Last week while in Phoenix, I watched CNN as the story of a shooting in Moscow, Idaho was unfolding. As I watched, I realized it had happened in a community where I knew someone who managed the quality department of a hospital. I called this morning and left a message for my friend. She wrote me back the following email:

As you can imagine, it has been a nightmare. For the hospital, we had a flood two weeks ago which completely displaced our same day center and emergency room. Over 27,000 square feet of flooring has to be replaced, and the walls, up to three feet from the bottom, where the water was. All equipment, desks, papers, chairs, etc., that were in the water were contaminated and will have to be destroyed and replaced.

Our staff work every other weekend, so the same staff were here for the shooting. It has not only affected our hospital in a horrible, horrible way, but the effect on the community has practically paralyzed us. We are constantly swallowing back tears. The police officer killed was from my community and his daughters graduated with my kids. The shooter was acquainted with my son’s fiancé. Those brave men who pulled the college student to safety are related to our retired safety officer. And it goes on. Like most communities, ours is close-knit and we all know and love someone who has been touched by this.

Now we are a statistic. This has been carried world-wide. My secretary lives three doors down from the shooter, who killed his wife in the home. She said the people driving by to gawk at the scene has kept her street congested since the incident.

We are holding public vigils through our churches and with our friends and neighbors. I sincerely appreciate your prayers. It’s great to have friends who care.

All I did was place a simple phone call. While I wish I could do more, sometimes that’s all that’s needed. Why does it take a tragedy to make people appreciate the serenity of their own neighborhood or community? Tonight, while taking a walk through the quiet and peaceful campus of studentless Maryville College, I paid a little more attention to the tranquility of my town, a town much like Moscow, Idaho used to be. Tonight, I huged my children a little tighter. Tomorrow, I am going to be a bit more kind to a “stranger”.

Tim Richardson is an inspirational speaker who speaks about how giving increases employee morale, lowers employee turnover, increases customer loyalty and creates higher profits for Fortune 500 companies, associations, and national conventions. He is the founder of the The Worlds Biggest Blog Party an event which will connect bloggers from all over the world to raise money for charity. He is also founder and president of the Bill Walter Melanoma Research Fund. For more information on Tim, go to www.TimRichardson.com