IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

A thief in the night nearly ended the lives of my loved ones and myself, as we know it, this week.

He is no man, this thief, a man would walk through the front door in broad daylight. HE came through the roof in the dear of night, with a gun, to plunder, kill, and steel that which was not his to take. But to take things that were earned by the hands and minds of hardworking honest people. My mother and stepfather. They are both in their mid 70's.

The alarm goes off at 3.00am. My stepfather gets up to check on the house. The house is large. He finishes up his inspection in the bathroom, all the while on the phone to the security armed response company. He tells them all seems to be ok, then he turns around and there he is, this thief, face to face with my stepdad, gun in hand. My stepdad immediately shouts into the telephone "he's here!" The thief shoots my stepdad through the leg. He locks himself in the bathroom. My mother is in the bedroom but hears all this and she in her turn locks herself in the bedroom.

They wait. And wait. Still the silence goes on.

Slowly my mother opens the bedroom door. Now she is face to face with the thief. She is angry more than afraid and gets a good look at the thief.

He asks her for money, she tells him there is no money in the house and locks the door again.

My stepdad is almost paralyzed with fear not knowing whether my mom, his wife of 30 years and friend of 50 years is even alive.

He got away, this thief, so he is still out there, probably watching someone elses house.

My beloved parents, who are everything to me, now suffer from post traumatic stress. They now have to pick up the pieces of their life and go forward as so many others before them have had to.

I could have lost my mother and father, my children their grandparents, my grandchildren their greatgrand parents. Their friends could have lost their very loyal friends and a community would have been forever changed. Because one thief tried to take what was not his, and had no regard for human life.

I am glad that I have never taken my loved ones for granted. I am glad that I always say "I love you" to them.

I beseech you, never stop showing your love, you never know when it will be the last chance you get.

As for me, I am grateful to God who saw fit to spare them, so that I can continue to say ..... "I love you".