We rent and did not hire this gardening service. I was out and came home after the two gardeners were here. Upon coming into the house I watched as one gardner, thinking no one was home, took lemon after lemon off my only lemon tree. I love this tree and use every last lemon . I watched in horror wondering what do do. I'm Christian and gleaning is a biblical concept. That is, in biblical times, it was okay to take food (grain) from the edges of anothers land to feed yourself. I'm struggling to place this principle in our modern world. In other words, while stealing is against the moral law, it is not considered stealing when going hungry is your other alternative. So I prayed and said, God if he only takes half a bag I'm going to let it go, but if he fills it, I'm going to say something. Well he filled it (about 20-30 lemons). I didn't enjoy the confrontation. I told him he could have what he took but not to take any more because i use my lemons. He was very sheepish and clearly caught red handed. I'm mad, but my husband wants the landlord to fire him. "stealing is stealing" he says. This is CA. so yes, he's Mexican, no doubt poor. A penny for your thoughts.
Update, I' not assuming he's poor because he is Mexican. I'm assuming he is poor because he is an employee of a gardening service who likely is not even paid minimum wage because he Mexican, and by Mexican I don't mean Hispanic I mean illegal/ undocumented . Unless I'm missing something here and there's a good living to be make in lawn service I don't see how my observation is offensive. The point is, though I cherish the lemons of the tree I pay rent for, my heart goes out to those who have less than me. Thats kind of the point of my question. If I were heartless I would have confiscated back my lemons and agreed with my husband to complain about the lawn service.
I think he overdid it...but what the heck...he's not gonna sell them...he's gonna use them. Can't believe a Christian would be this upset over one of Gods' gifts to mankind. Also...I like had you had to throw in the part about $3500 a month for rent....yea you got it good....but not as good as me cause I owe my home outright...and I think I'm gonna plant me a lemon tree this summer and then give them all away to the Mexicans and any other poor people I can find.
Oh please don't fire him! I'm sure he got the message. Is your husband a Christian too? How about charity and forgiveness? They were lemons, not diamonds :(
Well you confronted him, he seemed remorseful, if it were me I'd let it go and see what happens. If he does it again, then yes, I'd speak to the landlord but for now, it seems that it will stop. I obviously don't condone his behavior, and yes that was stealing, but he wasn't stealing jewelry. Additionally, we don't know the back story, as you said, and I think it's better to give him a second chance.
I would be upset, not mad, but I feel that since you confronted him that is enough. I don't see that getting him fired is going to make anyone feel better, and if it does, how sad.
BTW, we have fruit trees in our front yard and so do our neighbors across the street. People taking walks along the sidewalk used to "help themselves" and we both put up signs saying "You may not steal any fruit," and it stopped.
My dad always said someone who would steal something from you probably needs it more than you.
He said that 20 years ago, I need to remember to ask him if he still believes that. He had his GPS stolen out of his garage. No one "needs" a GPS.
I would have probably been like you, okay take a couple. I would have flipped a nut if he went for 20.
In my garden we have more than I can pick before it rots so I have told my neighbors this gate is always open, take what you need. If it ever hit a point where I didn't have what I needed I would readdress this but so far it works.
Thing is though since you rent you don't actually own the tree. Did you ask permission from your landlord to pick his lemons?
Ok well two things. First off is the tree yours or the landlords? Did you purchase and plant the tree? Maybe if the landlord planted the tree he at somepoint let the staff take the lemons- you did not state this in your post, just thinking of other possiblilites before jumping to conclusions.
Second thing is your claim to be christian yet you are making a very discriminatory comment about you being in CA and so of course this man is Mexican and therefore he must be poor. That last statement in my opinion has no bearing in wether or not the man was wrong in taking the lemons from the tree.
Well, here some Buddhism thrown in. The question is really your attachment to the lemons. You didn't want someone else to have the lemons without your say so.
I'm not Buddhist, just thought I'd exchange pennies. I was growing tomatoes, someone took them and I was pissed. Not because what they did was morally wrong, but because they were MY tomatoes: )
1: just because he is Mexican does not make him poor. I live in a predominantly Latino city in Ca, and although I am not Mexican, I kind of take offense to that.
2: he probably got the point when you asked him to stop. He was caught, and likely wont take any more lemons.
Wow. Re read that bible. Aren't we all gods children including the poor mexican? You should think before you speak and being married to a mexican, I know our poor asses wouldn't touch anything that didn't belong to us!
***the stealing, yes it needs to be addressedbut your renting correct? The landlord should make those decisions not you.
Lemons are IMO very under-used...maybe he thought the same thing and figured they would just go to waste anyway? I would let it go. I hope your husband doesn't try to get him fired, especially in todays economic state where it is very hard to find work. Since it is not your tree (your only renting) is it possible the owner had told the gardners that they could help themselves to the lemons? If that is the case you guys might come off as appearing very petty for complaining about this?
~I grew up in CA amongst all the lemon trees and LOTS of them went to waste...as a gardner, he probably has seen this too!
Just out if curiosity, what di you do with all those lemons?
he probably didn't think you cared about the lemons, maybe he has seen a lot of wasteful people. You should have just said Hello, Those are my lemons, thanks for picking them for me would you like to take a few?"
Fired over taking the lemons? I wouldn't say so. I know it was wrong &
it wasn't nice but if we're going by the bible.....I would think it was better
to help this person.
Was he wrong? Yes and you mightily told him so.
Have you ever taken anything? Even a pen or liquid paper from the office? Got an extra dollar back in change at the grocery store and not told the cashier giving it back? It's all
stealing.
Madoff wasn't Mexican. He wasn't poor and he stole from people.
Btw, if we're quoting God, he would have said have love in your heart and let it go.
Im wondering if he had a name tag that said " im mexican and poor no doubt". Why would you automatically assume he was? I think since you are renting and you didnt actually hire their services, they might have persmission to take them? Did you check with your landlord?
Fyi, i am mexican ,i do not cut lawns for a living and i hire someone to mantain my yard, when i pay the gentleman , he has to struggle to take a wad of cash and checks out of his pocket to add mine to !! That doesnt seem very poor, then again i dont assume...
Let me first say that I live in Houston and alot of the gardening serivce employees get paid pretty good. They are mostly family owned and operated.
Next, I don't think he should be fired over lemons. In the past have lemons on your tree gone unpicked and thus rotted? If so, he might have seen that and decided that it was better to take them than waste them. Also, your husband's desire to have him fired is overreating. If the gardener does it again after your discussion then I would address it with the landlord, if not, then why have the guy get fired?
To answer your question, no, I do not think he needs to be fired over the lemons. You confronted him, he was sorry for his actions, it is not likely to happen again. If it does, address it with your landlord.
As for your other comment, while I don't believe your intention was to be offensive, that's what came out nonetheless. As another poster said, his being Mexican or poor has no bearing on the situation at hand at all. To add that comment in at the end just makes you sound racist and like you believe all Mexicans to be poor and/or needy. I grew up in an area where migrant workers were very common, and I can remember as a child people saying that you have to watch them closely or else they will steal from you. I absolutely do not believe that, but many people were raised to think that way, consciously or unconsciously. My point is, you just should have left that last comment out, because it doesn't matter. I don't think you're heartless, but your words were a tad thoughtless.
Here's what I would do. I would see if he takes anymore. If he doesn't, let this one go. If he does, THEN call the gardening service and tell the owner. You don't have to say 'fire him', but you do have to tell his boss that you won't put up with the man stealing from you, so the next time it happens you'll call the police and tell your landlord.
The manager won't want the bad publicity and having to deal with the police. He'll tell the guy. And I'll bet the guy doesn't ever do it again because he KNOWS that you will call his boss. After all, you confronted him and that means you have the chutzpah to TELL.
As far as being Christian is concerned, look at it like this. You are teaching him a valuable lesson to stop stealing. If YOU let him do it, if you enable him doing it, he might do it elsewhere and end up getting shot or knifed for it. So don't flinch from this.
I think you did alright but I don't think you need to get him fired.
A lot of people have fruit trees and they let the fruit rot on the tree.
Some charities will offer to pick the fruit so it goes to food banks.
He didn't know you use yours - now he knows.
His nationality, his socio-economic status, what ever he uses them for (he might sell them, make lemonade, etc) - it's all irrelevant.
What if the landlord said he wanted all the lemons, would you be upset with that? Are they still your lemons. I agree I would be upset, but can you use all of them? I think your assumption is right and he's probably poor, he should have asked if he could have them. I don't think he should be fired, and if the tree was there prior to you moving the maybe the landlord told him in the past you could have some lemons. I think just talking and letting him know you use the lemons too, that would be the Christian thing to do, I think.