Woman holding her child's clothing.Marla Branyan / @marla_branyan
85-Year-Old Outguns Home Intruder In Self-defense
Elderly Woman Wakes Up to a Nightmare
Wooden chair and handcuffs used by armed assailant in home invasion in Idaho.
KSL News/Bingham County Sheriff's Office
It was 2 a.m. on March 13 when Christine woke up, shocked to find herself staring down the barrel of a loaded 9-mm pistol.
According to the Bingham County Sheriff's Office, the assailant, wearing a black ski mask and a camouflage jacket, broke in through a window.
After pistol-whipping her across the head, the man, later identified as 39-year-old Derek Condon, dragged her out of bed and down the hall to the living room where he handcuffed her to a wooden chair. With a gun to her head, Condon then demanded to know if there was anyone else in the house and where she kept the valuables.
Wanting to protect her adult son with disabilities who was sleeping downstairs, Christine lied and told him that she was alone.
Condon left her handcuffed in the living room while he went off in search of loot. Christine seized the opportunity. She lugged the chair to her bedroom, grabbed her .357 Magnum revolver from under her pillow, and then returned to the living room, hiding the gun in the couch cushions beside her.
Then, she waited.
At some point Condon returned, threatening to kill her. Terrified, Christine knew it was "now or never." She drew her gun and fired, striking him twice.
"Condon returned fire and emptied a 9 mm pistol into Christine striking her multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm, and chest," states a report posted to the County Sheriff's Facebook page.
Condon crawled to the kitchen where he died of his wounds. Christine, still handcuffed to the chair and riddled with bullet holes, "fell to the floor." She remained there for 10 HOURS before her son finally came upstairs and gave her a phone so she could call 9-1-1.
Police arrived just after noon to find her son, David, standing in the doorway. Officers "provided life-saving measures on her" and rushed her to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls. She has since been released.
An Incredible Act of Bravery
The official incident report on a home invasion in Bingham County, Idaho.
Bingham County Sheriff's Office/Facebook
During their investigation, deputies discovered that Condon was suffering from mental health issues and PTSD from the time he served in the U.S. Marine Corps.
In an interview with police, Christine revealed that she didn't want to shoot Condon but she felt like she didn't have a choice. She feared for both her life and her son's life.
"I'm a very nice old lady but you can only push somebody so far."
Christine Jenneiahn via KSL News
As for the prosecuting attorney's office, they won't be pressing any charges.
"This case presents an easy analysis of self-defense and justifiable homicide. It also presents one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of," Prosecuting Attorney Ryan W. Jolley wrote.
Summarizing the harrowing events he said, "He [Condon] had told Christine he would kill her multiple times. He had broken into her home in the middle of the night, handcuffed her to a chair, and struck her with his firearm. Her disabled son was downstairs in his room."
"That Christine survived this encounter is truly incredible. Her grit, determination, and will to live appear to be what saved her that night."
Prosecuting Attorney Ryan W. Jolley
Not to mention, never mess with Mama.
In the face of extreme danger, Christine didn't let her age or fear prevent her from saving her life and that of her son. She did what any mother would do...fiercely protect her child at all costs. Christine's heroic actions don't just speak to the power of self-preservation, they are a true testament to a mother’s love. And there is nothing in this world more powerful.
*Featured image contains photo by Anna Shvets and Rafael Classen rcphotostock.com
If You've Ever Been Afraid Of Ending Up Alone, You Need to Read This
Finding the right person can take a lot of work. Often, we get it wrong many times before we get it right.
Give it enough time and you start to feel as though something is wrong with you. Maybe you’re the difficult one. Maybe there’s really no one out there that’s perfect for you.
Maybe, in all this chaos, you were somehow left out of the divine order and have no perfect partner.
Then it hits you: Will you be alone...forever?
The thing is, there are some really big misconceptions entwined with the idea of finding the one (and the source of our loneliness).
These misconceptions not only convince you that the situation is worse than it really is when you haven’t found someone, but also that this person is supposed to fulfill some destined role in your happiness. So, of course, until they arrive, you feel lonely and incomplete.
Let’s talk about it.
Irrational fears are more common than you think
This is one half of the problem.
Often, when you think that you’ll never find someone to live out the rest of your days with, you’re steeped in your own irrational anxiety about the future.
Sure, there’s never any guarantee that you’re going to find someone. However, that can be said about anything in life. You don’t know what the future will bring and, the likelihood is, you have way more time to find someone than you believe in your anxiety-ridden mind at the moment.
You never know when or where you’re going to meet that person who just might be your perfect mate. I met my wife during the most unlikely time in my life, a time when I wasn’t remotely looking for a relationship, and the same can and may happen to you. You could meet them tomorrow or next year and prove your anxiety about the situation completely unfounded.
Of course, as I said, there are no guarantees. But, really, this is the less important of the two points...
You were never alone to begin with
Most of us depend on finding that right person to complete us and make us feel happy and complete. We’ve convinced ourselves that our entire happiness hinges on finding this person. In such situations, our happiness ebbs and flows like a wave in the ocean, rising high when we meet someone new and dipping when we go through yet another breakup.
And that’s really the problem. You need to realize that your happiness isn’t dependent upon finding a partner. If you’re worried about being alone than the likelihood is, you’re suffering from “the one” syndrome like so many other people. If that’s the case, it’s not by finding someone that you’ll realize happiness, it’s by realizing that you don’t need someone at all. Do that and the loneliness subsides.
There’s nothing wrong with wanting a romantic relationship. They make life exciting and joy-filled. However, a lot of things do that such as following your passion, connecting more deeply with your circle of loved ones, and helping others. The problem is depending on romantic love to fill a void.
I get it, maybe you’re a hopeless romantic. However, no matter what your disposition, you can realize a version of yourself that is filled with joy and purpose even without romance.
Once you do that, you realize that you were never alone to begin with and that your happiness isn’t dependent upon someone else.