A Bike Show, Dinner at Chili's, and a Smashed in Window

Well, today's blog title pretty much explains how our day went. The kids wanted to go out and do something fun today, so we went to a large department store where they have some kind of revolving exhibit on the 10th floor. This month's exhibit was on bicycles, and we all enjoyed looking at some of the newest innovative designs in cycling. After kicking around that department store for a while, we then walked over to another department store in the area that has a Chili's restaurant. Supper was good, and we even got a free dessert.

When we got back to the car, which we had parked just on the side of the street between the two department stores, we discovered someone had smashed in the passenger window and rifled through our glove box, etc. They were probably looking for the portable GPS (as they could see the holder on the dash) but they didn't get it, as I had slipped it into my pocket before we left the car earlier that afternoon. They did, however, find my iPod in the center armrest pocket. I was only upset about this for a few seconds, as fortunately it was an old iPod that had served me well. My new iPod was safely at home.

This was not the first time our car had been broken into, although it was the first time it happened in Taiwan. Back in Canada someone vandalized our van by smashing in the back window. There was nothing of real value worth stealing that time, so I'm not sure if theft was the motive or just senseless vandalism. On another occasion a portable CD player was stolen out of the same van, but no other damage was done as we had forgotten to lock the doors that night, so it was a free invitation, so to speak.

Nevertheless, Adam and Paige were somewhat upset to see the smashed window and to have their innocent psyches confronted with the fact that there are people in this world who don't hesitate to damage and/or steal another person's property. Although I was sufficiently "irked" at the theft myself, I am hoping my somewhat calm reaction to it helped the kids to understand that our joy does not rest in our possessions. In any case, we all had a good laugh on the way home as our solemn mood was broken by Erin bursting out into a praise song at one point! At the time I thought she maybe didn't understand what had actually just happened, but later at bedtime when we talked about it some more, and prayed for the person(s) that broke into our car, it was clear that Erin understood exactly what had happened.

So, we let it roll.... It's not the first time someone has stolen something from me/us, and, unfortunately, pretty sure it won't be the last time. I might be a little choosier next time where I decide to park the car (it was in an isolated area), and I'll be sure not to leave anything in the car that would hint at hidden goodies. But beyond that, we thank God for every day He gives us of safe, family fun, like going to bike shows and having supper at Chili's.