Protection from the Bad Guys

Most of us believe that we live in a safe neighborhood. Sometimes I leave our front door open, unlocked car in the driveway or the garage door open for extended periods of time. People sometimes get a little lax with their security, but get a wake up call after they have something stolen from them.

A couple that lives in my neighborhood described what happened to them recently. Because our community only has one entrance and one exit, they thought their house, which is deep within the neighborhood, was well protected. The couple had done all of the right things before they left town for a month—stopped the newspaper, told the neighbors they would be gone and notified security.

They returned home after their long trip to find their house in good shape, except for a few spider webs, a pile of mail and an empty refrigerator. Their lawn had been perfectly manicured by the landscaping company. After being home for a few days, they left town again, but for only one night this time.

On the way home, they stopped at the grocery store where they spotted an old Ford pickup truck very much like the one that he had refurbished and painted an unusual shade of turquoise. His wife said, “That looks just like your truck pulling out of the parking lot.” He then recognized it as his and quickly began following it through back streets and alleys. She called the police as they were in pursuit, but lost the trail. It was an anxious twenty-minute drive home. Since the truck had been parked in their garage, they weren’t sure what they would find.

Their worst fears materialized. The entire house had been cleaned out of televisions, stereo equipment, jewelry, valuable coins and other treasures. It looked like the thieves had even slept in their bed!

Security told the police that the day before they had seen a woman in the front of their house talking on a cell phone. Security advised her that she needed to leave the property. The authorities assumed that she was an accomplice and was communicating with the thieves inside the house.

At the time I heard the story, their belongings had not been recovered, but the truck had been found abandoned on a side street in town. The police felt confident that they knew who the thieves were, because DNA hair samples identified them. The rumor is that the landscapers had shared the couple’s whereabouts with their unscrupulous friends.

My neighbor, who lives across the street, has been out of town for over a month. I noticed three long papers, evenly spaced and taped to her front door. The first time I walked past I thought that the realtor or landscapers would take care of it. Then I remembered the couple and their old Ford truck. I decided to investigate.

Today’s gift was to take the three Federal Express package notifications and place them where they couldn’t be seen from the street. I also emailed to tell her about the notifications and ask if I could help.

I hope that I protected her from the bad guys so that she won’t be the victim of an unwelcome intruder. I’m grateful that people in my neighborhood have done the same for me.

In Giving and Protecting,

Robin