my son was robbed last night…

no, he wasn’t home – neither was his roommate – they are both safe. But this really sucks — and just to give a little context around why even though this situation would suck in normal circumstances, it ESPECIALLY sucks right now…

My son graduated from college this past May. He’s been working for a company for the last few years and will be opening a similar business (sort of like a franchise) right outside of Tampa, Florida. He’s been working diligently to get his ducks in a row. His plan is to leave Charleston in the wee hours of Friday morning, arriving in Tampa by noon.  His “stuff” was ready to go – in the house that was robbed. Papers, notebooks, laptop all containing business plans and information are now gone. I asked him if he had “backed up” – he said no, but if he had, the backup drive would probably be gone too and from his description of the crime scene, he’s probably right. The thieves took everything thing that wasn’t bolted down; went through his clothes (taking the nicer things), overturning mattresses, going through drawers. They even took the blanket off of his bed and the small case that held his contact lens supplies, his razor, and his extra pair of glasses. He’s called his bank to alert them…

With any new venture, he’s going to be cash strapped for a while anyway – buying things he already had was not in his budget so I’m moving some cash around to get him another laptop and few other things that can be replaced (I’ve been saving to pay off a few upcoming things – that will have to wait).  Being his mom, I will help him in any way I can.  I just wish I could help him with those things that money can’t buy. Anyone who has ever been through something like this knows it shakes you to the core. The sense of safety and security that you feel in your own home is destroyed. You feel violated. Your level of trust in humanity plummets – you wonder who you can trust and who you can’t. So here is my ‘baby boy’, leaving the nest (yes I know he’s been gone awhile, but we’ve never been more than 30 minutes away), going out to find HIS place in this world – and he starts his journey with this… yes, it breaks my heart.

I’m sure there will be lessons learned out of all this but right now, today, I have nothing clever to say…. no words of wisdom… no random thoughts – I just feel a profound and deep sadness. Please, keep my son in your prayers as he starts this phase of his life.