Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Men in Uniform


Why are my encounters with law enforcement always so silly?
The deputy just left. I filed a report (case #S07-????) in the case of the missing flamingos. Our Youth Group Fundraising Flamingos got bird-napped last Saturday night, and after hoping that someone at school would hear who had them, and driving around Philo and Tolono hoping against hope that the thieves would think putting them in some one's yard was as funny an idea as I did, I finally called the sheriff's office. And the deputy came and wrote down all the facts of the case:
32 missing pink plastic flamingos.
Last seen 4/7/07.
Value of $180.
He even wrote down my age. Does that matter, I ask you? Is there an extra penalty for stealing from senior citizens?
And as he left he said "With a little help (pointing up) maybe we'll find them."
He was a lot more helpful than the officer who came (MANY MANY years ago) when I reported a wild animal had chased my 1 year old child around in the yard. I said I thought it was some sort of rabid weasel or something. Big. Like a badger. Frightening. Dangerous. That guy asked if I'd been drinking. Later, someone showed me a picture of a pet ferret. Yep. That was it.
I'm sorry that my need for aid always seems to be so ridiculous. No. On second thought, I'm not. I'm glad.

5 comments:

Nancy Holland said...

i'm glad to see that you're back!
thanks.
hope those wayward flamingos find their way home again. i'll send good thoughts from de.

pastor cindy said...

Thanks! It is so cold and nasty - snow flying again this morning - I wonder now if perhaps the flamingos have wisely headed south. Wish I could!

Nancy Holland said...

I guess all this cold will make us appreciate spring even more when it finally gets here...
By the way, if anyone has ever loved a dog, or cat, or any kind of animal, be sure and read "The Last Word" by Anna Quindlen in Newsweek this week...and have kleenex handy!

pastor cindy said...

Wasn't that a good article?
It did make me think of my late great dog, Walker, may she rest in peace.
One thing I especially liked was that AQ seemed to be paying attention to when the dog was ready to quit living. That's good for the dog, but also good for the dog's people. They get the chance to confront limitations and care for a creature who isn't all he used to be. And develop some compassion and sympathy and a deeper kind of love.
That's part of what I think is going on when people live "past their prime". Part of the end of life is about the individual who is aging or ill. But part of it is about the caregivers and the community that surrounds them. We need to practice bearing one another's burdens. It makes us all more like the people God wants us to be.
So when people tell me they'd rather die than . . . become a burden . . . I think they need to remember how much good a burden can do.

Nancy Holland said...

what an interesting way to look at the idea of being a burden. it's a scary thing, though, to be that vulnerable and let someone else in on our frailties. that's hard to do. especially when the ones we are letting in are probably going to be our own children.
it sort of ties in with your comments on Virginia Tech, and the importance of being part of a community, and caring for other people.
thanks for giving me things to think about on this spring day.