Criminals stole more than mere possessions

“Because I Said So” column for The Commercial Appeal

Sept. 2, 2010

With the break in the weather last week, the goldfinches returned to our yard.

I’ve written here before of the wildlife we have managed to attract around our house with strategically placed feeders and water. Making the grounds attractive to colorful and curious creatures has been a source of entertainment for my kids and me.

The sighting of the goldfinches’ bright yellow plumage was a highlight of the week for us. Along with the break in the weather, however, came the break-in of our home. The bearable temperatures brought out all wildlife, good and bad, and someone, or a group of someones, came into our house in the middle of the day and liberated computers and video games, among other items.

It’s a difficult thing to cope with, this violation of space, the thought of a stranger going through your things to determine what is and is not salable in whatever twisted market they deal. When you have to consciously look past the day-to-day corruption, violence and malaise in this city to find the good, an act such as this takes the wind out of your sails. It picks the pork out of your greens and drops the backbeat from your favorite soul song … (read more)