We have been blessed with wonderful weather during this holiday season and today was no exception. The dense fog of New Year’s Eve burned off quickly and the day that emerged from the dampness was delightful.

Donning shorts and t-shirts, Bob and I walked into the village to get a cup of coffee to drink while we took a beach walk. The line at Starbucks was surprisingly short despite all of the people milling around and the crowded sidewalks. In short time, we had our vente coffee in hand.

As we turned right out of Starbucks we saw the police cars, vans, and motorcycles – from both the Coronado Police Department and the County Sheriff’s Department.

“What do you suppose is going on? What would they be doing here on New Year’s Day?”

Naïve I suppose, but the idea of another major crime here did not immediately cross our minds.

Looking more closely, we saw that there was a press conference in progress. We couldn’t get close enough to hear what was being said and so turned to two women standing nearby.

“What is going on?”

“There was a shooting.”

The details they had heard included a 911 call about 2:20 am, a man’s body dead in the doorway, two more men and a women in the condo…all dead. The crime was “contained” and so was being viewed as a murder/suicide. There were whispers that some of the victims may have been in the Navy.

As the shock wore off a bit, feelings of sadness and incomprehension overwhelmed us.

And a walk along the ocean in all its glory and beauty, with people laughing and enjoying the day contrasted so sharply with the dark scene we had just left.

This afternoon I stood at the doorway to our balcony and looked out at our cats sleeping so peacefully catching the last warm rays of the late afternoon sun. Each curled in their own bed, obviously so content with a simple joy of life.

The horrible tragedy in the early morning hours will once again throw Coronado into a dramatic and negative light in the news and already has people commenting critically about Coronado on the online news posts.

But that isn’t the real Coronado. The Coronado I know and love is more akin to the vision of my cats enjoying the sun and the peacefulness of our familiar neighborhood.

Life is not always easy and misfortunes do occur, but there is also great beauty and joy right in front of us.

I truly hope that your New Year is more positive than negative and is filled with sunshine, peace, good health and fulfillment of dreams.

Happy New Year!