Sorrow in Ham Lake

We've had some sadness in the campground during the last year.  The wife of one of our neighbors died unexpectedly last fall, leaving behind a lonesome widower.

He took it upon himself to give comfort to a man on the other side of our row after his unexpected divorce.  His grief was so severe that he attempted suicide via pills, but thanks to this neighbor, got to the hospital and returned home.

Our next door neighbors were just filling us in on this backstory when we noticed a police car pull up to the man's RV.  Then a second squad car arrived...no sirens or lights.

We watched as the police walked around and another man arrived, who apparently had keys to access the RV.  This was not looking good.

When a younger woman arrived on the scene and was sobbing into the arms of the man who came by earlier, it was becoming obvious there was a tragedy.

Soon the forensic team arrived and later on a car backed up to the door to presumably remove the body.

This poor soul was so lost and overtaken in his grief that he shot himself, making the second suicide attempt successful.

The odd thing is that everybody in our row heard the gunshot, but due to the fact that there are often gunshots heard at night because of the shooting range down the road, we all dismissed it as just another noise in the night.

I never knew his name, but his sadness has left a mark on me just the same.  Just knowing that perhaps with some meds and counseling and the passage of time, this tragedy may have been prevented.

We've all had those dark moments where we think it might be better to just leave it all behind, but thankfully have been able to avoid the impulse and live another day.

It is such a shock and sadness to all those around him, spreading out like a ripple to even those who he never knew.  I just wish there could have been some other way for him to stop the pain.

Long Live the Grieving Queen