The Summer of Vandals

Our property has been vandalized no less than 6 times this summer. A littering of our yard with those paper toilet seat covers was probably the least harmful. A couple rounds of TP were more annoying, as it took forever to cleanup and get it out of the pine trees.

A few weeks ago, some street signs arrived in our driveway, with an 'A' style "sidewalk closed" sign on the hood of my car (of course scratching the paint as the sign is metal and intended to stand on cement or asphalt). Last Sunday, my car was egged pretty good (unfortunately, half the street also got egged on that go around).

And then on Friday, we had a whole bunch of pudding cups thrown at our house. They were thrown pretty hard to make sure they'd explode (I was next to one of the windows they threw at). It was pretty bold of the hoodlums to do it because it was pretty obvious that we were home and awake. Most of the other ones were done while we were gone or very late at night.

We ran out, but couldn't see who it was. Then, we spent the next hour cleaning the house and the cars of all the pudding around. Tell you what, if you want to make a real mess in a hurry, use pudding. Either the oils of fat or whatever is in there made it so hard to get off of windows, off the car paint, off the stucco. It took six of us the whole hour of working hard to clean off our house, driveway and two cars that were subject to the pudding blast.

On most of these, my reaction has been a disappointed "really?"; that is to say"this is what you choose to do with your spare time and materials?" I wish I could say something to them, figure out why they're doing what they're doing, and explain why it doesn't make sense, why they shouldn't do such things. But even if I had that chance, I doubt that I would be able to have any sway on their minds. They are at a point where they are vandalizing for the fun of it. There's no message, no revenge or retaliation being invoked. Just mindless harm caused on others.

They are to the point where they no longer think or care about others. A confrontation wouldn't do much to change them. This is something that they would have to learn on their own in a different setting, a setting where they are in a state where they can learn. I don't know what that would be, but I'm sure at some point their hearts will be softened and maturity will occur.

Until that time comes, my responsibility is to forgive them and move on. I am in no position to judge them for their poor decisions, not knowing what other factors may have pushed them to their current state. But I can relieve myself of that burden through forgiveness.

I cannot choose what happens to me, but I can choose how I will react and what feelings to harbor in my soul. I choose to focus on the good and to meet whatever comes my way with a smile. "Come what may, and love it."