To the editor:

About a month ago, several of my classmates’ and my guitars were stolen from our MS classroom at the Whidbey Island Waldorf School.

I’m in eighth grade and have been learning to play acoustical guitar at school this year.

I have really enjoyed it.

A little over a year ago, my dad, Pat Rodden, had an accident and suffered a severe brain injury and has been in the hospital since then. I miss my dad more than anything. He is not the same person he used to be and is working very hard to get better. He has been learning to do everything all over again, like eating, talking and walking. He doesn’t remember things, and doesn’t talk very well.

A lot of people in our community have been helping my family for over a year, and we are very thankful.

The guitar that was stolen was my dad’s that my mom gave to him for his birthday one year. It was a very nice, and pretty expensive, guitar, but that’s not what really matters. What matters to me are the memories and good times my dad and I had with the guitar, and that I won’t be able to ever play that guitar again. It cannot ever really be replaced — it’s one-of-a-kind for me. It has been hard to miss my dad, but this makes it even harder. It was so special to me that I was learning to play guitar with my dad’s guitar.

I have been very angry and sad that it was stolen, and wish I could get it back. I would like the person who took my guitar to know how sad I am about losing it, and that I can’t believe that someone would do something like that.

Perhaps if they knew how much they have hurt me, it could be returned?

Jaime Rodden

Freeland