circuit city would be proud

Walked out of the house yesterday morning, but this wasn't the first thing I saw as I approached my car. I couldn't put my finger on it - it just felt not quite right. When I tried to open the car door, I discovered that it was already unlocked. Dang - I thought - I forgot to lock it up. Then I saw the wires hanging where the radio should be, and the contents of my glove compartment scattered on the floorboards.

At first I thought it was my fault - leaving the car unlocked on a dark city night. It took me five minutes to look back and realize my back passenger-side window had been smashed. The back seat layered in shredded glass.

It was odd thinking about the man who was in my car, going through my things.

I'm not sure why he chose to break in my car. Of all the cars on the street: my 1989 Olds instead of the two Lexus SUVs halfway down the block. And my radio. It's only a year old, but it was installed at circuit city. I literally walked into circuit city and said, "what's the cheapest model you sell?"

The cop that took the phone report said a crack addict will take anything - even if it means selling it for ten bucks. I don't know if a drug addict took my radio, but it cost me a lot more than my theif will get for it.

So I have to replace a CD player, about 20 CDs, a 6-pack of colorado beer (a gift for a friend I was carrying in the backseat), and a broken car window. Maybe don't have I have replace all of that, but those are the things that have been taken from me, plus about $5 cash.

The calm suprised me. My last few days have been hurried, tired, bitter. Materialistic and distracting. And as I cranked my radio-less car - hearing the outside sounds clearly from the broken back-right window - I felt like God had slipped into the car and sat down nearer to me than we had been in two whole weeks.

I don't know exactly what that is, but I think the nearness of God is worth a broken window and a stolen radio.