Blues on Orange Beach,
This was not just the color of the sky or a great color to wear on the beach, but a privilege and an honor to meet and serve a police officer and his family.
Responsibilities of a police officer are varied, and may differ greatly from within one political context to another but typical duties relate to keeping the peace, law enforcement, protection of people and property and the investigation of crimes. Officers are expected to respond to a variety of situations that may arise while they are on duty and and a police officer is obliged to intervene in a criminal incident, even if they are off-duty. They are sworn to serve and protect without regard to their own safety. And, they typically make under 60K a year. And the really wild thing that makes you stop and think about life and the choices that you make. Well, quite simply, they make daily choices involving life and death, uncertain if they will make it home unharmed or if it will be their last day, everyday.
These foot steps in the sand mean a great deal more than what you see. I choose to believe that they are not alone and every step is one more day spent secure in the knowledge that an officer kept my family safe, and my world peaceful.
I recently read a note that my niece wrote about her feelings as a police officers wife. I am sharing her perspective because it is a rare glimpse into their very private world.
“I am thinking about that wife. The one who slept alone last night like she always does. Who pushed down the fear and anxiety she feels every night praying that she’d wake up like she does after every shift to the familiar and sweet sound of “Velcro releasing Kevlar” across the house. I am that wife. I walk the line not beside my husband but behind him and the rest of our blue family.
But, that wife didn’t hear the Velcro, her children didn’t get good morning/good night hugs this morning. That wife got told her husband wasn’t coming home. Not for breaking any laws or fault of his own, but because someone hated him. Someone hated him because of his occupation. I could be that wife. My children could be those children. I am heartbroken…”
I leave you with this thought that an incredible client left for all to see online.
Jesus said, “A kingdom divided against its self cannot stand.” The kingdom of God is made up of all races and colors. We must not add to the division that the enemy is stirring up in our country. As Christians we should pray for our nation and rather than venting to our families, friends, and on Facebook. “If My people which are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear heaven and forgive their sins and heal their land.”
It was wonderful to see these “Blue on Orange Beach” smiling and not having to think about if he’ll make it home one more time. Thank you and bless you 😉 Tam & Jay