When there is no reason

As a community newspaper, the Camarillo Acorn prides itself on focusing on the city which it serves.

There are, however, events that transcend city boundaries and touch the hearts of the community at large.

Tuesday's deadly shooting spree in Simi Valley was such an event.

Unfortunately, a shooting isn't a rarity in Ventura County. But the apparently random and senseless murder of Simi Valley resident Susan Sutcliffe while she sat reading a book outside of a Los Angeles Avenue tire shop seemed to cut the community deeper than most, a reaction likely caused by what appears to be the absolute randomness of the crime.

Simply put: If what the police have told us so far is true, then Sutcliffe, a 53-year-old mother of two who grew up on the tiny Thames River in New London, Conn., died Tuesday morning for no other reason than she decided it was a good day to get new tires.

It's a frightening thought. One that forces us all to confront the reality that it could have been us waiting outside of Tire Pros that day, or someone we love- and that there was no one, and nothing, that could have prevented what happened.

Philosophically speaking, human beings generally operate under the impression that when death eventually stares us in the face, we'll at least get a moment to look the other way or even avoid the outcome. But Sutcliffe, seated in the most vulnerable of positions- her head buried in a book, as family members said it so often was- never received such an opportunity. Her fate was sealed before Robert Becerra ever pulled the trigger.

Murder is always tragic, but when committed without motive, it becomes even harder for the rational mind to grasp.

Search our souls as deep as we'd like and we may never find a single good reason why Susan Sutcliffe, a devoted mother and loving wife who donated blood until nurses had to turn her away, was chosen to die that day, and her grief-stricken family won't either.

So instead of trying to hypothesize why Tuesday's tragedy took place, why not use that time to tell everyone in your life what they mean to you?

And not just family members, but friends, neighbors, co-workers and acquaintances as well.

The death of Susan Sutcliffe demonstrated with frightening clarity just how fragile the gift of life really is- and how quickly it can be revoked, without warning, justification or any rational explanation.

Our prayers go out to all the families affected by Tuesday's events. May you find strength in the love of those around you.