Monday, October 3, 2011

Sanctuary

I've started this post several times. I end up either deleting it or writing about something else. I've needed to process the events of this summer and usually writing helps me do that. Not so this time. My home is my sanctuary. It is not always as organized, sparkly clean or orderly as I would like, but it is my home. It is where I get to enjoy the hobbies I love. 

At the beginning of August at 10:15 PM someone broke into my home. While I sat in the front of the house watching TV this person pried the screen off the window in the room where I was knitting and watching TV. I never heard him. He didn't get in that way, but went to my back door. Apparently I'd left it unlocked while I was out watering my plants earlier in the day.

I went into the kitchen to get some water and found my door wide open and someone running away. I screamed "Oh my God!" and closed and locked the door. The funny thing is, I still didn't get it. All I could think of was my kitty, Juli. Juli was a gift from my daughter after she rescued her from the city streets of Baltimore. I was so afraid she'd gotten out. Losing Juli is something I cannot even stand to think about. She came to me at the same time I lost my sweet dog, Samantha. She is not a replacement for Samantha- she has her own place in my heart and in my life. She's my constant companion and the sweetest kitty in the world. 

Samantha

Juli















The thief took my wallet out of my purse, jars of loose change and my sense of serenity. I am still processing the fact that someone was going through my closet in my bedroom while I sat in the front of the house. I've installed a ridiculously expensive alarm system and I wear the remote panic button around my neck like a prison warden. I still obsessively check my doors to make sure they are locked.

As totally creepy as it was, good has come from it. I've always wanted to learn to meditate and what better time than now? The stress relief from my quiet time is amazing. I'm re-reading one of my all time favorite books- Simple Abundance. I'm writing in my journal and I'm working through it. In the end, my sense of sanctuary does not come from my house. It comes from the people and animals I love. It comes from books and hobbies and learning and exploring. And it is not something that anybody- even a burglar - can take from me.