Squelch!

This is the plaque on the wall just inside our front door. Sadly, on our return from holiday yesterday, there was no echo of peace- just “Squelch!” The house had been burgled in our absence - and the burglars had blocked the kitchen sink and left both the taps fully on.

Downstairs, carpets in the hall and Bob’s study were utterly sodden. Boxes and tins had been opened and their contents deposited everywhere in the water. The back door had been jemmied open [and there had been attempts to open the conservatory door too]

Upstairs was dry – but in total chaos. The police were rapidly on the scene, after we had called from our neighbour’s phone. As nothing large had gone [TV, Bob’s audio gear, computers etc untouched] they suspected the thieves were merely looking for cash, and small items to put in their pockets, and sell on quickly. They had completely emptied my tiny jewellery box, and taken all the contents.

Nothing of great monetary value, but a number of small family items with sentimental value [all insured though] However they had emptied every drawer of its contents, clearly hoping that something more valuable was hidden inside.

In the kitchen, the contents of the tin of cookie cutters were floating in the water. Upstairs, all the haberdashery I had so neatly packed for moving was strewn all over the floor. The policeman said that as these tins all rattled, they probably expected jewels of coins inside – not a few hundred buttons, and Christmas jingle bells!

That Jackson Pollock installation, bottom right was a new box of 250 IKEA plastic drinking straws! The cash box [bottom left] was empty to start with. My neighbour wondered why they didn’t stop when they realised that there clearly wasn’t going to be anything else to steal. The box labelled ‘hats’ was full of …hats, and the tin labelled ‘interfacing’ contained interfacing. Perhaps they couldn’t read! They’d opened my filing drawers – and tipped out all my WWDP stuff, and generally made a mess. The water had poured off the worktop into the drawer of spices and seeped into the jars and packets – I shall have to claim on the insurance for them [cinnamon sticks don’t grow on trees, you know – oh, hang on, maybe they do!]

But outside on the drive, we found this – my Brigade Queen’s Award. Very precious, awarded to me in 1971. I was the youngest person in the world ever to get this, a few days after my 16th birthday – and I will always hold that record, because after that they changed the rules and 18 is the minimum age now.

The burglars must have dropped it as they made their getaway.

This wasn’t the way we expected our fantastic holiday to end, and the hassle of insurance, changing car locks, replacing damaged doors and carpets is all a bit much alongside the packing and moving. But it is only stuff after all. We still have our faith and our family and our friends, and so many, many things to be thankful for.

The peace of God that surpasses all understanding will garrison our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.