How do you cope with a firebomb attack - no one ...

I'm going to try to answer both your questions in one e-mail.   Your message came through a little garbled, so I hope I'm going to get this right.  You said you were able to save your house,.  What about your horse?

I'm not trying to pry , but do you go to church?  Do you pray to Heavenly Father?  If you do, then this answer might help  you.  If I were you, I would thank Heavenly Father that your house was not destroyed.  Then, I would ask Heavenly Father to help me with my fear.  If you pray and truly believe that Heavenly Father will help, He will.

Now, on to the other part.  Did the person throwing the firebomb touch your horse or your car.  Is that why you're concerned about DNA?  Again, I can only say what I would do in these circumstances.  I would try and find the device used in the fireboimb.  If it's still intact, carefully put the item in a plactic bag, being careful not to touch it anymore than is absolutely necessary.  The police may be able to get finger prints off of it.

I hope this has been helpful.  My prayers will be with you.  Please believe me when I say what has been said so many times to me:  this too will pass.

Cheryl

Debbie, you MUST talk to the police and tell them of your suspisions.  You said this happened almost two weeks ago?  If that's the case, if your neighbors have any brains, the have either thrown their clothes they used that night away or burned them to hide the evidence.  If there was any petrol that got on their clothes and they HAVEN'T taken any steps to conceal the items, then yes, the police shoud be ABLE to get something.  I don't want you to think I'm taking your situation lightly, but the good thing about petrol is it is ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE to get out of any mateiral because petrol is oil based.

I hope this has been helpful for you.  I think it was Tigger from Winnie the Pooh or maybe it's from one of the Christmas shows I watch every year, but it was a character that said, "you get started by putting one foot in front of the other."  This has been a devistating blow to you and  your family.  Don't be too hard on yourself.  The fact that you are reaching out to the community on the web is GOOD sign.  You're not dealing with this all alone. 

Take care, sweetie.  Oh, look at me, I don't even KNOW if I'm older than you, but you've touched a part of my soul, so I hope you don't mind me calling you "sweetie."  If you do, just let me know.

Cheryl

Thank you very much.  My mother was a police officer.  Don't wait until the whole thing is settled by the police.  File the complaint NOW.  Start with the direct supervisor over the officers -- he or she should be a seargent.  If you don['t satisfaction from that person, work your way up the line until you get to Chief of Police.  If you have to or want to, call the local newspaper and tell them what's going.  Sometimes when the police realize they are getting negative reports in the news, they will step up their efforts.

As for having to turn down jobs, I don't know how much can make fromone job, but it might be worth your while to invest some money into video cameras as security.  Any equipment you have around your AND your house you can place cameras so everything is being watfhed night AND day.  Then, if your neighbors try anything, show the video to the police and ask them sweetly, "does this help your efforts in catching the criminals?"

Let me know if any of this was of help.

Cherykl