No News

Someone stole my newspaper today. I left this morning, a little lazy, driving right past it out of the driveway, to return, three hours later. I found the plastic bag it was packed in, ripped open at the knot and draped nicely over the split rail. The paper itself was only worth 60 cents, but I cannot let it go. Not only did the person steal my 60 cents (I am a student living off loans) they left their trash for me to pick up, and I cannot even reuse the bags like I usually do. Self justified anger sets in, then judgement. Obviously, I think, the thief must be a jerk, a literate jerk, but a jerk nevertheless. I could write a scathing Letter to the Editor, but jerks probably only read the horoscopes and lotto numbers, not the Letters. I spend precious time and energy thinking of ways to even the score. How dare someone steal from me? Do they know how nice I am? I stumble down the path to feeling violated, they were in my driveway, they had to stop and stoop to pick the paper out of the pile of leaves and dirt it was laying on. They had to rip open the bag, take the paper out and drape the bag over the fence railing. In my driveway.

SO WHAT?

These are the moment when the Saint Francis Prayer is hard to adhere to. Love rather than be loved, forgive rather than be forgiven. I can forgive serial murderers, but I cannot seem to find an ounce of compassion for the thief who stole my 12 pages of news, most of which I skim anyways. What is so unforgivable? The fact that they stole from, gasp, me? Or the fact that they invaded my space? This incident just points out the fact that I have long road to travel, in order to be in alignment with God. I have opportunities every day to accept people for who they are, sticky fingers and all. Tomorrow, when I leave the house, I will make sure and pick up my paper. I will save the plastic bags that it is wrapped in and I will skim the headlines before placing it in a pile to be recycled. Or maybe, just maybe I will place it by the side of my driveway for someone else to read.