January 10 – “Neighborhood excitement … the sequel”

Well, it’s official.  We are now in single digits.  Less than ten days to our cruise to the Panama Canal.  The clock is ticking …

I performed a wedding ceremony at local venue Garten Verein yesterday.  It’s a beautiful historic structure next to a city park.  The groom Dustin is a young fire fighter from the Fort Worth area.  It was a pretty small affair.  Maybe fifty or sixty people.  Really good food, though.  A salad, some kind of pasta, and some huge meatballs.  Very tasty.

And now to the excitement.  Again.  Yep.  Our neighborhood was once again the scene of some action last night.  This time the fire department wasn’t involved, but we did have no less than four police cruiser pull up with lights flashing and park in the street right in front of our house.  Blocking our driveway, in fact.  Here we go again.

Actually this time they were here to pay a visit to the HUD house next door.  A lady staying in the house (who was not, as we understand it, supposed to be living there according to the rules of that game), was arrested for stealing a package off of a porch just down the street.  The people had her on video as brazen as anything, during broad daylight, just walking up to their porch, picking up the package and hiding it under her coat.  The officers placed her in one of the squad cars, and while they were talking amongst themselves, the car suddenly started bouncing and bobbing back and forth.  One of the officers raced over and yelled at her to cut it out, but not before she had cut open her head banging it against the window.  That meant a call for an ambulance to join them to check her out.  No fire truck came, though.  At least those guys got to sit this one out.  We’re not sure what will happen next door as a result of the police action.  As much as we enjoy the spectacle, we are certainly ready to have our nice, quiet neighborhood back …

Psalms 73:26 says, “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

Father, be with Dustin and Brittany as they begin their life together.  And be with that woman who was arrested as well.  Draw her to yourself.  Amen.