stealing vs. working
When my twin sister and I were 5 years old, we began counting the money we had in our piggybanks. It turned out that one of us had more than the other. To our young minds, this just wasn’t right. So, we decided to balance our accounts by helping ourselves to our mother’s money!
sin's receipt
I was walking through a museum exhibit about the American Civil War when I came across a chilling item. It was a receipt, like what you might get from a shop. But this was for a slave named Sally, who had been received in good health from a slave trader. We’re horrified by the buying and selling of human beings,…
is it worth it?
I braced myself almost unconsciously as my husband Bill solemnly lumbered through the front door. Wives, after a few years of marriage, know the feeling. The loving, empathetic side wants to help—even embrace—as the streetwise sense whispers, "Leave well enough alone."
It was a beautiful fall afternoon, not unlike others in the life of public high school teachers in my…
the privilege of children
Erik Hatzinger confessed to stealing money from several businesses over many months. He seems to be repentant, for when the judge ordered him to pay $13,000 in restitution, Erik informed the judge that he had stolen more and would like to pay it all back.
“That’s the son I raised,” his mother told a reporter. “I’m not surprised he wanted…
the right thing
Gjyste Vjerdha was busy working her nightly, graveyard-shift cleaning job at a restaurant with her 22-year-old son, Gentjan. As she tidied up a restroom, Gjyste found some women’s rings worth thousands of dollars. The thought of keeping the treasures might have crossed her mind, but she chose to do the right thing and take the jewelry to her manager. Later…
thieves and shepherds
In September 2008, a court convicted Ryan Mueller of burglary. Due to multiple convictions, Mueller received 6 years in the penitentiary along with 5 years probation. Mueller’s latest crime happened in the middle of the night when he crept into a family’s home under cover of dark and attempted to steal $20 from a toddler’s piggy bank.
I don’t know…
a message to thieves
The entire act was caught on surveillance tape: While three friends and I dined at an outdoor café in East Africa, a man wearing a black jacket entered and sat down at a table located at the opposite side of the restaurant. My friends and I didn't notice him, not even when he swiftly moved to the table next to…
