You just never know

Today has been an odd day. Just odd.

It started with a wake up call from the local police just before 1 AM. There had been another break-in at the church and they needed someone with keys to the buildings to go down there and help them out. Or in, actually. Which, when you think about it is kind of silly, after a break-IN. This is the second break-in this year.

Anyway. We spent the next couple of hours down at the church assessing damage and waiting until the police were finished with all their fingerprint dust and cotton swabs.

The damage was some broken glass. The loot they absconded with was the Yamaha Motif keyboard from the sanctuary.

When we first arrived on the scene one officer had three young men in the back seat of his patrol car. Our first impression was that these were the burglars. After a few minutes, the officer and the three ‘suspects’ stepped from the car. The officer spoke in a tone of voice that was not very convincing and seemed to offer a bit of doubt when he said the three young guys claimed they witnessed someone else running from the church toting the keyboard so they started chasing him down. The other guy got away, these three guys called the police, so they say.

I got the impression that the policemen thought it might be some sort smoke and mirrors ruse to intentionally mislead the investigation because, maybe not so coincidentally, a warrant had been issued just a couple of days ago for the arrest of a young man partly responsible for the previous break in back in February. And, it seems these three guys have a close association with that original perpetrator.

Now, I don’t really know any of these young men or who their associates are. I was just listening to what the police officers were saying to them and to each other. I suppose the DNA and fingerprints they collected will shed some light on the truth. But wouldn’t it be interesting if it is true. I mean, if the guys that the police are suspicious of really do turn out to be heroes. Why would we be surprised? What is about us that makes us want to believe the worst instead of the best?

You just never know about people.

Which brings me to another oddity in my day. It takes me less than five minutes to drive from my office to my house. On my way home from work today, I was driving in a residential area just a few blocks from my house. Right there in the yard of a little, old house were five or six large turkey vultures having a picnic. It’s not a sight you usually see in the neighborhood. I was a little stunned when I first saw it and it took a minute to register, so I had driven past it before I was able to see what they were feasting on. I thought to myself, “I gotta get a picture of this. No one will believe that I actually saw this just around the corner and down the street from my house.” Plus, I was still a little curious about what kind of dead animal was so close to home.

I drove on home and pulled in my driveway fully intending to run in the house, get my camera, and return to the scene. Before I made it to my front door, I began to think about how suspicious I would look driving by taking photos of someone else’s house with a dead animal in the front yard and other live animals feeding on it. Who does that kind of thing?! Certainly it might even warrant a frightened neighbor calling the police. And what if it the same officers that showed up at the church break-in came to question me about my drive-by photo shooting? I’m sure he would have some doubts about me too.

You just never know about people.

I didn't go back for the picture. I always want other people to think the best about me. I should offer them the same courtesy.

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." Matthew 22:36-40