Forgiving a thief in the night---原谅

The stranger who knocked on our doordropped to her knees, sobbed and begged.

She pleaded for mercy.

We’d already forgiven, before we even knewshe existed.

The woman convulsed with remorse and shame— none of which was because of her wrongdoing.

We offered leniency to her brother.

He’d recently stolen about $3,000 from us.

The food deliveryman had pilfered my wife’swallet and emptied her spending account.

Then, the cops caught him.

The night of the incident, I’d gone to theback of the apartment to get my wallet to pay for the meal he’d brought around3:30 am (I was finishing work at home). Her purse dangled from the coat rack,staring him in the face.

He was alone and tempted. Cold and poor.

And young — just 20.

The police were exceptionally professionaland apprehended him within two weeks.

While China is very safe — a point mostforeigners appreciatively marvel at — thefts spike before Spring Festival.

The cops told us he’ll likely get a reducedsentence since he cooperated and returned our money.

His sister claims to have left her family’sremote village in Sichuan province and hopped a train across the country whenshe got the news.

She says she slept outside in winter fordays while tracking us down, without many clues.

Now, she was playing detective.

She eventually located our apartment.

She’d never seen a foreigner before.

(Knock! Knock! Knock!)

At first, my wife had no inkling who shewas or why she’d come.

Carol just knew she was hysterical.

And in our home.

The devoted sibling presented a note.

She pointed out it’s her brother’s firstsuch transgression.

We believe in forgiveness — at least for nonviolentfirst offences — both in justice systems and personally.

Nobody is without need for exoneration formisdeeds — perhaps not criminal — committed in the totalities of ourexistences.

Even the best of us typically don’t requiresecond chances.

We need third, fourth, fifth, sixthchances.

Sometimes more. Hopefully, fewer.

This woman never did anything to deservethe punishment their family, too, faces — indignity, stigma and heartbreak.

That’s not to mention the absence of aloved one.

Through working as a volunteer for a groupthat serves children of convicts in China for several years, I’ve come torealize justice isn’t only about perpetrators but also about their families.

I hadn’t given much thought to convicts’kids before that. And I hadn’t thought much about offenders’ siblings until thewoman knocked on our door.

We not only wrote a letter asking the courtfor leniency but also truly wish he can — and will — turn his life around.

As we move into 2017, we hope this will bea year in which the world embraces more compassion, forgiveness andunderstanding.

That is, for people who are innocent — andwho sometimes aren’t.

There was no violence.

We got the money back.

And we wish him the best.

Just because he stole once shouldn’t definehim as a thief — forever.

He can be more — maybe much more.

We hope.