Out of senseless murders come lessons about the value of family and loved ones.

It is rare in my household to find magazines on the coffee table, so when I spotted this week's issue of People on the round glass table in my living room, I thought there must be a significant article in it that made somebody from my family in line at the grocery store pick it out amidst all the other magazines and impulse items. It turns out, there was. On the very front page is a photograph of a happy family, two daughters and their parents, dressed for what appears to be some sort of convention or special conference. Above the picture, large yellow letters have formed the words, "EVERY FAMILY'S NIGHTMARE."

All right, you have my attention, People magazine.

After consulting the table of contents, I quickly flipped to page 58. I observed the large photograph of a young fireman wandering through the shrubbery outside of a suburban home, the words "HORROR IN THE NIGHT" glowing from the page in white and yellow lettering. The presentation of the title was a bit tacky, I thought, but it nonetheless disspelled the truth of what happened in that Connecticut home only nights ago. One hapless summer afternoon in Connecticut, two white male convicts out on parole observed in a grocery store parking lot three women---a mother and two daughters---unloading groceries into a white Mercedes. The two men followed the Mercedes to its home, which the magazine describes as "a comfortable four bedroom house," a place that these men thought would be easy enough to burglarize. Later that night, after a pasta dinner and Harry Potter readings, with the family nestled asleep, the men entered through an open cellar door and, upon entering the house, proceeded to terrorize the family. They tied up the father and led him downstairs, away from his screaming wife and daughters, who were each either raped and/or sexually assaulted. At one point the wife was allowed to leave only to obtain $15,000 for the burglars at the bank to persuade them to leave. Apparently this was a 24-hour bank because she was able to speak to a teller, to whom she gave a note explaining the situation and asked that they notify the police.

Although their response was immediate, had the police arrived only minutes earlier, they would've been able to save the mother, who had been strangled to death, and her two daughers, who had died of smoke inhalation after the perpetrators had doused the home in gasoline and set it on fire to hide evidence. The father had managed to free his hands and escape from the cellar, hopping as his ankles were bound together, to meet the scene of police cars and fire trucks outside of the house he worked so hard to maintain. The two convincts had been apprehended as the police arrived just as they were fleeing the scene.

People examines the issue and raises the question, "How did this happen?" To me that's an incredibly asinine remark. Do they mean to ask, "How did this happen, these people were so rich and crimes don't happen to rich people?" Or perhaps, "How did this happen, this suburb is wealthy and only poor neighborhoods are susceptible to horrific crimes such as this?" OK, maybe those questions could've been phrased more poignantly, but I think the idea comes across. The fact is, anybody anywhere can fall victim to a number of atrocities, including cold-blooded murders. We live in a country that makes us believe our wealth and resources can shelter us, but that's simply not the case. That's why it's our duty to appreciate everything we have---family, friends, loved-ones---and, without living fearfully, realize there are injustices in the world and that nobody will live forever.

What's interesting about this family is that, fortunately, they seemed close anyway. The mother had been diagnosed with MS some years before; the children, particularly the youngest, had campaigned through walking marathons and different funds to raise awareness and money to combat her mother's disease. Being that her parents were both doctors, the eldest daughter had hoped to someday pursue medicine and lauded her father for his accomplishments.

Since the article mentioned the names of the family members and that the eldest daughter was to attend Dartmouth in the fall, I searched for her on Facebook. Her account hadn't been taken down, and it was eerie to see her photograph (she looked very beautiful) along with the words "Add ------ as a friend!" next to it. There are several groups made in her honor, including a group that represents a memorial scholarship that her high school, with the help of her father, initiated after the tragic event.

In war-torn countries I'm sure that many have learned the hard way to cherish those near and dear. In our own country, because of our comforts, I'm not sure we've entirely examined ours and each others' vulnerabilities, our mortality. Unfortunately the capture of these two sick convicts will not bring that Connecticut family back, but the events that transpired can teach us all to not take those we loved for granted, and to honor them and 
enjoy moments spent together.