We’ve all been warned of the dangers of automatic garage door openers. They can close on you or a child. Apply caution!!
My perspective on their danger comes from a totally different viewpoint. A real-life experience. Let me share the story.
Years ago, my eighty-year-old mother had a home robbery. The man who entered her home interacted with a frail elderly woman who was not only cooperative but engaging. And smart. She never made eye contact, never looked at his face so he knew she would not be able to identify him.
When he asked for her wallet, she gave it to him but then explained what a hassle it would be to get a new driver’s license without having a photo ID. He fished out her license and returned it to her.
When he asked for jewelry, she meticulously took him to every hiding place and pulled out each piece of value – items that he would have never found on his own. When he started to take a watch of minimal value, she told him “Oh no. You want the Rolex. Let me find it for you.”
Then he cut the phone line, forced her to the bed, tied her hands. She fought back the only way her frail body could. “Sonny, you need to loosen that cord and turn on the TV before you leave. I can’t lie here all day with nothing to do.”
He left her alive and unharmed. She was wicked smart.
But, how did he gain access to enter her home? An unlocked door or breaking a window? Nope.
He slipped in the garage before the door came down. My mother had just been to the grocery and kept the garage open as she unloaded the car. The last thing she did was to press the automatic close button and turn her back to enter the house.
That was his moment of opportunity. To this day, when I press the garage door close button, I stand there and watch until it is shut. In honor of my mother.
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