This morning I was leaving to pick up my daughter at the airport. As I'm walking down the sidewalk, my neighbor, Jennifer (one of the Band of Mothers) stops me and asks if I heard about the crazy guy hanging around our street? "No, what crazy guy?"
Turns out, last night in the alley, a guy was acting strange and hanging out back there. This morning he was back on our block looking at all of the children and talking to them.
Now, we have over 50 kids on our street-I know, it sounds like I'm exagerating, but I assure you I am not. All of them seemed to be out today because of the great weather.
So this Mexican guy has a rope and is acting like he is going to lasso someone and he tells a couple of the boys "I'm going to come back at midnight and get you." All of the kids start hiding behind cars and he starts yelling at them.
Finally, the kids alert the adults and Jennifer calls the police. She is going out in her car to see if she can find him. I head back inside and tell Victor to keep an eye out and that the police are looking for a strange guy etc.
Victor heads outside and a bunch of the fathers are watching over the kids now. He talks to Ahfros and they jump into a car together and start diving around looking for the dude.
It isn't long before Victor and Ahfros see the guy and the police have him handcuffed and are going through his bag. He had a rope and binoculars!!
Scary, very scary.
We are truly thankful nothing bad happened.
Victor suggested to Ahfros that they start a reality show about a Muslim and a Christian guy that are bounty hunters...
Showing posts with label Victor. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victor. Show all posts
Monday, February 15, 2010
Monday, January 25, 2010
2nd Ave Adventures
Ever since I first started this blog, I've been wanting to write about some my past experiences while living in Oak Park. It has been hard to think which story to tell first, but I'm going to go with the story of Ron and Anita.
Ron and Anita were some neighbors that lived right across the street from us. This was when we lived on 2nd Ave a few blocks from where we live now. The house they and their kids lived in was a chopped-up remodel mess. It was a rental and it always seemed to be rented out to bad people. One time a woman and her kids rented it and, after a few days, I never saw them again. It had been taken over by drug dealers and all kinds of crazy.
Thankfully, Ron and Anita were good people. They had 5 children who were 12 and under. I think they had a blended family and the children that Ron was responsible for were named Ronnie, Ronnell, and Ronita. Quite George Foreman-esque.
This family had come from South Sacramento and were hoping for a better situation on our street. Ron had some pretty wild friends. It was clear that they had been through tough times and had experienced a tough life. Many times on the weekends his friends would come over and they'd party. We'd always say "Hi" and be neighborly. I remember when we stopped by and it was a warm summer day. Victor said to Ron and his friends "Are you having a good time hanging-out today?" Ron right away said "Vic, 'hanging-out' means that you have nothing to do and you are looking for trouble. We are 'socializing'."
A night came when Ron and Anita's big front window was shot-out by someone driving by! No one was hurt, thankfully, but it was scary. One of Ron's friends came over the next day. I wish I could remember his name because it was a tough-guy name for sure. He had, somewhere in his past, been hurt in the throat and his voice was very gravelly and deep. Anyways, this friend was into some dangerous stuff. He asked Ron if he wanted anything-anything at all. "Do you want a machine-gun?" (Ron was telling us this later and we had such a heart-stopping moment until...) Ron said "No! I DO NOT want a machine-gun. I have kids in my house!" (Whew)
Tough Guy liked Victor and once said to him "If you ever need an army, for any reason at all, I got one for you." Victor answered him "Thanks, my friend, you know I have an army-a heavenly one." TG said "I know that, but if you ever need one on earth, you call me."
I smile as I remember that...
I like how the Apostle Paul said that he tried to be 'all things to all men'.
He was able to take people as they came and share the love of God with them.
This is what the world is hungry for.
Ron and Anita were some neighbors that lived right across the street from us. This was when we lived on 2nd Ave a few blocks from where we live now. The house they and their kids lived in was a chopped-up remodel mess. It was a rental and it always seemed to be rented out to bad people. One time a woman and her kids rented it and, after a few days, I never saw them again. It had been taken over by drug dealers and all kinds of crazy.
Thankfully, Ron and Anita were good people. They had 5 children who were 12 and under. I think they had a blended family and the children that Ron was responsible for were named Ronnie, Ronnell, and Ronita. Quite George Foreman-esque.
This family had come from South Sacramento and were hoping for a better situation on our street. Ron had some pretty wild friends. It was clear that they had been through tough times and had experienced a tough life. Many times on the weekends his friends would come over and they'd party. We'd always say "Hi" and be neighborly. I remember when we stopped by and it was a warm summer day. Victor said to Ron and his friends "Are you having a good time hanging-out today?" Ron right away said "Vic, 'hanging-out' means that you have nothing to do and you are looking for trouble. We are 'socializing'."
A night came when Ron and Anita's big front window was shot-out by someone driving by! No one was hurt, thankfully, but it was scary. One of Ron's friends came over the next day. I wish I could remember his name because it was a tough-guy name for sure. He had, somewhere in his past, been hurt in the throat and his voice was very gravelly and deep. Anyways, this friend was into some dangerous stuff. He asked Ron if he wanted anything-anything at all. "Do you want a machine-gun?" (Ron was telling us this later and we had such a heart-stopping moment until...) Ron said "No! I DO NOT want a machine-gun. I have kids in my house!" (Whew)
Tough Guy liked Victor and once said to him "If you ever need an army, for any reason at all, I got one for you." Victor answered him "Thanks, my friend, you know I have an army-a heavenly one." TG said "I know that, but if you ever need one on earth, you call me."
I smile as I remember that...
I like how the Apostle Paul said that he tried to be 'all things to all men'.
He was able to take people as they came and share the love of God with them.
This is what the world is hungry for.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Happy 21st Anniversary to Us!
Today is our 21st wedding anniversary. Victor and I have been married for what I would call, a long time. We have been through many 'dangers toils and snares' and lots of fun and adventure too. It is a good thing to be married for a long time.
I don't like to think where I'd be if I hadn't married Victor. He isn't like anyone else I know. He says he was raised to be a father and that is absolutely true. I say that he was also raised to be a husband--a good one. Both of his parents poured so much into their kids and they kept a happy home for them.
I hope we have done the same for our children.
Since I like lists, I had to make this one ;D
Reasons I married Victor:
1)He has a great sense of humour.
Sisters, please marry a man that makes you laugh. You will have days where that is SO important.
2)He loves people and always wants to help them.
We have given time, money, counsel, a place to stay, tears and sleepless nights to lots of folks. It has always been worth it no matter what the outcome of our efforts.
3)Victor loves the Lord and strives to live out this love at all times.
When Jesus said "If you love me, then keep my commandments." He takes that seriously.
4)He is always reaching out beyond our world to make friends.
This is a skill that not many people have. Victor has a gift to connect people who need to get to know each other. If someone is sick, he probably knows a doctor who is a specialist for that ailment. If someone has written an important article, he knows who should read it so it gets a wider audience.
5)He is an encourager.
I can't count how many people have crossed our path who have needed a word of encouragement (me especially). There are lots of people who are going through some of the things that we have and it is uncanny how he 'finds' them.
Thanks honey for everything. Thanks honey for being you!
Whoa, that sounded corny.
...oh well...<3
I don't like to think where I'd be if I hadn't married Victor. He isn't like anyone else I know. He says he was raised to be a father and that is absolutely true. I say that he was also raised to be a husband--a good one. Both of his parents poured so much into their kids and they kept a happy home for them.
I hope we have done the same for our children.
Since I like lists, I had to make this one ;D
Reasons I married Victor:
1)He has a great sense of humour.
Sisters, please marry a man that makes you laugh. You will have days where that is SO important.
2)He loves people and always wants to help them.
We have given time, money, counsel, a place to stay, tears and sleepless nights to lots of folks. It has always been worth it no matter what the outcome of our efforts.
3)Victor loves the Lord and strives to live out this love at all times.
When Jesus said "If you love me, then keep my commandments." He takes that seriously.
4)He is always reaching out beyond our world to make friends.
This is a skill that not many people have. Victor has a gift to connect people who need to get to know each other. If someone is sick, he probably knows a doctor who is a specialist for that ailment. If someone has written an important article, he knows who should read it so it gets a wider audience.
5)He is an encourager.
I can't count how many people have crossed our path who have needed a word of encouragement (me especially). There are lots of people who are going through some of the things that we have and it is uncanny how he 'finds' them.
Thanks honey for everything. Thanks honey for being you!
Whoa, that sounded corny.
...oh well...<3
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Sterling's Party Rules
So, we had a Halloween party last night. Whew! It was fun and my daughter and her good friends did a great job setting it up. We had nachos and chili dogs along with all kinds of candy and goodies.
I had a parent call and ask if there was going to be an adult overseeing the party. She was also wondering if there was going to be alcohol served. No, there were no drinks or drugs! There were 3 or 4 couples that were really wanting to makeout though...We all had to tell them that we want everyone to have a good time, but we weren't going to have any of that this evening. It is sad to realize that these young ones are having sex. Ugh. It is hard to think of your future when you are that young and that the decisions you make now may follow you for the rest of your life.
The music was loud and the dancing was great. There are some talented kids. I put together a food relay race that was a hit. What I do is wrap up various foods in tin foil and the teams send up one member to unwrap and eat the food and then on down the line. We did the boy against the girls and the boys won :D
I have to thank Victor who stayed in practically the whole evening. He is really good with young ones and a good watcher. Since we had everyone from 'soup to nuts', and that is right up his alley, I thank God for him!
Here are Sterlings Rules for the Halloween Party:(yes, she sent these out to all her invitees)
1) No one dies
2)No one gets pregnant
3)No drugs or alcohol
Yep, good times in the 'hood.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
A Pleasant Enough Day, Until...
Well, here I am riding my very nice cruiser bike on a beautiful Autumn day. I like to ride through the Fab 40's neighborhood and, right now, it is especially nice with all of the leaves changing.
As I head back home I take 39th St. to get back into my neighborhood. I pass the light rail station and go through the tunnel. Up ahead a man is walking toward me on the sidewalk. He steps from the walkway into the street and into my pathway. He doesn't look at me. He is looking at the houses across the street. As I approach, I notice that he is reaching into his pocket and he takes out a knife. He unfolds it and it turns out to be a serrated hunting knife. I suddenly have the thought that this man is going to take a swipe at me as I ride by!
It all happens in seconds. I speed up and go around the guy, leaving as much room as I can. He never takes a swipe, but as I get a few yards a way, I turn around and he is looking right at me.
When I get home I call the police. I give them a description and my number. I decide that since I need to walk my dog later and this is the route I take, I should try to find this guy and tell the police where he is. I am going to jump into my car and take a look myself.
As I am heading out, I get a call from the police. They say they have picked up a suspect and want me to ID him. I go to where they have detained the guy-yep, it is him. Then they show me the knife-yep, it is the weapon. I get a feeling that the man is a parolee and no stranger to the police.
Well, I am glad that no harm came to me or anyone else. I had to tell Victor who is out of town right now and he was NOT happy. He called a bunch of people so that they would check on me and had a nice visit with Aladrian. Everything is good. I don't feel fearful or anything like that. I actually walked Bradley and all was well.
I know that God is watching over me and feel great confidence in that knowledge. I do feel that these things happen because the spirits know that we stand with Israel and her people. It is a battle in the heavens. Nothing can touch one of His own without His explicit permission.
I have a hope and a future.
Btw, the man was a white male 5'10", balding with sparse dark, close-cropped hair. Slim, muscular build. He had a black, flame tattoo on his shoulder.
As I head back home I take 39th St. to get back into my neighborhood. I pass the light rail station and go through the tunnel. Up ahead a man is walking toward me on the sidewalk. He steps from the walkway into the street and into my pathway. He doesn't look at me. He is looking at the houses across the street. As I approach, I notice that he is reaching into his pocket and he takes out a knife. He unfolds it and it turns out to be a serrated hunting knife. I suddenly have the thought that this man is going to take a swipe at me as I ride by!
It all happens in seconds. I speed up and go around the guy, leaving as much room as I can. He never takes a swipe, but as I get a few yards a way, I turn around and he is looking right at me.
When I get home I call the police. I give them a description and my number. I decide that since I need to walk my dog later and this is the route I take, I should try to find this guy and tell the police where he is. I am going to jump into my car and take a look myself.
As I am heading out, I get a call from the police. They say they have picked up a suspect and want me to ID him. I go to where they have detained the guy-yep, it is him. Then they show me the knife-yep, it is the weapon. I get a feeling that the man is a parolee and no stranger to the police.
Well, I am glad that no harm came to me or anyone else. I had to tell Victor who is out of town right now and he was NOT happy. He called a bunch of people so that they would check on me and had a nice visit with Aladrian. Everything is good. I don't feel fearful or anything like that. I actually walked Bradley and all was well.
I know that God is watching over me and feel great confidence in that knowledge. I do feel that these things happen because the spirits know that we stand with Israel and her people. It is a battle in the heavens. Nothing can touch one of His own without His explicit permission.
I have a hope and a future.
Btw, the man was a white male 5'10", balding with sparse dark, close-cropped hair. Slim, muscular build. He had a black, flame tattoo on his shoulder.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
