What Is Important?
Here in Northeastern Pennsylvania we have learned more about the
massive manhunt for Eric Matthew Frein, the man who has been evading capture by
law enforcement officers for over twelve days. The PA State Police are
convinced he is in our forests, in a small area in the northern part of our
county. They believe they’ve had sightings from a distance, and the PSP officer
who is giving the information also said residents have reported sightings as
well.
I know I am repeating myself, but unless you’ve ventured
into these thick forested regions it’s hard to understand how easy it is to
virtually disappear … into the underbrush, behind a rock, into a bear cave. The
LEOs are very much aware this man is armed and very dangerous. They have not
been close enough to make a positive identification, and they have to proceed
with caution. None of us wants anyone else hurt or killed.
What does news about an alleged killer have to do with “Words
and Music”? More than you might think.
I grew up in a kinder, gentler era, the middle of the
twentieth century. Yet even then, violent people sometimes committed violent
acts. In my town of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, one such event had an impact on me
that has lasted my entire life.
When I was a junior at Oak Ridge High School, a
dear friend went through an unimaginable family tragedy. Her estranged
brother-in-law broke into her home one Saturday night and shot and killed her
mother, shot her father who died within hours, and shot her other
brother-in-law, who lingered in agony for some three months before dying.
Anita had gone to the movies by herself that night, as she
sometimes did, and walked home to find this awful event had happened while she
was not home. A friend called me and my dad drove me to the hospital where I
spent some time with her. This took place the weekend before our school had
auditions for the spring musical, which was to be Rodgers and Hammerstein’s
powerful show Carousel. Anita was a
fine actress and singer and it seemed she would certainly be cast in one of the
three principal female roles.
The directors of the show decided to wait a week to hold
auditions. Even so, Anita auditioned within a week after burying both her
parents. She won the leading role of Julie Jordan, and gave a polished and moving
performance in the role, inspiring all of us … students and teachers alike …
with her courage and poise. The show has been extremely meaningful to me ever
since, and in March of 2013 I directed a production at the high school where I’ve
been directing musicals since 1991.
The following summer for the first time in my life I wrote a
book. Anita’s story needed to be told, and HOW I GREW UP was published at the
end of October. At the suggestion of a friend, I wrote the novel in the first
person. It is a work of fiction, but it is based on the events surrounding the
shooting and Anita’s subsequent triumph on stage.
Creativity, in this
particular instance, music and theater, can have a healing effect on a troubled
spirit. Sadly, my friend died young of breast cancer, but she shone brightly
for many years prior to her death.
I never understood why her brother-in-law committed this
heinous act. I was told he was an abusive husband, and Anita’s sister had left
him more than once and had returned to him. That’s a story we hear far too
often. The difference in this story is that he did not shoot his wife, who was
present, but her parents and the one man in the house who might have been able
to stop him. But Anita’s other sister’s husband was the killer's first target.
He attempted to flee back to Mississippi, but was caught
before he crossed the Tennessee state line.
He was imprisoned and eventually tried, and I believe his plea was not guilty
by reason of mental disease or defect. He claims he was driven to his act
because his wife’s parents interfered in his marriage and persuaded his wife to
leave him. He served twelve years of a fifteen-year prison sentence. For taking
three lives.
There is speculation about a motive behind Frein’s alleged
shooting of the two PA State Troopers, but at this point it is exactly that,
speculation. He is reported to have been part of a group that re-enacts battles
by military forces in Eastern Europe. One item found in the woods was reported
as packs of “Serbian cigarettes.”
There is far too much violence in today’s world, and the
news from the Middle East is disturbing. How the current situation in our
county will be resolved remains to be seen. Of much greater import is what is
happening with our world, where war seems to be on-going … not because we
choose it, but because we cannot avoid it. The world has become very small.
I am fortunate to be able to escape into that “kindler,
gentler time” as both my novels take place during the second half of the
twentieth century. And my characters are people whose lives are filled with
courage, love, and music. It’s been difficult recently to concentrate on completing my third novel because of the local events, but it’s helped me to
put words and thoughts together for my blog.
It was heartwarming to learn residents of the area of Monroe
County most affected yesterday put up dozens of navy blue bows and American
flags to show their support for the more than one thousand law enforcement officers
now searching for Frein. Donations of food, beverages, and other necessities
are being delivered constantly by both local residents and businesses
throughout this part of the state. No one likes what is going on. It is
impressive to see the community work together, either in person or through
social media, to keep each other’s spirits up.
Courage and love can be evidenced by such a simple act as making
a blue bow and displaying it … or sending a message to a friend who is living
in the “war zone.” Those are important. There are good people who live in our
county.
If you would like to learn more about my books: www.susanmoorejordan.com
