Life pretty much got in the way mid-way through 2012 and I had no time to breathe let alone update this little piece of our lives with the details.
I have to say that from August 31st until December 31st, our lives were turned completely upside-down. Literally.
August 31st around 7pm, we arrived home after getting the kids from school and stopping by the store in preparation for a beach fun-filled Labor Day to find we were being robbed. Yes, robbed. I walked in on the 3 suspects in our home running from the master bedroom through the office and into the kitchen to escape through the sliding glass door they removed from the track to break in.
I haven't talked much about it because I had to identify the suspects. They were caught and the cases are still pending in court. Hardly any of our belongings were recovered. Most of them being my jewelry and family heirlooms, which can never be replaced. My engagement ring and wedding band were also among the items taken. We went to bed very late that night with every light on in the house. I dont believe I have slept soundly since then. have never been so fearful in my life.
The fear remained for months. To be honest the fear is still ever present. My security and independence were taken from me that day. Our kids now know that the world is full of terrible people who do terrible things. Innocence was stolen from them. Dennis was helpless as he saw how this event altered me in so many ways. He didn't know how to help me recover from it all.
Day after day, I would return to the house with the red kitchen I so adored and would be fearful to go in the home alone. Most of the time, ok all of the time, I waited for Dennis to come home before entering the house. Fear took over. Fear won every time. My way of life was altered. My time spent cooking our family meals was replaced with counseling sessions so I could just get up in the morning and go to work and function. I will never get that time back and that is the one thing I am probably the most angry about.
No, we were not physically harmed (thankfully)but the emotional harm, the mental anguish takes so much more to move past. The images of those people in the house, the noises of their feets as they ran through the house to escape, the finger print powder from the crime scene technicians....This is something we are still trying to recover from. It is devestating.
From that moment on, our lives were set in a whirlwind of change. We immediately contacted our realtor to begin the search for a new place to live. This proved rather difficult as rental properties are few and far between these days in South Florida. No one wants to buy, apparently. We decided to move forward and look for a home to purchase. Because, let's be honest, as terrible as the robbery was it could have easily happened in Tennessee as well. We had no intentions of moving back to Memphis as we call South Florida home now. We put 3 offers on homes and each time we were heart broken to discover the homes didn't appraise well and we were back to the drawing board. Finally, we found a place we loved in an area I was familar with. We placed and offer and the appraisal went through. We got the news November 20th while in Memphis visiting family for Thanksgiving.
The nightmare was seemingly coming to a close and a new chapter beginning. We closed on our new home at the end of December and moved into our new home in Delray Beach just in time to celebrate the new year.
We are still dealing with the transition. The kids had to leave their old school and daycare behind for new ones as we moved to another county/district. As mentioned, we are still in the midst of court hearings. This is difficult as we relive the events of August 31st each time we have to go back to court.
Through it all God has sustained us. We are beginning to see we are stronger. We are closer to each other. Most of all we are closer to Him. We hope that 2013 is a better year. A year full of discovery and the joy that only the trust in Jesus can provide.
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