that possible, we asked ourselves – a loving mother – their mother – taking four innocent lives. It was nearly too horrible to contemplate – still is.

How? Why? Sorrow. Anger. Shock. Questions swirl, emotions stir. Hearts ache. It’s too terrible to think about, but we must.

How can something like this take place in a tiny, close-knit community? How could somebody even think about doing something like that? How?

One of the benefits of living in a small community is that everybody knows everybody, but when something like this happens, it hurts all the more. We don’t have the anonymity of a big city.

The investigation continues, and there will be no easy answers. But for now we must reach out to each other, talk and share with each other, hug each other. Think about not only the family and the little one fighting for her life in Salt Lake but also the first responders who arrived at the scene and experienced the horror firsthand. These brave souls were the first to arrive at the home, and not only did they encounter shocking scenes but also the possibility of a live shooter.

Our law enforcement officers, ambulance crew members and medical staff who dealt with this tragedy have kids, too, and to see what they saw must be beyond difficult for them. They need our support and care. Please reach out to them.

Think about members of the Byron community and the teachers, staff members and students at Rocky Mountain Elementary School who know the Blackmer kids. They are in mourning, too.

Days later, the shooting is still almost too horrific to process, but we must come together as a community, show love and support, pray and reach out. A GoFundMe page had already collected more than $80,000 as of Wednesday afternoon.

And one last thing we should all do. Hug our kids and our grandkids. Hug them tight.