Dear Jerk....

Dear Jerk who tried to steal my husband's car on Saturday,

I am not angry with you for taking the cash out of his wallet. I *choose* to assume you need it for food, in which case I'm glad for you to have it. I *might* be angry with you if I thought you were using OUR Christmas money for drugs or booze.

I am not angry with you for leaving the passenger side door open where it was obvious someone had meddled in our personal things and invited others to do the same. I am also not angry with you for busting the steering column in your lame and pathetic attempt to steal the vehicle. I'm a little annoyed you didn't succeed, because now we have to pay to have the thing fixed, but I'm willing to let bygones be bygones.

I am perplexed that you would want to steal an old, scratched Buick that rattles when you turn it to the right and requires tools to start occasionally. There was a nice SUV right next to ours; although I am not *angry* with you, I think your judgment is questionable.

I forgive you for taking my baby's carseat out of the car even though it took us hours to install in a secure way, yet at an angle where her head is neither bobbing forward, nor hanging upside down. (Although I'm not sure my baby forgives you because the chances of us getting it in at that comfortable angle again are slim.) Thank you for not stealing the seat. And thank you for leaving the Barnes and Noble gift card; I'm sure it was no use to you anyway. I suppose if you'd really wanted to inconvenience us, you could have taken the driver's license and credit cards, so I do appreciate those considerations. Your mama must be proud.

However, I AM angry with you for stealing an hour of our family time on Saturday while my husband had to file a police report instead of coming home. You see, he works hard and EARNS his money rather than just TAKING it from someone else. You wouldn't understand this concept because it requires a job and a work ethic. You already get a significant portion of this money he earns from our tax dollars - I guess that wasn't enough for you. (Don't worry - I have complete faith that our Democratic congress and possible future President will see that you get plenty more - they'll do the stealing for you so you won't have to be troubled again). At any rate, because my husband works hard and has developed a marketable skill, he can earn more money for our needs. But our family time is a precious and treasured commodity that is not replaceable. And you've stolen a chunk of it while we deal with towing and repairing the car. I do NOT appreciate that, jerk.

I am also angry with you for reminding me in a very tangible way that there are people out there who are willing and able to hurt my family. You have infringed on my security (not that I ever felt terribly secure living in Richmond County - it's kind of a ghetto place),but that's beside the point. You actually gave me a reason to be afraid, and I don't appreciate that either, jerk.

Also, I'm very upset with you for breaking the radio. That was a Christmas gift to my husband a couple of years ago. Besides, they have much better technology now than a cd and cassette player. Again with your questionable judgment.

I would like to be angry at you for several more things, because you deserve it. It's not nice to take things and break things that aren't yours. But I'm just not that mad at you because I am mostly thankful that all you took from me was stuff - stuff that we can work for and get back. And I mostly feel sorry for you because you must not know the sheer joy it is to take care of yourself with a family who loves you and brings countless smiles to your face all day, every day - a family who makes you want to do honorable things that would make them proud. And you obviously don't know what it's like to work hard for something and accomplish it through your own skills and efforts. Because if you did, you would never settle for mooching off the labor of another man. You must have a very sad life.

Sincerely,
A Family on Foot, Thanks to You