Monday, January 7, 2008

Parade of Courage

This morning as I was stopped at a light on my way to work, no less than 50 police cars with lights flashing - from all over the state of Maryland - went by. While I had been hearing about this fallen officer all week, it wasn't "real" to me until then. I cried in my car as I thought about this officer and others, killed while working for a better city and a better state and a better country.

And this morning when I heard about all the roads closed and the delays that would be happening all day I was annoyed. Not anymore. For goodness sakes, sitting in traffic for an extra half hour isn't giving much compared to what this officer gave.

9 comments:

Mommy said...

Thanks for the sad image...I remember watching an officer's funeral procession on the Beltway years ago - just as John was in the police academy! I CRIED my eyes out!!
So...WHATS IN THE FRIGGIN 81LB BOX?!

Sunshine said...

I don't know if I've shared this on my blog or not...can't remember.

Hubby used to be a Deputy Sheriff. We live in a small, rural county with a total population of barely over 20,000. Everyone knows everyone, really.

He had people threaten his life pretty much daily. Drunks, druggies, pretty well anybody who didn't want to go to jail and didn't want him to put them there.

We had just had our oldest son a few months earlier and he had a guy who was all whacked out on drugs that he'd maced and thrown into a jail cell. This guy looked him in the eye with such evil and said, "when I make bail, I'm going to come to your house and wait until you pull away then I'm going to go in your house and cut your wife and your new baby up into little pieces."
Like I said, people threatened all the time but this guy made him so worried (since it wasn't hard to find out where we live in a small town) that he came off shift at 4AM and woke me up and quizzed me about where he kept guns and ammunition should an intruder ever come to our house.
Shortly after that, he traded his badge for a job in his family's business and I've never been sorry he did that. I worried all the time. Anybody who is part of a law enforcement family gets the deepest respect from me, it is a difficult life and they aren't compensated with salaries that nearly equal the sacrifice.

Thanks for paying your respects, it isn't done enough.

Mommy said...

Ok - Now I feel I REALLY need to comment. My husband is a police officer - in a city with about 3,000 other officers. I always said "I'll worry when...." but those "whens" came and went and I rarely worry. I remember when he was going into the police academy - we had dating for several years and I was just getting to know his mother. She gave me some GREAT advice - You can't spend your whole life worrying about him at work - chances are he's going to come home and complain just like you do. (She also said you should only ever REALLY worry if a police cruiser shows up in your driveway!) And she was right - I've only ever REALLY worried a few times - when he was in a car accident (We weren't married and I wasn't there with him) - when he was in his shooting (same reason - and I didn't hear from him for about 15 hours) - and when he had to get stitches...otherwise - I don't worry. I can't worry - I have to believe that he'll come home after every shift, I have to have faith that he won't be one of the fallen - otherwise our marraige wouldn't work. I think its a BIG bonus that he works someplace different from where we live - and that its a HUGE city and the neighborhood he typically works in is not someplace I would EVER be.

Mommy said...

Ok - Now I feel I REALLY need to comment. My husband is a police officer - in a city with about 3,000 other officers. I always said "I'll worry when...." but those "whens" came and went and I rarely worry. I remember when he was going into the police academy - we had dating for several years and I was just getting to know his mother. She gave me some GREAT advice - You can't spend your whole life worrying about him at work - chances are he's going to come home and complain just like you do. (She also said you should only ever REALLY worry if a police cruiser shows up in your driveway!) And she was right - I've only ever REALLY worried a few times - when he was in a car accident (We weren't married and I wasn't there with him) - when he was in his shooting (same reason - and I didn't hear from him for about 15 hours) - and when he had to get stitches...otherwise - I don't worry. I can't worry - I have to believe that he'll come home after every shift, I have to have faith that he won't be one of the fallen - otherwise our marraige wouldn't work. I think its a BIG bonus that he works someplace different from where we live - and that its a HUGE city and the neighborhood he typically works in is not someplace I would EVER be.

Mommy said...

oops...i have no idea why that posted twice!
sorry....

Kelly said...

Thanks for sharing about your morning. Although it was a sad thing to witness, it is a nice way to start off your week by remembering what is truly important in life. (not traffic)

Kelly said...

Ok. I have been very patient for the past few days. And I hate that I'm posting this on your Parade of Courage post, but I don't know where else to comment that you'll see it.

WHAT WAS IN THE BOX????????

:) :)

rebekca said...

It's always nice to appreciate the things we seem to overlook. And sometimes nicer to be reminded of those same things.

I'd like to "pop" the question that everyone has been asking.

But I won't.

Kelly said...

Ah ha!!! You DID hint at it!! (I just came from commenting to Becky's movie night post.)