To the person who stole items from my storage unit in Waldorf: To you, it seemed a lucky break from a careless person. However, I recently lost my husband, and my grief has left me less focused than usual. The things were not excess junk. They were personal and family treasures, acquired over a lifetime.

I suppose you took my belongings so you could sell them. If I find any of them, I will try to buy them back. But the likelihood of finding them now is pretty hopeless, since you have had plenty of time to dispose of them.

My son and my brother took some things to storage for me on Saturday and found that the totes had been emptied. I racked my brain for what you might have taken. When I learned that the totes were marked “CHINA,” I felt as if I had been kicked in the gut. You see, that old bunch of dishes had been passed down to me by my late mother, from her mother who died 50 years ago. They were stored because I had no safe place to display them.

I haven’t completed the inventory of missing items, but I just wanted to tell you that we found your cigarette butts and the baby diaper that you left in my storage unit. I can’t help wondering what kind of child you will bring up when he or she is brought along on family stealing outings as an infant.

If by any chance you still have any of my things, especially the set of china, I would be very thankful to have them returned. You can call me anonymously and make arrangements to do the right thing and get them back to me. I’m at 301-752-2044.

Cebie Dorsey, Temple Hills