There’s a thief in the house.

Jacob doesn’t care for pound cake.  Jacob doesn’t like lemon.  Therefore, Jacob won’t eat Lemon Pound Cake. Or will he?

We left a neighborhood that we loved to be closer to the day services program that Jacob attends.  Within a few months of moving in we decided to participate in a Neighborhood Night Out and open our home.  We’d met a few neighbors but wanted to get to know more and thought this would be a great way to make new friends.  In the invitation that went out, I enclosed a card with Jacob’s picture and just a little about him with our contact info.  This was mainly for security sake in case anyone ever saw him out alone, they’d know he would need help and immediate attention.

Because it was a community sponsored event, I invited the Mayor of our city and the Chief of Police.  They were gracious enough to stop by along with quite a few families on our street.  I prepared the refreshments and one was a cake I’d made for years.  A cake Jacob had NEVER shown any interest in.  A Lemon Pound Cake.  Jacob wondered through the house a few times just to check out our company.  As he casually walked through the den in the middle of our guests, he quickly snatched a piece of cake off a lady’s plate!!!  I was horrified but she wasn’t bothered at all.  I had the thought, ‘he’ll taste it and set it down because he won’t like it’.  I was wrong.  He came back through the room and grabbed another piece from another lady!  Good grief.  The little sneaky thief.  At least the Chief of Police had already left and didn’t witness Jacob stealing cake.  Everybody got a big laugh out of it and honestly put me at ease.  Having knowledge of Jacob before they walked in had given them an idea that he might behave differently.  And he did.  It was quite the evening making fun memories and paved the way for some special relationships.  A little about the two ladies Jacob stole from:  Victim 1) first to welcome us to our neighborhood and was already aware of Jacob and had a tender heart just for him.  Victim 2) I had never met until that evening but when she walked in the door she proceeded to tell me about her two boys.  Both with autism.  Think what you will but I believe it wasn’t a coincidence that these two ladies were in our home when Jacob decided to sample someone else’s cake!  Sweet friends that still laugh with us about Jacob stealing cake right off their plates.

And get this –  Jacob has’t eaten Lemon Pound Cake since.  Guess it was one of those times that it was more appealing on someone else’s plate.

NOTE:  Again this week we hosted a neighborhood party.  I love it when Jacob ventures out of his bedroom as it gives people an opportunity to meet him.  However, we’re always on edge, just a little, wondering what he might do.  I am pleased to announce he did not steal food.  However, a friend coughed and well, last week’s post tells what happened next: Hold that sneeze!