Disheartening

I'm not sure that's even the right word, but I can't seem to find the right word to describe my feelings right now.  It's been one of those weeks where you kind of wish you weren't living in the grown up world.  I guess sometimes I miss being in kid land, where you're not completely sheltered, but at least a little bit so.  Maybe that's the problem.  My little world is quite sheltered at the moment.  I don't have kids in school yet so we're somewhat protected here in our little home in suburbia.  Marcos had a study group during grad school and we became pretty good friends with a handful of them.  One girl and her husband lived close by and became fairly good friends of ours.  We doubled dated with them and got to know them fairly well.  Although we have had limited contact with them since we moved away and started a family, we still consider them friends.  Anyway, he's a high school teacher and we just found out that he's been convicted for multiple counts of forced sodomy with a minor - apparently one of his students.  Man, it just kills me to even think about.  This girl, now dealing with not only an affair, but the fact that the girl was a minor (less than half his age) and her husband, whom she trusted, is now in prison.  I just cannot imagine!  It's one of those situations where you don't know what to do - I'm sure a call from some old classmate would be annoying and embarrassing - but all I want to do is reach out to her with any possible support.  How do you support someone who's world has collapsed under them like that? 

They've been on my mind all week and I haven't known what to do or say or think or blog about, but it's just eating away at me.  Then today at Dylan's soccer game, one of the mom's started telling me what had just happened to her.  Her older two boys were on the playground and one of her son's teammates was there while his younger brother played his soccer game.  Her son told her that his friend was over talking to the police because someone had just tried to kidnap him. It sounded like a pretty big story, but sure enough, the police were there talking to this 7-year-old boy who had just been playing on the same playground as us.  The danger that lurks around our own neighborhoods is frightening.  A few hours later I was driving on the freeway when I saw the Amber Alert about the 16-year-old girl who was mentally impaired that didn't come home from school yesterday.  Oh my word, I almost had a meltdown on the freeway when I saw the Amber Alert sign flashing.  I guess the recognition of so much evil hitting me head on in one week was simply too much to bare.  I wanted to just toss a big old plastic bubble around my family so I could protect them (or a shield like in Breaking Dawn for those of you vampire book readers).  

What is wrong with people anyway?  I HATE the evil that we face on a daily basis.  It just makes me so mad and frustrated and afraid.  I honestly try to live my life right, to be the best that I can be and raise a righteous family.  But today the thought of what I'm up against, of what I need to protect my family from just made me want to clench my fists and scream.  I know it's all about faith and hope in a better world to come, but the thought of reality today just makes me want to cry.