That morning, in addition to sweet, reliable M. and E. that usually clean our house, we had two male trainees in the house. They greeted me as I left the house to run a few errands. When I returned home, the house was clean and fragrant. I smiled to myself. It’s so good to come back to a clean house!

Later that night, we found out that my daughter’s Nintendo DSi was missing. It wasn’t in its designated basket in the living room, where I had put it that morning. It was nowhere in the house, and as we were frantically searching, I suddenly remembered the two strange men and there it was- the sudden realization that we are victims of theft.

The theft itself was small. Nothing else was taken as far as we know. The maid service handled the whole thing professionally, apologizing and writing us a check for the cost of the replacement game. I filed a police report, and there’s an ongoing police investigation.

But despite being victims to a really small theft, there are lingering effects. I’m not naive – while I firmly believe that most people are good, I also know there are bad people out there, even if I don’t have much contact with them in my daily life. Coming into contact with badness feels so yucky! I’m thinking about that man here in my house, looking at things, touching them… it’s sickening, really.

I don’t know how victims of serious crimes ever recover. Maybe they never do – something stays with you, a little bit of faith is taken away every time you deal with evil, and the bigger the evil, the more faith you lose.

For my daughters, this was an early life lesson. People tend to be trusting, and that’s a very good thing and the basis to human society and successful human connection and communication. But even in a small, safe community, bad people exist, and we, the good ones, must be aware of that and take appropriate precautions, without allowing fear and mistrust to take over.

It’s not an easy balance to strike, and it’s not an easy balance to teach one’s kids, but now more ever, I know that I must.

Similar Posts:

• Staycation or Vacation?
• The One Request from School I Dread the Most
• Personally? I Find Fall Depressing
• The First Rose of the Season