February 19, 2018
Danger in Daylight
I like to notice things, but sometimes, especially when I’m watching something more important (taking Lucas to the potty) I miss big things.
Today we went to a local park to meet some friends and enjoy the afternoon.
We had been there about an hour or so when the girls finished with their kites and skates and Lucas was purposefully tumbling on his swing-car which led Mom to decide it was time to put some things away. Jillian and I took my computer, the swing-car, the kites, and the skates back to the van and put them away. I answered a text. 3:42pm.
We went back to play on the swings. (Here, Christina, Anastasia, and Lucas all can fit on one swing!)
Less than ten minutes later our friends drove up. This mom would notice a couple parked next to her and think they looked out of place because they were staring. (Most moms are used to people staring at them because of silly things like Child A has no shoes and you make them stop in the van and put them on, Child B brought his temporary pet lizard and you toss a prayer of thanks that it didn’t escape in the van, or Child C is crying because someone else got out of the van first. It’s life.) She didn’t think much of it then.
A Frozen Treat Vendor showed up. He blocked the view to the cars with his open air vehicle. I wondered how he could keep treats frozen with no shades and open windows in front and back; but then upright freezers don’t allow heat to escape too quickly. Lucas needing to potty interrupted my thoughts. Several other families were playing in the playground too. Our kids were running around together. We mothers periodically were having panic attacks as our toddlers would disappear from sight behind a large slide.
When I walked back, there was a small crowd of people behind the Treat Vendor’s jalopy. They weren’t buying ice cream or whatever he was selling. They were on their phones. My friend asks, “have you seen my baby?” (aka toddler super silent slipper-awayer) so we looked for him. I walked around the Treat Vendor. No baby, but three busted vehicle windows. Panic about the baby surged inside – we had to find him! I hear “I found him!” and then find out what’s going on at the cars. It seems a black vehicle with a couple in the front and a younger man in the back stopped behind two vehicles, slipped between them, busted the windows, and grabbed bookbags and purses. They attacked three vehicles and fled. The police showed and filed their report. We started canceling cards and the other things adults do when they lose a wallet.
Christina’s bookbag didn’t have anything they wanted, unless they plan on selling a college history book and biology lab book – new that’s $385 but used less than $100 for both. What it did have were irreplaceable sentimental items: her Bible, her current journal, her “Faith Book” (a Sunday School project that she’s carried around for a few years with written prayers and answers), various Civil Air Patrol memorabilia with special personal meaning. They took her ID, library card, and 2 months of college notes (the whole semester, they had just come from school) too, but we can replace those. She bought that backpack years ago on sale but know the reason they took it was because they watched her walk to the car and put it up (full retail would have been $65 new). They had taken two expensive purses from other cars. It was her camel-back (holds 1 liter of water) backpack for CAP that she spent many hours working to earn money for.
We looked in the garbage bins hoping maybe they threw it away. We looked all along the road. Since they have her ID, I keep praying they will drop the unwanted stuff at our door instead of toss it away. We WANT her Bible, journals, Faith book, and two 10-cent notebooks with two months of class notes! That is what we can’t replace.
I have to look for the good: No one was hurt (doesn’t count our cut fingers and booties cleaning glass and driving home in it), they emptied my bank account at two locations with heavy surveillance which may help catch them, I didn’t have “hidden stash cash” in my wallet like I used to carry, they left the little girls’ schoolbook bag even though it was a second hand computer bag, we enjoyed some fun company, Christina has a second camel-back backpack for CAP, and God has this situation in hand.
That’s my “deep breath” to calm. Writing (typing) calms me. Despite the huge earthly probability that it won’t happen; we’re still praying and believing that Christina can get her Bible, journals, and faith book back. Please believe with us.
Thanks for reading!
Type at you next time…
~Nancy Tart