My neighbor was in his front yard this morning...

I noticed him when I went to put the baby down for a nap. He was taken away in a police car on Wednesday, and his wife left with their kids Wednesday night, and neither one of them has been back to their house since then. I wasn't sure if it was him at first, but then I saw him leaning on his car, and I figured it had to be him. I went to talk to him - mostly because I want him to feel like he has some support in the neighborhood. I don't want him or his family to feel ostracized because of what happened.

He looked like he was locked out, so I took my phone out in case he needed to use it. He let me know that he had already called a lock smith to get into his car. And then he immediately apologized to me for what happened. He told me that he was going to shoot himself, so his wife called the police. The police responded with way more people than necessary because of the guns he has that he uses for hunting big game.  He seemed more embarrassed about it than anything. He cried a little bit while he talked to me.

I told him that we knew him well enough to know that what happened was not a serious issue and that we were more worried that he and his family were okay. I also let him know that we were available to help with whatever he or his family might need. He said that their lease is up in July, and they will probably be moving back to Hawthorne, Nevada where it is a lot quieter.

I'm sure the police have to respond the way they did because of the way others have decided to commit suicide in this city. In my in-laws neighborhood, a suicidal man shot his wife and then shot himself. The police are trying to do everything they can to protect everyone involved whenever they get a suicide call. And SWAT is probably called in if the officers find out the suicidal person has multiple guns in the home.

I'm heartbroken for my neighbor and his young family. Forget my trivial embarrassing moments last week. This man is obviously going through something more earth-shattering. I hope that they can move on from this and be okay. I also hope that he can be happy and that whatever made him feel suicidal last week will be alright.