"Feeling Sad Tonight"

 Today I learned about the death of one of my former customers, Eli Chalet.  I don't mind using his name because it's in many news articles these past five years ANYway.  You see, Eli was a town councilman in Bloomfield, NJ where I used to live and had a carpet cleaning business for 35 years.  Eli was also a REALTOR, and often had us do work in his empty properties, between tenants.

Anyway, Eli was arrested for taking a 15k bribe five years ago. The bribe was to ensure that he'd use his clout on the Council to help someone complete a business deal.  They had Eli on tape, dead-bang, and he was sentenced to five years in prison in July 2018.  He was scheduled to be released EARLY, for good behavior THIS July, but I learned today that Eli died of COVID, in prison, in April. He was 58.

What Eli did was terrible, but I want to say that, personally I always found him TOTALLY above board with me in all of our MANY business transactions. Additionally, he was always cheerful, prompt in MEETING us at locations where we were to clean, as well as being prompt to PAY us. In short, he was a pleasure to work for. When he RAN for the Council I recommended him (even though he was a Democrat) and even after he was caught taking the payoff, I wrote a letter to one of the Bloomfield papers testifying of MY experiences with him, which were always good ones.

I'm feeling sad tonight and, in fact I've fought back tears thinking of Eli. I'm writing about him because writing HELPS me in these times.

And I hope that Eli is now with the Savior AND that thief Jesus saved right at the end of his life.