I slept pretty badly last night. I developed a really nasty headache and had to take some excedrin. Add that to the adrenaline and I lay in bed for a while, telling myself "You have to get up at 4 AM, GO TO SLEEP!"
I heard Ron snoring in the other room. I wasn't really upset they would come back. I was a little annoyed about my computer. I liked that computer. It was a gift from my dad. The thought of some crackhead picking it up and taking it - wondering what is happening to the poor thing today - is upsetting.
I was also pretty disturbed by the level of damage in the bedroom. The matttress was thrown against the wall, knocking a lamp across the room. Slats on the bed base were pulled out. I hope he enjoyed my under bed collection of old pens, cough drop and sugar free candy wrappers, seed catalogs, and old books.
Considering, that, after that he probably started taking my hangers off the rod in the closet and throwing the clothes around, going through the drawers, looking for money and jewelry. Ha. Jokes's on him. I didn't have any.
Ron's room is basically untouched. They opened the closet door, saw the unused commode chair, and left the door open.
He went in the laundry room, probably thinking it was another bedroom. He clearly came in this room because he stole the computer and the charger. He did leave my old digital camera, backup flash drives, speakers, and modem.
I try to look at the silver lining. He only trashed the bedroom and I put everything back the way it was. He didn't do any lasting damage to my bedroom stuff.
He moved Ron's computer but I don't think he had time to take it. I think he was looking for quick money fast and ran out of time with the contractors next door.
Do I think he'll be back? Good question. I think they got pretty much everything they saw as valuable. They ransacked my room, thinking I had jewelry or money, and didn't find it because it's not there.
There was a commercial a while back for computers. A family comes home, the house is robbed - they took everything but the computer. The father says "Time to get a new computer". Meaning, the computer was so old even the thief didn't want it.
That was Ron's computer, and my TV. I have a 20 inch low def old school TV. It has color and captioning but that's about it. I have told Ron, this TV is fine for me. I've been saying that. Whenever he gets a little extra money, he always says "I want to get you a better TV" and I tell him the same thing "No, right now no one wants my TV. We look poor with that TV, and we are. When a contractor comes by the first thing they do is look at the TV and then they realize they can't soak us. If I have something nice and desirable, others will want it. Please don't buy me a TV."
Well, they didn't take it. Too heavy, too much trouble to lift. It wouldn't be worth much if they tried to get rid of it. So, they left it. Ron's been telling everyone I was right, all day.
I mean, really, you kick in the front door. You see cases and cases of Bibles. My Free Bibles signs (which where kicked over but still OK), my Free Bibles hat., a dinky, old TV - and you still come in?
It makes me think - this and the level of rage when they didn't find anything in the bedroom - they must have been "fiending" crackheads, in the grim clutches of a demonic craving.. They must have been desperate for a fix and cruising the neighborhood. I am surrounded by many 2 story, "nice' brick houses. I am in a small clapboard house. Why target us?
Because we happened to leave when we did.
They're opportunists - they are on to other streets, better pastures. I hope.
Ron and I left for work at 6. Told a few people - the big gossips, what happened. It is all over the plant by now.
We came home. I told Ron "Coming home used to be fun, now I wonder if the door's kicked in again" He agreed. Not fun right now, coming home.
We got settled and got the work stuff. Went to Walmart with the wheelchair (thank God they didn't steal that - and that's the other thing - you see a WHEELCHAIR in a house and you're still going to rob it? A wheelchair, commode chair, cases of Bibles, and Free Bibles stuff? Good luck with that on judgement day.), and went to the pharmacy. No Haldol. They claim they will have it on Monday. AGH.
Since the guys are coming over, I got some soda, sports drinks, candy, sandwhich crackers (the kind with peanut butter, or cheese in the middle), and a giant meat lover take-and-bake pizza. Several people, including my driver, commented on it's tasty appearance. I got a few things for me.
About the only bad thing was an obviously ill woman, sneezing in my face. I took all my vitamins.
I got Ron something to eat. He wanted to brood. I did get him some allergy medicine - I checked with the pharmacy - that doesn't interact with alcohol. He took some (fake Claratin) and says he already feels better. Normally he has a sneezing attack when Baby Girl wants a cuddle, but not today. That's a good thing.
The stuff is cheap enough I can get it for him on a regular basis.
I decided to traat myself and got a plate lunch from the deli. I couldn't finish it and Ron's going to eat the leftovers. It was good and I could take my lithium on time.
Last night, I started doing up Bibles to handout. I brought 4 today and handed them out. I was really happy about that.
If, like me, you see things from a spiritual warfare perspective then I'm fighting back. I'm also praying for them.
I alternate between disgust and anger - and a desire to share my faith with them. I did have a nice little fantasy about my pepper spray. Ah, well.
Ron wants to get burgular bars but I told him no - I'd rather get robbed again than burn alive, trapped in the house. [shudder] A lot of cases of that, actually. We couldn't afford them, either.
At any rate I got a pretty good nap today, Ron and the cats are fine, and the stuff that really matters wasn't damaged.
It is getting a little old going in and out the backdoor, though.
8 comments:
(((hugs))). Maybe you could have some folks from your church pray over your house. It might help with the horrible feeling in there now.
As for burglar bars, ugh, I hate them. We have them in the bedroom and I find them unsightly. They also really don't work, as you know, criminals find another way to get in if they really want to.
I think you're likely right that they were high. Maybe then they will try to pawn the laptop and the police can trace it? you never know.
((((more hugs)) and prayers.
Again. The robbers aren't going to hell because they robbed you.
I agree, anonymous. They are going to hell because they reject Jesus and His salvation.
If they were saved, they wouldn't have done this, especially when they saw all the Bibles, Free Bibles hats and signs, and RON'S WHEELCHAIR! Who robs a person in a wheelchair?
Sorry - mad. It's starting to hit me now. I am praying for them to repent, get saved, and make it to Heaven. No one deserves hell, even if they did rob two disabled people, one in a wheelchair.
I'm sorry, just because someone sins (steals) does not mean they are not saved. Saved people sin all the time - we are sinners!
Oh god grief on the robbers going to hell or not. NOW is a little bit more critical. Everyone knows you hate being told what to do, But really give this some consideration please. You walk in your house arms loaded with, bags bibles Ron and whatever. Thank goodness they had left, right? What if? when you have a little extra $ please look into the camera you can get an app for and add it to your phone. Then you can at least check the house before you walk in.
They are more and mor affordable and your life is worth that little cost. Talk to Ron I bet he will agree on this on
Oh a tad of sardonic humor? I watched Big Bang I want an electrified net that if I look at my camera catch a prowler I can drop it on their heads with enough voltage so nothing more than containment and loss of bladder contol happens until the cops come.
I have a very hard time believing a believer could rob us. I just don't see it.
That said, Ron has had all kinds of plots, hiding in the bathroom with a loaded gun to shoot them, etc.
No we don't have a gun. Thank God. They would have stolen that, too, and probably killed someone with it.
Did you see disaster preppers? That guy had a pepper spray alarm system? If someone broke in the front door and went past the motion detector it released a huge, toxic, cloud. I like it.
Sigh. I know Heather can defend herself..but people, please. This lady has just been robbed. Her emotions are raw.
Also, being a very devout Christian, Heather IS concerned with their immortal soul. There's nothing wrong with that. I actually applaud her for it. While most people would be "damning" their robbers, she's praying for them. That is a Christian example.
Whether or not these people were Christian at some point, what they are doing is NOT Christian. In the Book of James, it tells us that faith without works is dead. We are Christian by how we act. These people that robbed Heather DO need prayers, because whether they know Christ or not, they are not doing His Will by harming others. Only God can judge their hearts.
Most people don't check their home before they walk in. I know I don't, and I don't live in the best area of town (not the worst, but certainly not the best, with lots of crime). Let's put the blame where it is due..on the people that robbed Heather and Ron, not on them. A camera on a phone I don't think would do a lot of good, to be honest. It wouldn't search out the whole house, and anything taken on a cell phone isn't admissable in court.
Also, people that rob a home, statstics show, normally flee when the people get home. There are a small number that will harm you, but that's usually because of a botched robbery -ie they didn't expect anyone to be home, so now are afraid you will identify them to police. That's the "good" news, I guess. Theives are usually just theives. You never know what "type" of person is robbing you, but judging from how they acted in Heather's home, it sounded like they were after money and items they could pawn.
Of course, the wild card is when a robber panics, or is high. All you can do is high tail it out of there. Trying to "fight" the robber and defend your stuff ends in disaster most of the time. Punch out a screen and jump out the window if you hear someone breaking in, or hide in the bathroom. Most theives do not go in there.
RE: Pepper spray alarm system..that sounds interesting, but how could you ensure that it wouldn't activate and pepper spray you, Ron, or the cats by accident? I'd be worried about that.
Same goes for guns. If the robbers found a gun in your house, things could have turned tragic very quickly. I don't think being armed is the answer. All too often, the perpetrator manages to wrestle the gun from you (as stats show) and could kill or hurt you instead. Not good. I'm admittedly anti-gun for protection (I'm from Canada, so that's part of it, it's really not a part of our culture.), but I don't think having a gun in a home with someone that is blind with traumatic brain injury and an addiction is the soundest plan..but I think you (Heather) know that already! Also, being Bipolar, they will not allow us to have weapons..which I think is a good thing. I highly doubt Ron could legally obtain one, ether.
I agree Heather. I find it almost impossible to believe that a saved person could committ a crime like this. This isn't the kind of the thing where you have a moment of weakness and give into sin. This was a deliberate, planned-ahead intentional crime with total disregard of how it would hurt the victims-even being able to see, by the wheelchair, that at least one person is disabled. And anyone who would kick a door open in broad daylight, doesn't seem to be the kind of person who's afraid of much-except losing his own liberty or life, if that (jail is just a vacation to some people)-and that doesn't seem like the kind of person who would have many qualms about hurting someone else.
I thank God y'all weren't home, since there's no way to determine if your presence, rather than deterring him, would have rather enabled him to harm you.
I wonder if people for some reason might think that y'all keep large amounts of money at your home because of the business? You know that you don't, but people who want to steal what belongs to others will take a shot "just in case".
My husband is in the wholesale gold and diamond business, and is often out of town on business, leaving me alone. We take many many precautions, including not telling people his schedule or itinerary. We have three vehicles, and trade off using them and parking them differently. We have closed circuit TV, and I simply do not answer the door if I don't know the person. I have 5 large dogs who all bark if a butterfly flaps its wings. (IE, at anything). My stepsons and other male friends drive by the house anytime my husband's gone to make sure everything's OK. I have a "safe room" large enough to include my dogs, with a cell phone in it at all times. We are about to install a hidden outside exit from the room. And yes I am armed and know how to use it. There are too many people out there who even if you tell them to just take everything, will hurt or kill you anyway, especially a lone woman.
But the best thing is to ensure they can never get in in the first place. Of course there are people who aren't deterred by anything, but they would have to be very determined, and usually have a specific target in mind, not just the run of the mill criminal of opportunity.
I thank God neither you nor Ron were harmed, but I can empathise with how devasting it it must be just to have your home invaded like that. It would really do a number on my peace of mind and sense of security, deeply. All the scenarios-what if I HAD been home, etc.
I know you already know this, but PLEASE be caredul when making deposits, etc. When people have a business routine, other people get ideas.
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