Only God truly knows what led to the tragic incident of what is presumed to be a murder/suicide that occurred in our town recently.

This event prompted me to write this open letter to readers of The Times and residents of Fountain Hills.

Shortly after moving my family here 16 years ago from Michigan I soon realized how life in Arizona was going to be different than what I grew up with.

Although this is a wonderful town to raise a family, and we’ve been very pleased that we found Fountain Hills, I saw where it seemed like people didn’t really truly know their neighbors. Times have certainly changed from the 1960s and ‘70s.

However, people around my home seemed to just keep to themselves. Too many times I saw them come home, drive in their driveway, have the garage door open, pull into their garage, and shut the door right back down. Never to see them again unless we looked across the stucco walls, had our mail mixed up on delivery so it forced us to go knock on their door, saw each other in the grocery store or church, or wheeled our garbage dumpsters in on trash day.

My goal with this letter is to encourage each and every one reading to get to know the people who live around them. Many people are going through tough times and this will certainly continue.

Please reach out to those around you. A simple smile and granting them a “have a good day” could be all it takes to brighten someone’s day.

We may not keep tragic events from happening, but we can certainly be assured that we will develop relationships that each and every one of us can benefit from. Some for the rest of our lives.