H.S, It sounds like you are a nice person who wants to help people, especially people who are chemically dependent, maybe you are giving them a hand
because they told you they were going to try and quit? Were the 5 people living with you practically rent free also in that same situation?
I don't know...your situation just reminded me slightly of a fellow from A.A. (I went there to support my foster mom). This man (J.) was a
recovering alchoholic, and he bought a house and rented out the rooms to other recovering achoholics. It was a tough situation for him being their
landlord, because a lot of chemically dependent people have learned to live by their wits...to con, to steal, to lie in order to support their habits.
And, they become addicted to that behavior, also, even when they aren't drinking or using anymore. So, J. had a rule basically that if anyone was
doing things like stealing, using drugs/alchohol, not going to their job, then they were out of his house right away. Otherwise, if he kept letting
people take advantage of him, he would lose all his money & wouldnt be able to afford the house, and he wouldn't be able to help the people who were
behaving themselves and trying to quit and just needed a home. So, he had to be tough. Plus, if he let them get away with it, it would just be
prolonging the situation for them and for everyone...Tough Love is what they call it in A.A.
People steal a lot because of drugs/alchohol. And some people steal because they get addicted to the stealing. And, I think people steal sometimes
because something has been stolen from them. Not by you. But by someone before you. Maybe it wasn't a tangible thing that was stolen, maybe what
was stolen was their dignity, or their trust, something like that, and nothing was ever done about it. Or maybe it was a tangible thing that was
stolen. Sometimes even good people can start stealing, when they see that other people and big corporations are allowed to steal from them.
So, I am sorry you tried to help some people, and you were stolen from. You were nice and tried to help your fellow man. Now, you need to help
yourself, and not let yourself be stolen from anymore, because it's taking a toll on you. (From what you said in your post I think you realize
this) but I would help people with dependency issues outside of my home from now on if I was you. I think your dreams have been trying to protect/warn
you from putting yourself in that situation again. And, remember what I said about some of them being addicted to the con itself, I will never forget
this one man I met at A.A. (S.) who was sober but could not quit conning people. He conned an old timer there (Chuck) with a partially wet brain, who
was simple but everyone loved him, because all Chuck cared about was everyone staying on the program, and he was a mother hen yelling at anyone if
they slipped up and they needed that...lol it was so funny when he went off on them...Anyway S. talked Chuck into putting his name on a scheme that
was supposedly going to 'help' alchoholics. S. figured out a way for him and Chuck to start a non profit agency with government funds, and he even
found a way to get the government to give them a helicopter, which Chuck loved riding around in, it was all he could talk about at the meetings! Then
S. ripped off the government and the whole agency went defunct, and since Chuck's name was on it he was the only one who took the blame. Except the
government, once they met him couldn't blame him, because they could see he had brain damage. And Chuck was so conned by S. and like him so much, he
never gave him up to the government as being the responsible party. S. kept all the money, and Chuck was just happy for the helicopter rides, and
that he was trying to help people, I don't think he ever even realized what really happened.
You do not strike me as being a materialistic person, but I think you work hard for what you get and you should be able to keep your things and enjoy
them. I hope all these different types of thiefs stay far away from you and you get lots of good things coming your way, and get new better stuff,
than what was taken. Because everybody needs peace of mind and some good stuff.
Have a Happy Day H.S.!
~ Deep
[edit on 23-3-2006 by DeeplyAwake]