Shame and Virtue

Herein lies one story of dishonesty so regretful that I can scarcely bear to expose it on these pages. If not for the faith and valor that a ninety year old widow had to face it head-on, this story would not have been written. (Philippians 1:28). It is sad, but not uncommon, the extent of deceitfulness that one sibling will do to another. It is not unusual for immediate family members to go after one another for the sake of their own personal enrichment. What individual does not directly know of an instance similar to what follows in this short story that has not happened to them, or to someone they know personally? What makes this story unique is that it involves two elderly siblings that for a lifetime, it seemed like anyway, loved each other dearly. When the opportunity arose for one to exploit the other, there was not the least bit of hesitation. Whatever their past relationship was, and in this situation it went back a whole lifetime, meant nothing to the culprit. The minute there was an opening for one sibling to enrich himself by taking advantage of the other love and respect immediately went out the window. (Jeremiah 9:4)

Love can be used to be the greatest of all impostors. It can mislead anyone. There it is on the surface for a lifetime then in an instant, it can be completely gone. The most prepared and wisest individual can be made a fool of by this undue influence. When all is aligned and circumstance meets opportunity love can lose its reason to be. Once the purpose of using love to realize an objective has been satisfied, it is no longer of use. Exposed are a conniving ingenuity and an extraordinary capacity to deceive. All is hidden by the kindness and affection of the perpetrator. Sadly the victim is unaware, unaccepting, and unbelieving of the extremity of the deception. Only after the realization of the loss of family, home, and savings does the complete truth sink in. The only two things not lost in this situation are the victim’s own virtue and her faith in God.

It takes a true master of deceit to imitate love for a lifetime. A team effort with the help of other immediate family members to accomplish a swindle makes the fraud almost complete. A lone perpetrator needs a cohort or two to successfully execute a grand deception. Indeed, it must take at least one mind to master the plot and others to put the parts in place. As will be seen the tie that binds one thief to another is love of a different kind. It is a love that is not genuine, or unconditional. It is perhaps some sort of sincere, but disturbing devotion to a sinister cause. A cause to surreptitiously control and acquire what is in sight through any means necessary. (Jeremiah 49:9)

The worst in man can be comprehended by the extremes he will go to in pursuing his personal objectives. On one hand, the shame he will realize through his devious actions is meaningless to him. On the other hand, the best in man can be seen in his capacity to face irreverence through extraordinary patience and virtue. Virtue, as it happens in this short story, can be much more than admirable, and can even be inspiring. In other words, there is no shame, or dishonor in living like a parasite off the integrity and hard work of others, or there is genuine courage and rectitude in tolerating deception. What will ultimately succeed- deception or virtue? In this story it’s a question of justice, and justice as we know is a fleeting entity. If you believe in God, it will be served eventually, but the need for it in this scenario is immediate.

The deception itself begins with the death of an automobile body repairman who lived in Glendale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles. Although the setup took a lifetime to prepare, the deed itself only took a few years to pull-off. Carl had suffered with aches and pains all over his body for many months. Because of the many medications he was taking, he had no taste in his mouth and often refused to eat his favorite meals. Towards the very end, juice and water were the only extent of his meals. The cancer he had was discovered much too late to cure. His wife, Sarah, did as he wished and allowed him a graceful exit in his own home on his own bed. He left behind a lifetime of belongings, his home, his precious blue car, and many, many tools which were all willed to his beloved wife. He was eighty four years old at the time of his death, and she was also at about the same age.