  Our first break-in occurred while we were in El Paso for Thanksgiving. The ironic thing at the time was that we hadn't even intended to leave town.
But I miscarried our sweet Grace, and just wanted to be away from work and life that at about 7 p.m. on the Tuesday before T-day, 2002, I told John I wanted to go and he proceeded to load the car within an hour and we left. Today's long drive from El Paso to Houston, knowing we would be returning to a broken-into house, was reminiscent of that trip two and a half years ago. I remembered that then I threw up the whole way. I've been pregnant enough times on that drive though that all the throw-up along I-10 memories kind of congeal.
The funny thing is we never felt all the feelings people say you feel about a break-in. We never felt violated. I remember a weaker moment in which I hoped the thieves tripped over a cord that everyone trips over here. But other than that, we just thought it was a crappy, but random thing. I've always wondered if we experienced it that way because we were too busy grieving Grace to think of our things, but now I know we just aren't programmed that way.
This time, too, no sense of violation. I'm annoyed, because I have a feeling I know who it was--some neighbors whose house seems to have turned into a prostitution ring all of a sudden. I'm pretty worried our insurance will drop us now that we've been broken into twice. But tonight, walking into the house, it still felt like my home, just a little banged up. We felt the first break-in freed us from a dependence upon things. Already anti-materialistic in theory, we were mandated into the ideology when our most precious materials were taken.
The promise ring my bio-dad gave my mom when they were sixteen, the promise ring John gave me when we were eighteen. My class ring, and the little turquoise necklace my mom gave me that she herself bought on the Santa Fe plaza as a teenager. Those will never be replaced. But aside from that, we happily replaced our stuff with the insurance money. We found out we had the right kind of home insurance just by luck. There are two kinds, replacement value and full cost replacement.
You want the latter. Tonight, I put my babies to bed, and lit a sage stick and went through a purifying run of the house more elaborately than I even knew how to do. But it was just enough ceremony to give me my feeling of a safe and secure home. I asked God to clean my house. Of course, in the morning, I have to really clean my house! Those jerks stepped on my prettiest, softest white sheets with muddy shoes!
I think they're ruined. At least they left the duvet, the last guys took it! 
