I have a hard time understanding why there are so many crooks in the world. I tried at a very early age to become one and failed miserably. The embarrassment of getting caught made me feel like I never wanted that experience again in my life.
OK, don't laugh to hard, but here's my story and I'm sticking to it. I was like 8 or 9 years old. Me and 3 of my friends were hanging out in town, waiting to go to the movies. It was a Sunday night, so most of the stores in town were closed and rolled up tight. As we strolled along we took turns checking to see if any of the stores were open. When we came to the big man, tall men store it was my turn and as I pulled on the door it opened to my surprise. We all went in and stood around trying to look like we belonged there. My friend noticed a container on the counter that had written on it "Win A Snowmobile" we scrambled over each other for the paper and pens laying on the counter and filled them out and stuffed them in the box. After calling out to see if anyone was in the store, we realized the place was empty. One of my friends reach down on a shelf and grabbed a couple pair of nice looking slacks and bolted for the door, the rest of us emptied the shelf and followed him out the door and down the street. When we got behind the store and held up one of the pairs a pants it was clear, we all could have fit inside it was so big. We stashed the pants behind some bushes and headed to the movies.
The next night I was watching television with my dad and the doorbell rang. My dad opened the door to a couple police officers. "Big John, we need to talk to ya, if it's OK." As they stepped in and saw me sitting there, they turned to me and said "You might want to join us there buddie." Sitting at the table was the most difficult thing I ever did in my little boy life. I knew why they were there, I knew what I had done wrong and worst of all I knew my dad was going to be so disappointed in me.
"Sorry to have to tell you this John but your son robbed the big and tall men's shop in town last night, along with three of his friends." One of the offices said. The look on my dad's face told me this was not going to go very well for me. "Did someone see them do it or was it caught on the store cameras is that why you are so sure it was him?" "No, the kids all filled out an entry forms in a drawing for a free snowmobile, unfortunately for them, the owner had just emptied the canister, so thier names were the only ones in it when he opened in the morning. He realize he had not locked the door the night before." The officer said with a laugh.
I took them to where we had hid the pants and my father and I went back to the store to face the owner, who was a good friend of my dads. I could not stop crying as I told him how sorry I was for what I had done. He put his hand on my shoulder as he bent over and looked me in the eyes. "I am sorry you had to learn this lesson the hard way, you just listen to your dad and your life will turn out just fine."
We got home and my dad sat me down on the couch. "Son, I love you, more then you will ever know but I don't want you and I to ever have to be put in this kind of situation again, is that clear?" I nodded. "Now go get the belt!" All my young life that belt had hung on the refrigerator door but I had never seen my dad use it. He had threatened a few times when my older brothers and sister did something really wrong but he had never used it.
That walk back to the living room, carrying that big man, tall man's leather belt, was the one of the worst feeling I ever had in my young life. When I handed it to my dad he looked at me and said, "You put that belt back where it belongs and if you ever do anything like this again, I swear I will use it, you got that son?"
There have been many times in my life, where that lesson, help kept me on the path of doing what felt right to me. Because sometimes the best thing you can do, when someone does something to hurt you, is nothing. Just go ahead put the belt back on the fridge and do what works best in the end, continue to love em in all thier faults.
We are going to have a lot of information come into the public view over the next year that is going to make us very angry. It will try to pull us out of our loving ways, while we are helping those in need. Please don't let the truth as it comes out pull you down and into the world of vengeance, blame and hate. Stay focused on our task at hand to H.E.A.L. (Heal Earth And Life) from all the damage that has been done. Love is the only cure we have to a better world for us all.
Thanks dad for loving the hell out of me. It's a love without end, amen!
Cowboy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL73Qe-vmEY