I don't like sad posts. I don't like whining posts. But I will burst if I don't say something about this...
Mister Lovee and I are ridiculously private people, and we never have visitors. Ever. We live on a safe, sleepy, dead end street.
Yesterday we found that we were missing a huge, handmade antique sign. As far as we know, the only people who have ever seen that sign are me, Lovee and someone who did work for us. No one else knows this sign exists...
Luckily I took a picture of it last year, when I was thinking of hanging it in my studio. It is huge, solid wood and heavier than heavy...
Anyhow, my office is almost done, and I went to get the sign last night in our shed. I had originally had it propped up in my office, but since the office is under construction, Mister Lovee put it in the shed and covered it. This shed has been a safe place to put things for over 30 years...
It was gone.
Vanished....
We searched the entire property all night, until the sun came up. Nothing.
Stealing from someone... How can anyone do it? Go onto someone's property and take?
That feeling, of violation of privacy, is sitting here with me right now. I am angry and sad and overwhelmed...
The sign is a material thing... I would love to have it back.
But, I would rather have back my sense of security...
(click on image for greater detail)
We don't know who took the sign. We don't even know if it was the person who did work for us. We hope it wasn't, and we don't want to accuse.
Mister Lovee reported the incident to the Sheriff's office so that in case it turns up in some antique store, there will be a record...
We will slowly forget about the sign one day, if we never get it back...
But, we will always feel that tinge of panic, that someone could come here and take from us. The idea of someone trolling through our property and snooping around will come into our minds every time we want to go somewhere. (The thought makes me feel sick to my stomach)
My first boyfriend, Nathaniel gave me a bracelet when we were young teens. It was delicate and beautiful. It had ends that looked like antique silverware. It said, "I love you Vanessa," inside of it. A girl who was a friend stole it and wore it to school. I saw it on her wrist in class. When I went to ask her about it, it had disappeared off of her wrist and I never saw it again. I think about it all the time.
When it comes down to it, it isn't about the material possession. It is that rotten feeling you feel, when you are stolen from. And, I must say, it is a very rotten horrid feeling...
My Mom had her wedding rings and all of her family heirloom pictures stolen out of the first house her and my Dad bought. The burglars led their way through the house with matches, and every few steps there was a match on the carpet, with a singe going through the carpet...
40 years later, the feeling of being broken in to comes back to life when she recalls it...
Letting go is the key. But how do you get back the feeling of security?
Thank you for reading my words today.
In the grand scheme of things, this doesn't matter, we move on. We are safe and healthy and well. Some people might think, oh, it's just an old sign. But for the first time, we feel a lack of security in our magical parcel of land in the desert. And, boy oh boy, does it feel rotten for the moment...
♥,V
ps: There are many antique shops in our area and I am letting all my antique shop owner friends know about this sign (in case it turns up at one). If you happen to see this sign at a shop (or anywhere really), please take a moment to contact me. Thank you! It weighs 60+ lbs. and is about 4.5 feet wide...
