Yup. As in Mugged.
As in Jacked.
As in Robbed.
As in, a group of people threatened me, beat me up and stole my stuff.
It was about five people. Of course, linke your average inner-city kid, I was flat broke. The complete contents of my pocket were a rosary, 11 cents, a sharpened pencil (Severely chewed on as I usually do) , an old dogtag I found, and an eraser that got broken in half.
No money or phone or anything. So they took my bookbag. I told them there was nothing worth any money in that either, but they took it anyway. So they got my Daily Roman Missal, my English Hymnal, my copy of S.Louis Marie de Montfort's True Devotion, a change of clothes and my most prized possession, my breviary.
I'll never get another like it because it was printed in 1969 and they only made 400 copies. Even then, it was beat up and worn out, but having used it for years and made it my own, I got attached to it. Afterward, I walked away while they rummaged through it. Then they called after me. I figured they realized it really was nothing in there and were coming for me, so I jetted and ran down 63'rd, cut down Media and made a turn down another side street. I went up haverford ave. to 63'rd, then I made a left down Girard ave. and then went down Felton till I got home. Obviously, I lost them.
At least I kept my cool, tried not to look afraid and played it off, even if inside I was rembering all the timed I got jacked when I was a little kid in grade school. (Joe was never much of a fighter. Dad saw that I was a nerd, so he taugh the older boys how to fight and he told me how to run.)
6 comments:
Oh that's horrible. City life can be "interesting" sometimes.
"Interesting" is right. At least I can thank God that I'm okay.
Maybe some good can come from all of this.
You'll recover, God willing, and perhaps your attackers will spend more than 30 seconds rifling through your belongings and actually read some of it.
Who knows, your mugging may end up saving the soul of the person(s) who mugged you.
I'll pray for both you and your assailants tonight.
Hope you feel better.
That's awful. I'm sorry, Joe. I don't suppose there's any chance that they might have just dumped your bag where they stood, having realised there nothing of their idea of value in it, is there?
I'll be checking again soon, but I did'nt see anything last Saturday or last Sunday.hopefully if someone finds any of my stuff, they'll call me or send me an e-mail. (Both phone an e-mail are written in the inside covers of the books)
But it's rained every day since then, so doubtless they'll be damaged.
Joe,
As horrifying and scary this must have been for you - this brings to mind a passage from a book my spiritual director recommended to me some months ago. It is called "The Journey of a Pilgrim, and the Pilgrim continues his way". If you haven't read this book, I highly recommend it - your eyes, ears, and heart will be opened to a deeper prayer life. Anyways, as I was saying, in the book there is a story about a Pilgrim man on his way to find God and the only belongings he has on him is a napsack containing his favorite book and his bible along with a few pieces of bread. He cherishes those books and cannot imagine himself being separated from them. One day out on the road he gets "Mugged" and his only belongings (the books) get stolen. He ended up in so much sorrow, weeping in the woods that he fell asleep and had a dream from God. In it God said that he sent those two men to teach him detachment and help him to only rely on God for support. A few days later - he came upon a military guard escorting prisoners and he found the two men and they had his books still. He got his books back and continued his way. Perhaps God was teaching you a lesson of detachment as well regarding your books - and as another reader suggested - perhaps he allowed that to happen in order for one or all of those boys to be saved by getting a glimpse into your soul, even if it was for only 30 seconds!
May God protect you!
I'm a country boy and luckily haven't experienced a "mugging" yet... but in the case that it does happen.. May God give me wings for my swift flight!
Post a Comment