Last night was rough, but this morning the mess started to make sense. This morning as I met with Tim and Josh from Open Table Community, I realized two things about the break-in.
1. Once we have done everything prudent to secure our apartment, I need to realize that it will never be completely safe. I realized through this whole thing that if such a silly little plot was enough to throw me off, I need to correct my attitude about the home. It really isn't ours to worry about.
2. The whole thing is actually an opportunity for us to grow closer to J and JC. Ruthie and J had a long talk today about grace, a concept he had never heard of. She told him about how we felt hurt by what he had done, but that we cared about him, and wanted to work together to rebuild trust.
J was tearfully repentant, and wrote the following in a letter to me while I was away at work:
"To Ean, I am so sorry I broke the rules and went to the house. I promise I'll never do it again. Love, J."
JC, on the other hand, avoided Ruthie, refused to discuss the break-in, and was even loitering suspiciously around the apartment later. We need to figure out how to deal with him. It's still pretty uncomfortable knowing that a kid wants to break into your house as soon as he gets the chance.
Thankfully, after all the hubub, we had an amazing evening with our friends Josh and Margaret Feit. We went over for dinner and ended up playing foosball and swapping stories until near midnight. Their company was exactly what we needed.
And now, my dear readers, sleep is exactly what I need, so adios until tomorrow.
Giving Hope, Community and Economic Opportunities to Immigrants and Refugees
Don't let this close your home!
ReplyDeleteFear not, Mark!
ReplyDeleteA closed home isn't a home. It's a fortress. I'd hate to live in a fortress.
Growing up in Papua we had a trampoline in our yard and the local Papuan kids loved to jump on it. We wanted our home to be open to them, but gradually things started happening - they stole all of our just-ripe pineapples so we never got to eat them. Things got trashed or stolen, the tramp ripped, etc. It was a constant debate for my mom to know what to do. She ended up just asking that they come and ask her permission before they went to jump, so that she knew they were there and they knew she was aware of them. It still didn't stop damage, but it wasn't worth it to her to close out the nuisance that inevitably comes when you open up to the outside world.
ReplyDeleteShe told him about how we felt hurt by what he had done, but that we cared about him, and wanted to work together to rebuild trust.beautiful post..thanks for sharing here. miami beach condos
ReplyDelete