(originally posted July 13, 2014)
With family visiting, we decided to take them around on the Fourth of July.
We didn't leave right away, but waited until after lunch, around 1:30pm.
We actually turned around and drove back home because we had forgotten things.
We were at our destination for a measly four hours.
DD was asleep in the car when we returned, and DH picked her up to bring her in.
The next thing I knew, or rather, I heard, was DD's cry.
DH had put her down on the front portico.
I was about to respond to this unusual sight when I heard someone repeating DH's words:
we've been robbed.
Call the police.
Initial reaction was shock, and disbelief.
How can this be?
We are in one of the safest neighborhoods around.
Home invasion on the fourth of July, and in the middle of the day?
The person knocked down the door frame.
He probably used a crowbar, and really hammered the door frame in.
It was shocking, to see the damaged frame and broken door handle.
Why would anyone do this?
My initial fear was my laptop.
Before we went about our search, we waited outside for the police to arrive.
Nobody showed up.
We just stood there, by the edges of the driveway, too fearful to get any closer.
Or rather, the broken door frame was just too much to look at.
Praying, and just being there with and for each other.
In total disbelief, at least it was for me.
DH rang the neighbor's doorbell.
She didn't come out for a long time.
When she finally did, we talked.
Then she drove off.
She said it was to visit her daughter.
Had to call the police again.
Had to wait again.
Finally two police officers showed up.
They told us to go in, and see what went missing.
I thought it was odd that we don't need to preserve the scene of "crime".
We had heard from our neighbor that people break in for jewelry.
Mom went to her room and found her jewelry taken.
I found my laptop, and cash on the table untouched.
But we lost my graduation gift, our first iPad.
He didn't touch our laptops.
Then I found out he took most of my jewelry as well.
While my loss, at least money wise, wasn't as great as mom's,
I lost almost almost all the sentimental pieces.
All the special gifts from DH, and family and friends.
Everything.
Two pearl pendants from DH when he was courting me.
Had two because he originally misplaced one, and had to get a replacement.
He prayed about it, and found it in the garage and on top of a car at the place he used to live.
I also lost a set of pearl earrings that DH gave me for our wedding.
A diamond pendant, a going away gift from my best friends in college when I left for graduate school.
A special pendant from my best friends in college. All four of us had one.
I lost a 24K ring that my fieldwork hostess gave me.
It was a small ring. But it was a special gift that she had picked out from her stash.
It was mixed in with a whole bunch of other rings, most of which were custom jewelry.
The person actually took the time to pick that one out from the bunch.
Just thinking about the person taking the time to pick out stuff really angers me.
I also lost a pair of brass handcuffs from my best friend in graduate school.
She brought them back from AZ where she went for a conference.
She also gave me a ceramic pin made by a local artist in HP.
These pieces were in their original box.
Mom's sister gave me a gold plated leaf, with a gold chain.
DH's sister gave me a murano glass beads necklace from Italy.
His aunt gave me a strand of necklace with pearls and in a nice mirrored and lacquered brown box.
My graduate school roommate gave me a lacquered jewelry box from SK inlaid with mother of pearl.
A 24K horse pendant for oldest son from my college best friends was also taken.
The first strand of pearl necklace, from Carol Lee, that I bought for myself is no longer mine.
An imitation "beanzu" Tiffany necklace that I bought when I was in Japan.
A rectangular brown hair clip from Aunt Celine that was made in France.
Plus numerous other pearl necklaces that mom gave me.
Each piece had a story.
Each held a connection to a person (or persons) to a special time or a place in my life.
Now they are all gone.
It's hard not to feel angry at the person who did this.
And that is to put it very mildly.
If I could use stronger words, I would.
As for the police, it was a total disappointment.
They probably take this as everyday stuff.
At least no one was injured.
So they probably don't think much of it.
The evidence technician didn't show up until 23 hours later.
Even though the police officers (both those who responded to the call, and those who answered our phone inquiries) promised that he will show up the day of burglary.
He never came.
At least not until 4pm, the following day.
We waited and waited, leaving the house the way we found it.
We could not clean up or do anything else because we had to preserve the site.
We took turns waiting at the door, until it was finally too late to leave the door open.
So we closed the glass door.
Then we closed the main door.
Then we decided we had to get some rest.
We finally relented, and had to admit that no officer would come at 1 am at night.
To sleep, we all huddled together on the floor.
The kids were terrified.
How can anyone do this!
Will they do it again?
Fear life, at one's own home.
We waited another 8 days before the detective called.
Basically everything that was promised by the police turned out to be false.
The officers who responded to the call, and even the evidence technician had said that we can show pictures to the detective when he comes.
We were told that the pawn shops are required by law to post pictures of objects pawned.
That because mom's items are unique, there was a greater chance of recovering them.
Now the detective, whom we didn't see and only heard on the phone, said it is not going to happen.
The pawn shops do not supply the pictures, even though they are required to.
The person probably shipped the items to other places, so online search will not produce much result.
But we could still try, he suggested.
Is this person for real?
We are given the responsibility to track down our lost items?
What then are the police for?
Does he need to show anymore effort?
Impressive. Not.
He is smart to have waited eight days to call.
By now feelings have somewhat dulled, and expectation lowered.
To wait day after day after day for the detective to show up, the expectation had turned from hopefulness to finding closure.
When he finally called, it was more like checking off an item on the list.
Now it's complete. We are done.
At least he called.
How we reward ourselves.
People say "to forgive is divine."
It is almost impossible right now for me to forgive the person who did this to us.
Adding insult to injury is the police's non-response and complacency.
We are left on our own.
With nothing left to help us.
I _______ that person.
Lord help me because right now I am full of rage and cannot forgive.
We didn't leave right away, but waited until after lunch, around 1:30pm.
We actually turned around and drove back home because we had forgotten things.
We were at our destination for a measly four hours.
DD was asleep in the car when we returned, and DH picked her up to bring her in.
The next thing I knew, or rather, I heard, was DD's cry.
DH had put her down on the front portico.
I was about to respond to this unusual sight when I heard someone repeating DH's words:
we've been robbed.
Call the police.
Initial reaction was shock, and disbelief.
How can this be?
We are in one of the safest neighborhoods around.
Home invasion on the fourth of July, and in the middle of the day?
The person knocked down the door frame.
He probably used a crowbar, and really hammered the door frame in.
It was shocking, to see the damaged frame and broken door handle.
Why would anyone do this?
My initial fear was my laptop.
Before we went about our search, we waited outside for the police to arrive.
Nobody showed up.
We just stood there, by the edges of the driveway, too fearful to get any closer.
Or rather, the broken door frame was just too much to look at.
Praying, and just being there with and for each other.
In total disbelief, at least it was for me.
DH rang the neighbor's doorbell.
She didn't come out for a long time.
When she finally did, we talked.
Then she drove off.
She said it was to visit her daughter.
Had to call the police again.
Had to wait again.
Finally two police officers showed up.
They told us to go in, and see what went missing.
I thought it was odd that we don't need to preserve the scene of "crime".
We had heard from our neighbor that people break in for jewelry.
Mom went to her room and found her jewelry taken.
I found my laptop, and cash on the table untouched.
But we lost my graduation gift, our first iPad.
He didn't touch our laptops.
Then I found out he took most of my jewelry as well.
While my loss, at least money wise, wasn't as great as mom's,
I lost almost almost all the sentimental pieces.
All the special gifts from DH, and family and friends.
Everything.
Two pearl pendants from DH when he was courting me.
Had two because he originally misplaced one, and had to get a replacement.
He prayed about it, and found it in the garage and on top of a car at the place he used to live.
I also lost a set of pearl earrings that DH gave me for our wedding.
A diamond pendant, a going away gift from my best friends in college when I left for graduate school.
A special pendant from my best friends in college. All four of us had one.
I lost a 24K ring that my fieldwork hostess gave me.
It was a small ring. But it was a special gift that she had picked out from her stash.
It was mixed in with a whole bunch of other rings, most of which were custom jewelry.
The person actually took the time to pick that one out from the bunch.
Just thinking about the person taking the time to pick out stuff really angers me.
I also lost a pair of brass handcuffs from my best friend in graduate school.
She brought them back from AZ where she went for a conference.
She also gave me a ceramic pin made by a local artist in HP.
These pieces were in their original box.
Mom's sister gave me a gold plated leaf, with a gold chain.
DH's sister gave me a murano glass beads necklace from Italy.
His aunt gave me a strand of necklace with pearls and in a nice mirrored and lacquered brown box.
My graduate school roommate gave me a lacquered jewelry box from SK inlaid with mother of pearl.
A 24K horse pendant for oldest son from my college best friends was also taken.
The first strand of pearl necklace, from Carol Lee, that I bought for myself is no longer mine.
An imitation "beanzu" Tiffany necklace that I bought when I was in Japan.
A rectangular brown hair clip from Aunt Celine that was made in France.
Plus numerous other pearl necklaces that mom gave me.
Each piece had a story.
Each held a connection to a person (or persons) to a special time or a place in my life.
Now they are all gone.
It's hard not to feel angry at the person who did this.
And that is to put it very mildly.
If I could use stronger words, I would.
As for the police, it was a total disappointment.
They probably take this as everyday stuff.
At least no one was injured.
So they probably don't think much of it.
The evidence technician didn't show up until 23 hours later.
Even though the police officers (both those who responded to the call, and those who answered our phone inquiries) promised that he will show up the day of burglary.
He never came.
At least not until 4pm, the following day.
We waited and waited, leaving the house the way we found it.
We could not clean up or do anything else because we had to preserve the site.
We took turns waiting at the door, until it was finally too late to leave the door open.
So we closed the glass door.
Then we closed the main door.
Then we decided we had to get some rest.
We finally relented, and had to admit that no officer would come at 1 am at night.
To sleep, we all huddled together on the floor.
The kids were terrified.
How can anyone do this!
Will they do it again?
Fear life, at one's own home.
We waited another 8 days before the detective called.
Basically everything that was promised by the police turned out to be false.
The officers who responded to the call, and even the evidence technician had said that we can show pictures to the detective when he comes.
We were told that the pawn shops are required by law to post pictures of objects pawned.
That because mom's items are unique, there was a greater chance of recovering them.
Now the detective, whom we didn't see and only heard on the phone, said it is not going to happen.
The pawn shops do not supply the pictures, even though they are required to.
The person probably shipped the items to other places, so online search will not produce much result.
But we could still try, he suggested.
Is this person for real?
We are given the responsibility to track down our lost items?
What then are the police for?
Does he need to show anymore effort?
Impressive. Not.
He is smart to have waited eight days to call.
By now feelings have somewhat dulled, and expectation lowered.
To wait day after day after day for the detective to show up, the expectation had turned from hopefulness to finding closure.
When he finally called, it was more like checking off an item on the list.
Now it's complete. We are done.
At least he called.
How we reward ourselves.
People say "to forgive is divine."
It is almost impossible right now for me to forgive the person who did this to us.
Adding insult to injury is the police's non-response and complacency.
We are left on our own.
With nothing left to help us.
I _______ that person.
Lord help me because right now I am full of rage and cannot forgive.
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